On the Preservation of a Good Temper in a Housekeeper

Catharine E. Beecher, author of “On the Preservation of a Good Temper in a Housekeeper,” defined a housekeeper as being the woman who commands her home. It is her job to see that her home runs smoothly and that everything essential gets done.  Back in the time period when Beecher’s book was written men were seen as the head of a household but women were expected to run their home. In her paper Beecher makes the assumption that most women run their homes with help. She assumes that most women have maids and nurses, so a large portion of Beecher’s paper is dedicated to the fair treatment of the household’s help.  Beecher believes women set the tone for how their households function, and when these women are calm when addressing their employees their homes tend to run better. Beecher claims that the best way for a woman to run her home is with tranquil emotions and no angry tones.  A woman who has control of her emotions when dealing with troublesome situations in her home will create a happy life for herself and her family. Although I found the content of the article a little dated I found Beecher’s main ideas true. 

The excerpt mainly focused on treating the house employees with a cheerful temper so that they will work harder, however many of the ideas can apply to many other situations. A person who approaches life with a calm temper will be able to achieve happiness more easily than an angry or stressed person.  In the paper Beecher gave three ways for a person to achieve this cheerful temper.  The first was to point out that scolding people was in very bad taste, and that women who reprimand others in public are not seen as lady-like.  Beecher means that it would be embarrassing to the scolder. When I see a person yelling at their children in the grocery store I feel bad for the children.  No matter what they do no one deserves to be yelled at.  The second suggestion Beecher made for women was to allow people to make mistakes.  Mistakes are a part of life and women who expect for mistakes never to happen are bound to be disappointed.  I found this suggestion most helpful because it is easy to look around the world and see people who are expecting too much, one example being brides.  This afternoon I walked into my room and my roommate was watching Bridezillas. This show focuses on women who set too high of standards and make no allowances for human error.  These women would definitely benefit from following Beecher’s suggestions.  The final suggestion Beecher made was to look at all the unplanned events that occur in a woman’s home and to regard them as an act of God.  Beecher observed that no one spoke angrily when true tragedies occurred because these events are seen as a part of God’s plan, but when minor mistakes are made by maids or nurses some women act as though it is the end of the world.  If these housekeepers were able to see these minor hiccups as part of His plan they would be able to have the calm temper that Beecher was promoting. 

Catharine Beecher wrote this article a long time ago however many of the points she made about calm tempers are still true today.  A person who can live by the guide lines Beecher proposed would be a much happier person.  Beecher stated that women were looked at and judged by how they conducted themselves; that statement is very much true in present times.  Everyone is judged by how you look but what I think is more important is how a person acts. Beecher is correct that a calm temper can inspire others, make you happy, and promote your eloquence.