Page:Race distinctions in American Law (IA racedistinctions00stepiala).pdf/69

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Servants must "rise at the dawn in the morning, feed, water, and care for the animals on the farm, do the usual and needful work about the premises, prepare their meals for the day, if required by the master, and begin the farm work or other work by sunrise." They must be careful of all the animals and property of their masters, and especially of the animals and implements used by them; must prevent them from injury by others. They were answerable for all property lost, destroyed, or injured by their negligence, dishonesty, or bad faith.

All lost time, not occasioned by the master, and all losses caused by neglect of duty might be deducted from the wages of the servant. Food, nursing, and other necessaries for the servant, while absent from work on account of sickness or other cause, might also be deducted. Servants must be quiet and orderly in their quarters, at their work, and on the premises. They must extinguish their lights and fires, and retire to rest at seasonable hours. Work at night and out-door work in bad weather was not to be exacted except in cases of necessity.

Servants were not to be kept at home on Sundays unless to take care of the premises or animals, for work of daily necessity, or on unusual occasions; and then only so many as were necessary to do the work. Sunday work must be done by them in turn, except in cases of sickness or disability, when the work might be assigned out of order. Those away on Sunday must be back by sunset.

Masters might give servants tasks, and might require them to rate themselves as full hands, three-quarters, half, or one-quarter in order to determine the task. If the serv-