The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-08-12
England.

we never RENE mbcr to have read more
pointed truth on the social phenomena of Eng
land compressed in a small space, than is con-
tanned in the following, from the London cor
respondent of the New York Express:
The first thing that strikes an American in
England is not alone the ciyility, but the ser
Witty of its population. The scrviity is pain
ful on whatever side, or on whatever class we
look. The bcggar bcgins-whcrc beggars cN-
lists, (for public begyary scarcely exists out of
Ireland and the ocean frontiers of Scotland,)
the bcggar begins in this seryil.ty, and
workman, peasant, farmer, gentry, noblcman,
all follow on in graduation and in regular SER
vile course, more or less The nation, at once
to an American eye, seems to be a nation of
castcs-a nation of Iiindoos- Hindoos of
the East, by any means, but Uindoos trans
planted from the East into northern, invigo-
rating cline, and transplanted with their castles,
their artificial organizations. and their social
invincible prejudiccs. True, English laws
look upon all classes of men alike, and the
principles of Magma Charta cover the low-born
AS well as the gh-born-but what the Brit
ish subject has won in civil and political lib
erty he has altogether lost in social orraniza-
ton. He is not iree-hc is not equal. | do
not mean to say he is not political freeman.
for he is now politically-that is, in the eve of
the laws-cqual in almost all things, whatever
his condition But, nevertheless, he is social
slave. From royalty to peasantry there are
castles, there are ranks, about rs hard to over
come and about as uncomfortable as the castles
among the Eastern IIinlOos A lord is wor
shipped as is an idiot in the East. TO know nv
lord to have shed on you the sunshine of his
presence, is inspiring always. Hence one ter
rife, civil, social war, seems ever going on
here. True, it is fought in field, as in Crom-
wells day, but i'll saloon, in hall, in boudoir. in
park in equippagc, in livery with prctense or
with insOlcnce, Or in pounds, shilings and pence
Money, though, makes no man, while blood
makes a man of anything but money buys
blood at times and gold thus gets the guinca's
stamp. The terrific struggle is for rank. for
position, for social place. The soap-makcr's
daughter has had bought for her Il princess's
education, and would be princess but the
struggle is all in vain. What was born soap
must die soap, unless it be through some mighty
struggle in the priesthood or the bar. Soap
may froth up, and it may bubble in England ;
and the bubbles may have the violet, the blue,
green, all the colors of the rainbow-but still
it is soap. The grease, and the ashes, and the
I've stick to it, and it always smells of soap-
Despite all this, the astonishing thing is, that
the lower Hindoo looks up and really rcvcr-
enccs the lIindoo higher in caste as superior,
better made clay Hence, not only what the
Queen is doing with her prattling babyhood,
but what road she rides over what hour she
rides, what elements, of sunshine or of fog
damp, are over her, what maids attend her.
what clothing all have on, and such things,
one and ALL not in royalty alone, but through
out the allied ranks, have an interest for the
Squircs and Squeers, as they read them fully
recorded in the Morning POa-such us might
have the bombardmcnt of 5cbastopol or the
taking of Cronstadt.