The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-31 00:00:00

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HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, Dec. 30.

The Queen drove out yesterday with the Princess
of Wales. Lieut.-Col. the Hon. D. de Ros attended
on horseback.

Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of
Mecklenburg• Strelitz is expected to arrive on a visit to her
Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, at Cambridge
Cottage, Kew, about the sth proximo, from Germany, and
will be most likely accompanied by the Hereditary Prince
Adolphus.
His Excellency the Prussian Ambassador and
the Countess Bernstorff entertained his Excellency Baron
de Cetto and a select party at dinner on Tuesday evening,
at the4Prusbian Embassy, on Carlton House-terrace.
The Earl Russell left his residence, Pembroke
Lodge, Richmond Park, yesterday afternoon, for Osborne
on a visit to her Majesty.
The Earl and Countess of Chesterfield, who
arrived in town on Saturday from visiting the Earl and
Countess of Carnarvon at Highclere Castle, near Newbury,
have since gone to Bretby Park, Derbyshire.
The Earl and Countess of Carnarvon are enter-
taining a select company at Highclere Castle, near New-
bury. Among the guests partaking of the hospitality of
the earl and countess are the Countess of Portsmouth,
Count Strzelecki, Viscount Somerton, Lord Loughborough,
Hon. Frederick Lygon, M.P., Hon. A. Herbert, Mr. R. S.
Holford, M.P., and Mrs. Holford, Mr. H. Butler John-
stone, M.P., Mr. C. Grevdle, Mr. Elliot, Mr. Edward
Herbert, Miss Ogilvy, &c.
The Earl and Countess Amherst are seeing com-
pany at Montreal, Sevenoaks. Lady Amherst gave a grand
ball last night, to which the Marquis Camden and Ladies
Pratt, Viscount and Viscountess Holmesdale, Sir Edward
and Lady Dering, the Earl and Countess of Winchilses,
Lord and Lady Sondes, and a host of the nobility and sentry
c,nnected with the county were invited.
The Baron Waldenburg, Count Salino, and NI.
de Chatellee have left the Brunswick, Jermyn-street, for
Paris.
Baron and Baroness Lionel do Rothschild enter
tallied a select party at dinner last evening at Kingston
House, Knightsbridge.
The Right Hon. Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer,
G.C.8., the British Ambassador at Constantinople, left
Hall's Private Hotel, St. James's-place, on Tuesday for
Paris, in which capital his excellency proposes to pass a fel
days on his way back to the Turkish capital to resume his
diplomatic duties.
The Right Hon. Thomas Milner Gibson, M.P.,
has left Hardwick House, Suffolk. and gone on a visit to
the Queen at Osborne, Isle of Wight.

DOMESTIC SERVICE.

It is an old saying that we value in others the
virtues which are convenient to ourselves, and this
is curiously illustrated in the popular ideal of a good
servant. In the masters' estimate, besides the in-
dispensable physical qualification of vigorous health,
diligence, punctuality, and cleverness, readiness to
oblige, and rigid honesty of a certain sort, are es-
sentials. Piety, devotion to parents, self-respect,
and the like are held of small account. This is
true even of the upper classes. But the great mass
of servants are not to be found in the houses of the
rich. " Gentlemen's families," though numerous
itt
London, form but a small minority of society gene'
rally, and absorb a quite inconsiderable number of
servants. The middle-class, taken in the most ex-
tended sense of the term, is the employing class, and it
is here that the greatest unreasonableness prevails.
Many are living beyond their means, at least in this
sense, that they are trying hard to make their money
go farther than it will. This leads to all sorts of
petty parsimonies, which press hard upon the ser-
vants, wages are screwed down to the lowest level;
the maximum of work is exacted, with the minimum
of indulgences. Masters and servants are embarked
in mutual struggle, each trying to get as much and
give as little as possible, each looking upon the other
as fair game, both alike disregarding the Golden
Rule, Do unto others as yon would that they should
do unto you. With such unrighteous feelings
on both sides, It would be impossible for any
system to work in an orderly and har-
monious manner. A radical improvement is
needed. But where is it to begin? Mistresses,
happily unconscious of their own share of the
blame, take refuge in general complaints, and find,
we may suppose, some solace to their wounded
spirits, in the never ending flow of discourse on the
crimes of servants, which forms the staple of
women's conversation at middle-class tea-parties.
A few, of a practical turn, wish " somebody" would
set up " training-schools or something," which
would turn out good servants ready made to their
hands, instead of the raw girls who make their lives
a burden. It does not occur to them that as they are
obliged to be content with inferior houses, inferior
furniture, inferior clothes, and inferior everything's
to those of their richer neighbours, so also they'
must be satisfied with inferior servants. Looking 0
the question broadly, it appears that while admit"
ting abundant faults and errors on both sides, the
reform must begin at the top. It can scarcely be
expected that an improvement in the character o'•
servants will react upon their masters, but there
is
no doubt that the moral influence of masters is s$
important as it is subtle. The faults of servants
are, in the main, also the faults of their employe°'
Excessive love of dress is constantly brought forvvard'
and no doubt servants do waste money and thought
upon it, to a shocking degree. But how about Mir
tresses? Do they ever talk to their servants vritil.
genuine interest on any other subject ? Does it 11°
at least appear to be of the first importance in their
eyes ? Daintiness in food is another of the crimes
of servants. But while they are waiting at tables
what is the theme of their master's discourse? I!
not the appearance of a tough joint or an ill-eea.soneo
dish considered a sufficient justification for a Per-
feet storm of indignation ? What sort of notio,
must cooks have of what is essential to the haPP.,I"
ness of men ! Servants are too fond of gossip.
the conversation of " the parlour" so very muter'
higher in quality than that of the kitchen ?
ness is another of the stock accusations. Pe:
rainy of us work at all harder than we ore!
obliged ? Telling stories is, we believe, almost
universal among servants. Perhaps in this respee
also, we do not set the very best example possible'
0
The petty deceptions, the incessant efforts
appear richer than we are, which servants know atto
about, and which, indeed, it is part of their businese
to carry out, fill our households with an atmosphae._
of deceit, in the fast degree destructive of the 131!
are of truthfulness. We may add that the ha
re °I
eel-
both masters and mistresses before marroiatgvery
easy
dow calculated to prepare them for then
°t
task of directing a household. Wien are
comfort and
rae to be exacting, and inconsiderate 0
t
hodical, unused
wom
convenience of others ; destitute of the
to authority, and often wenh,e un
hich is essential
to the
capacity for administrationtwef
even
a small estab.
order and good governmne:
ny
Victoria