I must admit as well...that's what got me to point and click.
Posted on 02/22/2005 11:11:35 PM PST by A. Pole
Butlers-in-training flock here to learn the tricks of the trade from 70-year-old Rick Fink, who has served British royalty and aristocracy for more than half a century. Fink, whose stately bearing and traditional dress recall an era filled with balls and hunting parties, is devoted to passing on his considerable knowledge to the next generation of butlers.
[...]
The recent rise of butling schools -- Fink has several competitors -- illustrates the comeback and the modernization of butling. With the proliferation of millionaires, butlers have become the ultimate household manager.
[...]
High salaries, the potential for travel, and the challenge of modern household management are drawing an increasingly diverse bunch to the profession. No longer a profession passed down from generation to generation, butling is attracting everyone from hotel employees to recent college graduates. Wennekes recently had a 52-year-old dermatologist sign up for his butler training course.
[...]
In 1900, more Britons were employed in domestic service than in any other profession except agriculture. The figure was even more striking for women. In 1890, servants constituted 41 percent of the female workforce [..] By 1950, that figure had declined to 11 percent.
[...]
According to the Office of National Statistics, in 1911 the wealthiest 1 percent of Britons held 70 percent of the UK's wealth. By 1988, that figure had fallen to 17 percent.
The precipitous drop in domestic servants also paralleled increased employment opportunities for the lower class during and between World Wars I and II. The narrowing of the income gap between rich and poor continued in the years following WWII.
[...]
In the late 1980s, however, employment of domestic servants in Britain started to increase, as the divide between rich and poor began a slow expansion.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Free market bump!
I'd post a re-butle to this thread but it's getting late. Gotta get my butle to bed.
Does Senator kerry know about this?
'Help is on the way!' = 'I'm sending my butler'
My bad! I thought it said "oldest" profession.
I must admit as well...that's what got me to point and click.
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