The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-22 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES

Sir,—Our present age is- bringing out some re-
markable questions- which no one was drearningpf
twenty: years ago. In those quiet days we. heard
little ,or nothing of the grievances to which I have
so frequently alluded, so hurtful to_ both soli and
body ; and had any one been then . told he had, a,
go d, ground of complaint against his neighhnur,
on account of any tryannical infringement- of duty
practised upon his fellow-men, he would,proba,bly
have only been surprised. Society., at that time,
'was in a manner content to suffer under any cry-
ing evils that arose in-the ordinary course of things
amid a crowded population. No one thought
-of questioning the tight of , employers to
usurp undue authority over their servants.. No one,
in those days, thought of questioning that a reckless
" Paterfamilias " had a right to bylaw up his sons
in ignorance and disorder, even when seeing that
what he did was manifestedly equivalent to hounding
out a sat of savage animals to infest and prey upon
society. And, in those days more particularly, there
were men existing ,who were creatures of society
more than of hurna,nity, that were more conventional
than natural ; more formal than real.; and this
pervaded their whole social system like a blight—
that absurd fear of themselves—that very reve, se of
true pride, mixed up with that, baneful arrogance
causing them, in a manner, to shrink from their
fellow-men, as either too high or too low, for their
notice. The buckram belt was too tightly drawn
round their hearts to be unstrapped; they would
rather let those -in the world run on unchecked in
their sinful course of habits, and they themselves-fall
back into their old indolent ways of ease .;and
luxury.

And, sir, it is much to be lamented that there are
many lukewarm men of the same kind to be found
at the present period, treading the earth, as i' were,
with the same easy step of indifference tows' ds those
inferior to them in station, and who, by their cold-
ness of disposition, so 'far make it appear that they
are perfectly regardless of consequences arising fi om
such apathy and neglect One would imagine that
nature's beautiful landscape, so often presented to
their view, with its clear sky and dazzling sun,
shining forth in meridian glory, would- melt them
to acts of compassion—that some stray beam
whereof would perchance find a way in'o the
crevices of their hearts—but, no; though some
particle of generosity may, be warmed up for a time,
yet it is only a transient feeling of benevolence,after
all—the light suddenly,becomes overcast just as they
are about thinking•whpt good they will do. ,Imrthis
country, sir, rest assured, example is now almost
above law, and the people too prone to follow where
fashion leads. Therefore. I say, we should befriend
and assist them, set them a good example, and, so
far, be advocates of social improvement.
At the conclusion of- my last letter I promised to
allude to another class, exposed ,in a very great
degree to slavery, and.; perhaps, shall not be out of
place in here introducing the subject, as the class of
people to which I am about to allude come more
immediately under. our notice, living as .they do
under our own roof, and having at command, as
most of us know from experience, they unqu,
ably must have, many of the comforts we so naturally
look forward to in our homes, and which, as must
be obvious, are more or less at their own disposal—
I mean our domestic servants.

Among all matrons, at least nearly all, the
universal moan is- servants---servants —" where
shall I get a good servant ? They are all alike—l
have been in such trouble about my servants !"
There seems to be an undying feud exis ing between
above and below stairs—the powers above that be,
and the 'powers below that suffer. The family'
and the,servants ' are,ras is too often'the' case, quite
a different race, and widely seperated from ties
which should be a binding link between them. There
are many heads of families who organise one set of
interests for the kitchen, and another for the parlour;
one code of morals for the server and another for the
served. Let us look at the-thing dispassionately in
all -its bearings, and consider the true meaning of
the term ' servitude,' practised and abused, as it too
often is, and practised as it ought to be Now—is
it not a very common expression in some families
when the dinner things are about to be removed
from their tables, atter having partaken .of a
plenteous meal, seeing some left morsels on their
plates or jagged half-raw remnants of a joint, to
exclaim, '‘ Oh, that will do for the servants," as
though they were inferior animals, without " sense
or reason." Should not rather the cook—common
grate cleaner, or "servant of all work" as they are
generally designated—be treated as if both she and
yourselves come from -the one blood of the great
human family, and be allowed every possibility that
fate likewise allows, to raise herself in her posi ion
or become as perfect as she can be in that position,
for which she is fitted, and to which she was born.
I will come to the practical question of why it is
,that one halt the families of one's acquaintance
especially in large towns, the grand burden and
complaint isservants.

We must look around, for examples are necessary
There is Mrs. so-and-so, for instance. You will
never enter her house without hearing of a change
in its domestic arrangements; you wifl hardly
knock at the door four successive weeks without
its being opened by a strange damsel. To count
the number of servants she has had since her
marriage would puzzle her eldest boy, even though,
he is just going into his multiplication table. One
would suppose; out of some scores, surely all could
not have been so bad, yet to hear her, no imps of
Satan in female term,' could be worse than those
with which her house has been haunted—cooks who
'sold the dripping, and gave the roast meat to the
policeman; housemaids who could not sew nettly,
or get up fine .linen; nurses wickedly pretty, or
thinking themselves so, who had the atrocious,
impudence to buy a bonnet "just like my last straw
one," with -flowers inside! Poor lady, her whole
soul is engrossed in the 'servant question.' Her
whole li‘e is a domestic battle, of the mean,' snatch-
and snap. spit-and-snarl kind She has a handsome
house to live in; she gives, very likely, fair wages,
according to her ideas—that is, her hustand does
but not a servant will stay with her. And, simply
why ? Because in nine cases out of ten, she is not
_fitted to be a mistress. She cannot rule over her
household matters properly; she can only order
about—she cannot reprove quietly when cause is
given; she can only scold. Possessing no mildness
or equanimity of temper; and having, as is often th
case, little or no education,, she, is the hardest of all
judges upon ignorance. Though so tenacious of her
perogative that she discharged Sally from her service
for imitating her last straw bonnet;' still, the more
intelligent of her servants—if, she have more than
one—soon find out that she is " not a lady ;" that.
in fact, if divested of her satin gowns, and make her
for a while inhabit the basement-s ory instead of the
drawing room of her handsome housc, she would not
be one whit superior to themselves
There are other peoples' households conducted on
quite a different plan. You will never hear ,the
smallest domestic rows "—the petty squabbles
between mistress and servants—injustice on one side
and impertinence on the other. Such an experienced
housekeeper would never dream of quarrelling with a
servant and putting herself into
,a flurry about trifles,
any !nor ; than wi,h her dog or cat, or some other
interior animal. She tries stric ly to fulfil her duty
as mistress; gives regular wages, though very likely
moderate, at all events according to circumstances;
she exacts no extra service, and is rigidly particular
in allowing her servants the due holidays—namely,
to church every Sunday, and a day out according to
arrangement and agreement There are others who
say they cannot afford to hire what is called "a
good" servant—that is, an efficient, conscientious,
responsible woman, who requires equivalent wages
for valuable services—=therefore she do s with poor
Betty; but it, never seems to s'rike Be ty, or, her
mistress either, that though poverty may be inevita-
ble, dirt and tatters never are—that a girl, i r ever
so ignorant, can generally be taught—a house, it'
ever so small and ill furnished, can at least be clean
—a dinner, if ever so plain, nay, even shanty, may
be well cooked and well arranged And would
Betty honour you less if every mor.,ing she saw you
dust a chair or two, or hunt out lurkine ambushes of
spiders—so that she was shamed into. the kno,wledge
end induStry by the conviction that, what she had
'left undone, her mistress would ,cerfainly do—and,
again, fair mistress, whoever you be, would you be

less amiable in your husband's eyes when he return'
,to his ,home, by, the, discovery that it was you Your:
self who cooked, and then taught Betty to coot.b
his comfortable dinner ? would he have less
pleasnre in seeing your little fingers with a fo",
needle-marks upon them, caused by the making e'
tidy chair covers. or the mending of clean threadbare
carpets, so as to make the, be§t of his plain WO
home. 'But, very likely you may be as ignorant 85
,Betty is herself I hope not.' Nevertheless, if she
=can learn, surely you can. There is adgolden rale,
to be observed, t• never expect a servant to do tt
which you cannot .do. or, if necessary, leatn to de
yourself;" and never lose sight of the fact, that Y°,Btiii
servants are women like yout'selves—women
thoughts, feelings, habits, both bad and good; vvP:;
weakneSses, mental and physical; with aims a""'
hopes, distinctly defined, however limited; with II
life so far placed in the school of :Tour household 113°
it should not only tend to their comforts in this 1 Vet
but a se3king after the preservation 'of rest and
comfort hereafter.'. Then let it be the great end
aim which all of us ought to have in view, that olg
servan's lack nothing of kindness, to see that
whe her we be masters o: mistresses, to perform o,r
duty towards them, as wr: seeit necessary 11)/
should perform theirs —to ex:,:ct from them, kind
but firmly, the strict performance of that amount ot
service for which they were hired. We have not the
least right to claim more, for we did not buy theret'
soul and body. A compact once entered into 1.0
just wages to do that which they are dged to del
should not be taken advantage of, and Anythil
above this should be received from thetn wl„t.
pleasure, as spi inging- out of those kindly rela.l2°l;
which place.the whole human race on one level
love We should look also to the comforts of oe',,
servants, to see that they do not sleep in unwholesoo'
bedrooms, or close attics, without either chimner
ventilator. And hear in mind, too, that we have 13!
right to despatch them on needless errands in pel io6
wet nigh's, or burning summer days. Not lbei
slightest right in the world. to keep them on tbei(d
feet' nineteen hours out of the twenty-four—sendig)
them to bed at one, am , and expect them to rise'
the stme morning at six.
Lastly, if when things go wrong, as the best
.4.,
households must happen at times, goad sad kind rolsi
tresses .are seen to take it quietly, reprocing , ano
remedying ; but still always quietly—never for an, insre,,h
allowing themselves to give way to that " temper" will':
.they would remorselessly condemn in their inferior'
By observing this rule, should we so often have to el;
plain, of the i`impertinence" of servants ? Olt,
not.• This secret appears simple enough.
mistress must first of all learn to rule over herself;
and by= so doing acquire the art of =properly raft
kg others,. then, out of her o%vn conscientiousges
she- justly .judge her infertars, and her olc;
weaknesses will teach her lenity towar,ls theirs, and 0,,
all her individuality of ladyhood, her sympathies will!,
wide enough to give her some-meeting p.lint with °ls'
meanest Cinderella that ever scudded slipshod across fl
floor. Above all, she,will acquire one good ,Quality (Pd,
being able—let the vexed question be ever so confoe
and her own feelings ever so mixed up there wite
always to`see clearly the other side.—Yoars, &c.,
Liverpool, January 15th, 1857. _ . VERITAS.

CRIMINAL AND DANGEROUS CLASSS

LETTER 111.

. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.
Sir,—The great question asked by many leadili!
cbaracters-in society is, " What shall 13/8 .do 10.5
fOr pro-tectioriC from the criminal and dangerioo,
classes,?" Hanging and transportation are 0,1),,,
lished, and crime is continuously increasing. Soill`o
thing must- be done, and That very' soon, for tb
safety or society, of the result ivill be 'fearful.
The Charter of .;the. Rights of 'Humanity, ff°,l
which we are extracting, proposes a system et'
prevention, and a mode of cure, easy in practice
and certain of. Success, for the removal of tiles
evils.

•
Article 10. " A change of the viciousado
' circumstances by which the Pt oductive classeslare Deb
surrounded for others possessing a virtuous and super
character.."
"Because the circumstances in whichtbe prodgoteld,
classes are now obliged to exist are unhealthy, and to
cula'ed to produce vice and misery, and not such a5,,,4
producers of the wealth of society ought to have ar(r),
them, such as any human beings ought, to be Pla''
within."
" Because the industry of the prodUctive .classeS,
wisely directed, is capable of creating, in a short tils
circumstances greatlr superior, for themselves, and
the whole of society."
" Becauseit is the direct interest of society, that 110 18
of the inferior circumstances in which the industr.
0
ti
classes now are, should longer exist; and because soclrf4
has the full power, and most ample means, to remove t't'ir
speedily,And replace, them by others of a much b_e`o,
and more virtuous description ; and mm ever has "v'io
is, and must be, the creature of the 'circumstances as
which he lives, whether they shall be permitted to be
and indifferent, or be made good and -superior."
tbFr'
11. "National employment,. for all who .cannot 0-
wise find prpdUctive or beneficial occupation, that. there:ll.i!
the greatest amount of wealth may be produced for ea`'
individual."
.0
" Because it is contrary to common sense, that tho,,i,
who desire to create wealth for themselves, and a surPIDIe
for others, should not, have the means provided to ens
them to do so ; and yet more contrary to it, that ted,
should be compelled, for want of proper national arc:ll,l7lf
meats, to live in idle wretchedness, and be thereby' d„ t"
tempted to acquire the worst habits, and to commit eve
r 9
of crime."
o
",Because it is the, palpable interest of the whole
society that not one of its industrious members sia°
now be' kepi in idleneis or discornfort."
12. " National measures should more especiallsr_di
adopted: without any ,delaY, to set all the vagrant
criminal, unemployed poor, to beneficial' et131:010-Yme:Iii
under, arrangements which shall reform their fee2l49
habits, and secure their comfort and happiness."
"BecaUse, to ithiii-ove society on rational priami'pe
the lowest in the scale of habits and knowledge should ,e
the first put in a condition in which useful and vatua'
knowledge, superior habits, and batter feelings and dil;
sitions may be given to them; and without a Ytd
proportion of employment this change cannot
effected."
would make a few remarks in explanation .6
iu reconimendation of the foregoing.
nits
Article, 10. Much has been done in carrying '-
ye'
this article since 1831, and among the impr°
titiats made we.,must -enumerate—baths ant
washliouses, model lodging houses and °l'`l,l
improved dwellings for the poor:public walks 04.
pleasure grounds, public libraries, lectures, °it
carts, excursion trains, &o.=-Still, much remains 4
be done ; a very. large proportion Of the dWollitl;•
of the poor ought to be pulled down and rebtni
and in drainage,' sewerage, wiaening of streets, ‘t"/'
much has still to be done. Il
Articles. 11 and 12 are those. most found 0-
.
with—the finding national employment for to(),-1
who are unwillingly unemployed. But if
people or the government . say o the' industril
poor shall have employthent and wages," where
the difficulty ? I Could" mention work that wotvot
find employment for years for many ,thousands
labourers, whose work would produce more Woslt
for this country than all the Mines of Australi3,/
to mention a few instances By throwing
_lief
.embankments for, a, few. miles at the esttuiriout
the Dee, the Mersey, the Bibble, and others Of °
rivers, hundreds Of thousands of acres of „,3
might be recovered from the sea, which would Odof
on being Put up-for sale, ten times the expeno,,e,
making it. Almost every city, town, and villaroi
that we can mention, has some nuisances that le,
removing, or. improvements that want to be 11134.0.
that would improve the property of the place 'ig
more. than all the cost of the labour. But
useless to multiply words.. All parties will P:4
very soon, as clearly as we see it now. That Otero
is no possible' way to prevent crime and refo,lo)
criminals but by well educat*T,thepeople, plalot
them in eornfortable circumstances, and findingot
them constant and beneficial employment,:and!'ol
it is impossible to govern any country well will,'
a system of free trade and direct taxation- fit,
conclude, in the words of this important documedie
we ,say—" The period has. arrived when we. ;ed,
,producers of.-wealth and knowledge, have degiud
that we will not waste any. more of our time if
labour ,on objects of minor importance, whien'4l
obtained,
.could effect no permanently benefietio
change: in our condition; but 'overlooking 030
local advantages of class, and considering only
general and permanent-interests of humanitYw
.will henneforih- devote all our energies t° 08.
attainment ofthose superior objects and advant!,,,/
developed in this our charter. Feb. 12, 183*'
Yours, &c., A WOllOll.
January 19, 1857,

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