The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-17 00:00:00

SERVANTS' PROVIDENT AND
BENEVOLENT SOCIEI Y.

One of the largest and most respectebly attended
meetings perhaps ever held in the same locality, took
relate yesterday afternoon at the Hanover-square Rooms,
for the purpose of furthering the objects of the above
institution. For some time before the hour appointed
ler the meeting great crowds assembled in the neigh-
bourhood, attracted by the aneounecruent that his Royal
Highness Prince Albert intended honouring the meeting
by his presence; and shortly after two o'clock, when the
doors were opened, the room in which the assemblage
collected wee thronged in every part,
the great majority
of the audience being ledi,!s.
his Royal Highness Prince Albert arrived a little
after three o'clock, and his appearance on the platform
was hailed by a universal demonstration of respect and
applause on the part of the immense concourse of persons
present.
Amongst the distinguished individuals on the plat-
form and at the meeting were—Lord John Russell, the
Marquis of Westminster; Lords Ashley, Effingham,
Adair, and Fielding; the Archbishop of Canterbury; the
BLhops of Oxford, Exeter, London, Salisbury', Chi
chester; Archdeacons Manning and Wilherforce; Sir T.
Acland, Sir 11. Dukinfield, lion. Colonel Phipps, M.
Guizot, Messrs. Philips, Acland, Colquhoun, Ste.
His Royal Highness Prince ALBERT, on taking the
chair, as soon as the applause which greeted his rising
was hushed, addressed the meeting as follows:—Ladies
and gentlemen, the object for which we have met here
this day is not one of charity, but one for the purpose of
affording friendly assistance. and advice to a large and
important class of our fellow-countrymen, the
domestic servants of this empire. Where is the
heart that does not feel the deepest interest in the
welfare of domestic servants, or who does not sympa-
thise with those who minister to us in all the wants
of daily life; who tend us in sickness, who
rielja.t —p(aArtPoPfla thue"inma Ateasd
re-
ceive us on our first appearance in this world, and ex-
tend their care even to our mortal remains—(Hear, hear)
l findo ld
thatand f
a a g
m— who live undsr our roofs, and form part of our house-
of this metropolis is formed of domestic servants. I am
quite sure that startling as this fact is, it is no proof of
want of liberality and kindness on the part of masters,
of yet
the o n w
oi
rn
kq
hu
oi inquiry Is s e
or of vice on the part of servants, but the natural cen-
sequence of the peculiar position in which the latter
are placed. During a considerable portion of their lives
they share in all the expenses of their opulent masters;
at other periods they have not the means even of sus-
taining themselves from day to da3..—(llear, hear.) It
is the consideration of these Peculiar, vicissitudes which
makes it the duty both of masters and servants to try to
discover and agree upon some plan by which domestic
servants may be carried through life safe from the
temptations of a prosperous, and from the sufferings of
an evil day.—(Hear, hear.) On that account I rejoice
in this meeting—(Cheers)—and I gladly consented to
take the chair at it—(Cheers)--to assist the objects of
the Servants' Provident and Benevolent Society. Ladies
and gentlemen, I feel convinced that this society is based
upon a right principle, as it follows the dictates of a cor-
rect appreciation of human nature, which requires every
one, by his own exertions, to work out his own happiness
—(Cheers)—which prevents us from valuing, nay, from
feelir'e satisfied, with a prosperity which others have
made for us. It is based upon a right principle, because
it endeavours to trace out a plan according to which, by
previous self-denial, providence, and perseverance,
not only is the servant reised in his physical and
moral condition, but the master is taught how
to direct his efforts so as to aid his servants in acquiring
resources which shall be sufficient to sustain them in
sickness, old age, and in want of employment.—(hear.)
It is based upon a light principle, because it dots not
hold out a temptation to set vents either by the prospect
of possible extravagant advantages which would tend to
transform their providence into a species of gambling;
or by convivial meetings, which would lead them to ulte-
rior expense; or by a system of ballotting for a few
prizes, which would draw them
into all the waste of time
and excitement of an electicneering contest.—(Hear.)
Such tare the characteristics of many institutions on
which domestic servants and a portion of the
other industrial classes in the country mainly
depend; and what can be more heartrending
than to see the breaking of banks and the failure of
such institutions, which not only mar a man's pros-
peas for life, and plunge him of a sudden into the depths
of destitution, destroy also toin others
all confidence in the honesty
but which tend
or the wisdom of those
who have
induced them to risk in such institutions the
advantages of their pro, videnee.—(Hear hear.) Let
them consider well that if they. will
embark their funds
in such institutions—if they themselveswill
have consvivial.meet-
ings—if they will claim for a s
lorewlinthtohuet
government
or the country—they cannot do h
happiness and that of their families.
risking their future
I eir savings aro capital, and
Let them bear in mind that t
that capital will only
bear a certain rate of interest,
out to them beyond
which held
and that any advantagecan only be purchased by a corre-
sponding risk of that rate of interest
the
capital itself. The advantages
which are held out by the financial scheme of this so-
ciety are based upon the credit of the country at large and
the faith of the Government.—(Cheers.) It is regulated
by an Act of Parliament called the Deferred Annuities
Act. Its principles aro shortly these—That, according
to the tables which I have hero before me, anybody
whose income does not exceed 150/., may, by a small
instalment, purchase an annuity, to be deferred for not
less than ten years, but which after that period may
begin at any time the depositor may choose to name.
One annuity cannot be more than 301., but a depositor
may purchase distinct annuities for his wife and chil-
dren, tho latter being fifteen years old. Should he wish
at any time to withdraw his, deposits they will be re-
turned to him, provided the withdrawal takes place
before the annuity commences. Should he die before
that period, his deposits will be returned to his heirs,
and the only loss he can sustain will be the interest on
the money deposited.—(Hear.) Although this wise and.
beneficent measure was enacted so far back as the
third year of the reign of William IV., I am grieved
to find that during the whole of that period only 700
persons had availd themselves of its provisions. I can
discover no reason for this, except that the existence of
this Act and its provisions are not generally known, and
that people are afraid of law and Acts of Parliament—
(Laughter and cheers)—which frequently cannot be
understood on accout of their complicated and technical
wording.—(Hear, hear.) I have heard another reason
stated, to which, however, I cannot attach much credit.
It is said that servants aro afraid that the knowledge of
their being able to purchase annuities out of the savings
from their wages may induce masters to reduce their
wages. But I have a better opinion of the disposition
of the masters—(Loud cheers)—and I am convinced
that, on the contrary, nothing tends more to counteract
the liberality of masters than the idea—which is
not altogether unfounded—that an increase in their
wages sometimes leads to extravagance.—(Clear, hear.)
To make this Act of Parliament more generally known
to the public at large is one of the main objects of this
meeting; and one of the objects of this society is to
form a medium by which servants may acquire for them-
selves the benefits which arc held out by this Act of
Parliament free of all trouble, risk, and costs.—(Cheers.)
Another object is to establish a home for female ser-
vants when out of employment, the usefulness and im-
portance of which hardly requires a single word of
commendation on my part. It is also proposed to
establish model lodging-houses for men servants who
do not lodge with their masters, and to establish a re-
gistry for servants in general. Anybody who is ace
quainted with the inconvenience and annoyance
of the general system of obtaining characters of
servants will see at once how useful and important it
must be to introduce a system by which both the
servant, on the one hand, may be protected from the
ruin which the caprice of a single master, with whom he
may have stayed perhaps only for a short time, would
bring upon him, and to protect the master, on the other,
from the risk which a character obtained from a former
weak master by the importunities of an undeserving
servant will expose him to.—(Cheers.) It is not a small
boon we confer upon a servant when we enable him to
appeal to the records of a long. and faithful service in
order to redeem himself from the disqualification which
a single fault might otherwise bring upon hial.--(Cheers.)
If we succeed in drawing attention to these different
points, and make the public generally aware of them, I
ana convinced that we shall have the satisfaction of
having materially aided a most interesting class, which
I find, by the last census taken in this country, to be
among the most numerous of than population. His Royal
Highness concluded by calling upon the t reaeurer to lay
before the meeting more particular details on the points
on which he addressed them.

Mr. CHESTER then read the report, which entered at
great length into statistical details with reference to the
number of servants in the various union workhouses in
the London district, as well as the progress which the
present society had made during tie two years of Es
existence; which had been most prosperous and eecou-
raging. The additional expenditure which tlieyhadhiand-
curre d ha d
tothebeen
objectscaused o by e
thet h
e society.ne cessity of giving greater
publicity The
society
become incorporated with one which had already existed
model lodging-houses for male and female
ftoor
establishfourtee years on specific terms, and it was propo3ed
servants out of place, and also a registry-office, in
addition to the other benefits of the associa-
tion. Want of space prevents us from giving
any more details of the report. The principal
object of the society was to enable them to purchase
The
Government annuities as the only safe and sound
sytem of procuring annuities for old age. The report
s concludedsociety,
aodin
thetll followinge
principles
con-
structed, are duly appreciated by servants; and it re-
aowdor sdyssrei:o ow'hich it is
object of this
mains only to be seen whether the public at large will
effectually support the benevolent fund, and enable the
directors to accomplish the important objects for which
that fund has been created. The aims of the society are
by no means limited to the improvement of the physical
condition of the. servant—we desire to promote the true
interests of servants in all respects, and to develope
among all classes of her Majesty s subjects in this king-
dom a true idea of the relation between master and
servant. ' Servants, obey in all things your masters
ecc.)rding to the desh; not with ey 0 service as men
pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearite, God; and
whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not
unto men. Masters, give unto your servants that which
is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in
Ileaven.'— Cul. chap. iii., 22, 23; iv., 1."
Lord J. RUSSELL, in moving the adoption of the first
resolution, said it might be thought that he was not
very well calculated to explain the objects of that
society ; but, seeing that they bad already heard from
his Royal Highness Prince Albert the very best pos-
sible summary that could be given—(Rear, hear)—
of the objects and utility of that society, and also from
the report of the treasurer the most interesting matter
of those objects, he would confine his statement briefly
t, what appeared to him some of the principal benefits
.which that society would confer. It appeared that no
.e than 970,000 persons belonged to the clue of do-

mastic servants in England and Wales at the last census,
and at present no doubt their number exceeded a
million. Such was the large number en which that
society proposed to confer benefits. In the next
place ho would observe that this funding of the
accumulates', profits and saving of domestic servants
would enable many of them to contribute to the
comfort and welfare of their parents, and soothe the
dying hours of those connected with tht m. That was
a good foundation for them to go upon. Then, in the
next place, the present society was to lottery or gam-
bling speculation—(Hear, hear.) It held out no hopes
to parties getting any more titan they contributed; it
held out no hopes that persons might get any more
advantage than what they were entitled to. He thought
that the present society, by bringing servants into com-
munication with the means by which their condition
might be made more comfortable, conferred not only a
great benefit and advantage on that class, but that its
promoters were only making some return for benefits
which they had themselves received—(Hear.) There
was no person who had not at some period or another
of his life been indebted to his servants fur the care
and attention which they had bestowed not only on him-
self, but on those connected with him—(hean) There-
fore, he said, that by contributing to the welfare of that
class, they were only returning a debt of gratitude
which they owed—(Hear.)
The Bishop of OZFORD, in seconding the resolution,
observed, that when asked by the committee to do so,
he had been led to examine scme of the statistical de-
tails of the society, with the view of recommending its
plan to their adoption. But that request had bean made
before his Royal Highness, who presided over that meet-
ing, had entered upon the statement by which their pro-
ceedings were commenced. But after the singularly
lucid and comprch(nsive speech with which his Royal
Highness had opened the subject—(Bear)—very little
remained for him or any other speaker to add to that
statement.—(Hear.) In fact his Royal Highness had at
once and aptly sketched out a correct description of the
present society when he said it was not a charitable so-
ciety, but ono to enable parties to sustain and assist them-
selves. To show what an adequate provision could be
made for such a great number of persons by such a
plan as a benevolent fund, he would just say, that it had
been calculated that it would require a capital of no
less than 100,0001, to secure a pension of 201. a year for
only 175 persons.—(Hear.) He thought there were
many reasons which ought to induce them, and which
made it their bounden duty, to afford the advantages
held out by that institution to that large class who had
so just a claim upon them. Many persons might say
they would provide for their own servants in old age,
but could those individuals answer for their own ability
to do so when the necessity arose ?—(Hear.) One great
disadvantage which arose from the circumstances of the
present social system of this country was that the old re-
lations between servants and masters were dissevered.
The present society he conceived was a step in the
direction of remedying in some degree that evil.
When persons entered service it was generally
at that early period of life at which people
had very little forethought or provident cal-
culation, and they imperceptibly acquired the habit of
spending all their earnings until it was too late to re-
claim it. Another evil of the present social system was
that a feeling of servility distinct from service was gene-
rated. It was just a consideration of the money paid,
and the service rendered for it.—(Hear, hear.) Now,
humanly speaking, that society afforded the servant a
safeguard against that; for it would tend to give the
servant a feeling of self-reliance and independence. The
Right Rev. Prelate concluded an eloquent and touching
appeal, of which we regret want of space compels us to
give only an outline, by calling on them to give their
support to a scciety which deserved it so well.
The Bishop of LONDON then, at the request of his
Royal Highness, read the resolution, which was to the
effect that it was desirable to encourage providence and
thrift amongst servants, and hold out to them the ad-
vantages proposed by that institution through the means
of the Annuity Act.
The resolution passed unanimously.
Lord ASHLEY, in proposing the second resolution,
said it was one of such a practical nature as would re-
quire no rhetorical flourish to recommend it to the
meeting. It went to pledge the meeting to carry out
the recommendations contained in the report. The
Noble Lord, in moving the resolution, condemned the
principles of what were called benefit societies, which
often had a very injurious effect on the moral habits and
temporal welfare of those who joined them; and he
strongly recommended the encouragement of such insti-
tutions as they were that day met to advocate and sup-
port. He also pointed out the advantages which would
result from the establishment of model lodging-housee
for men and women servants, as very successful conse-
quences bad ensued from some experiments of a similar
kind which had been lately made in this metropolis.
The Very Reverend Archdeacon MANNING, in se-
conding the resolution, called the attention of the meet-
ing to the wide-spread benefits which would ;result from
that society in a moral, social, and political point of view,
in consequence of the salutary effects which its working
would produce amongst the families, children, and con-
nexions of domestic servants in all parts of the kingdom.
The second resolution having been put, like the former
One was also carried unanimously.

The Bishop of LONDON, in rising to move the third
resolution, said that it would hardly be expected that
in thus doing he should extend his observations to
any great length in addressing a meeting, the pro-
ceedings of which had not commenced until past
three o'clock. lie could not hope to urge any
stronger or additional arguments in favour of that
institution than had been already used; and, more
especially, after the opening speech of his Royal
highness—(Hear, hear)—a speech not more remarkable
for the deep Christian principles which pervaded it, than
for the comprehensive philosophy which marked his
views.—(hear, hear.) Ile called on the public to sup-
port such a society as the present by their influence and
contributions. It was not a charitable association; but
it was calculated to promote the interests of those who
came forward to sustain themselves.—(Hear, hear.) It
was their duty to do so. Nay, they themselves would
benefit by it; for there was no eat of duty or charity
which did not confer a benefit on those who performed it.
The relations between master and servant in this coun-
try were not the same as formerly, when the domestics
were looked upon more in the light of children than any-
thing else, in the families which they served. Now
though it might be impossible, under existing circum-
stances, to restore those relations to what they were be-
fore, he thought the society was one step towards the
accomplishment of such a desirable end. Though it
might be melancholy to contemplate the number of do-
mestic servants that were inmates of our workhouses,
yet it was consoling and gratifying to be able to state
that a very small proportion indeed, of those who had
been household servants, and consequently exposed to
great temptations upon their honesty, were criminals in
our gaols or penetentiaries.—(Hear.) There might be
various associations which held out greater advantages
than that society, but none possessed the same solid ad-
vantages; and with respect to societies based upon the
same principles and with similar objects, they would
offer to receive them, and give them all the good which
they possessed in themselves. Their chief object was,
that o
himselff einh h
a blis dge
in
ogl t haeg ohoy h
d a
ins w
d opr un h
d enothseesrt a
v aentr
h ng
t sus hd
p paort
industry.—(Hear.)
Sir T. ACLAND (on behalf of Mr. W. E. Gladst one,
who was unavoidably absent) having briefly seconded
the resolution, it passed.
The Archbishop of CANTERBURY proposed a resolu-
tion conveying the deep gratitude and humble respects
of the meeting to her Majesty the Queen and the Queen
Dowager for their patronage of the society, and to his
Royal Highness Field-Marshal the Prince Albert for his
condescension in presiding over the meeting that day.
The Marquis of WESTMINSTER having seconded the
resolution,

The Bishop of LONDON put it to the meeting, when it
was carried by acclamation.
ltorAL HIGHNESS then rose and said—Gentlemen

—Allow me to thank you for the very kind feeling you
have expressed and manifested towards mysell per-
sonally. The part which I have had to bear in the pro..
ceedings of this day has been a very light one, and I
can assure you it has been gladly borne.—(llcar.) Let
me rt mind you on parting, that on you it will depend
to make the worth which have fallen from this platform
realities in life—(Hear]—and to carry into operation
and effvet the recommendations which we have made.

His Royal highness then bowed to the meeting, and
withdrew amid loud and prolonged expressions of ap-
plause.
The assemblage then broke r.p.

CO URT CIRCULAR.
The Queen gave a stale ball (the second this season)
last evening, at Buckingham Palace, to a party of
nineteen hundred, comprising the members of the Royal
Family and Foreign Princes and Princesses in England,
all the members of the Diplomatic Corps and their
Ladies, the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Royal House-
holds, and a vt ry numerous circle of the Nobility and
Gentry.
The State saloons were opened for the reception, and
were brilliantly illuminated with handsome chandeliers
and candelabra, the recesses being decorated with choice
and beautiful plants in flower, which were also tastefully
arranged at the southern end of the Picture Gallery,
occupying the whole width and height of the gallery.
The company were invited at half-past nine o'clock,
and soon after nine the visitors began to arrive, alighting
both at the entrance in Pimlico, and at the temporary
entrance in the garden, at which latter a guard of honour
of the Foot Guards was stationed, with the band of the
regiment.
A guard of the Yeoman Guard was on duty in the
Grand hall and Staircase, under the command of Sir
Seymour Sadler, Exon in Waiting. The officers present
were Sir George Iloulton (Ensign) and Captain Bellaire
(Exon).
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent arrived at
half-past nine o'clock, attended by Lady Augusta Bruce,
Baroness de Speth, Sir George Couper, and Lord James
P. Murray.
Her Royal highness the Duchess of Cambridge was
accompanied by their Royal Highnesses the Hereditary
Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Mecklenburgh Stre-
litz, and was attended by Lady 11. Cadogan and Mr. Ed-
mond Mildmay.
Their Royal Highnesses were received by the Hon.
Misses Murray and Macdonald, the Maids of Honour in
Waiting; Sir Edward Bowater, Groom in Waiting;
Captain Francis Seymour, Groom in Waiting to the
Prince; General Wemyss, Equerry in Waiting; and
Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable Alexander Gordon,
Equerry in Waiting to the Prince, who conducted the
Royal Duchesses .to the White Drawing-room, where
the Queen and Prince Albert received their illustrious
visitors.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess Au-
gustus of Saxe Coburg joined the August Circle.
His Roy
al Highness Prince Leopold, Count of Syra-
cuse, wa3 attended by General Prince Castelcicala, the
Neapolitan Minister, and the Chevalier Cotentin.
Their ,:ereLto Riglanessea Prince Ldward of Saxe