The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-03-11

ural aptitude which some mortals have,
and thus pass along the pathway Of life
without the rubs and jars which seem to
come to others at every turn. Certainly,
the proper management Of servants is a
knack which is truly desirable; and, if he
that ruleth his spirit is better than he that
taketh city, the head of household who
can SO manage as to have peace and quiet
and cheerfulness among the servants, is
worthy of respect, if not the object of adj
miraiion.
In the biography of distinguished men,
nothing is more interesting than their per-
sOnal relations to those who were in their
service. Francis Barber, the colored SER
want of DR.. Johnson, was almos, as much
of character in his way as the great lexi-
cographer himself The latter made the
servant his principal legatee, leaving him
about fifteen hundred pounds, to the great
chagrin Of Sir John Hawkins, who mutters
"a caveat against Ostentatious bounty to
negroes" and is filled with slch rancour
toward the servant-who, in the feud OF
rivalry between Sir John and Boswell,
sided with the latter-that he makes faces
at BARRIERS wife, whose conduct certainly
had nothing to do with the squabbles of
her husband.
In Mr.. Ticknor's delightful life of Pres
colt, there is a charming glimpse OF the
kindly relations between the historian and
his servant. Abiding TO the fact that
Prescott was an early User, although it
was great effort for him to be such:
From boyhood, it seemed to be con-
trary to his nature to get up betimes in the
morning He was therefore early awak-
ened, and after silently, and sometimes
slowly and with reluctance, counting
twenty, so as fairly to arouse himself, he
resOlutely sprang out of bed; or, if he
failed, he paid :: forfeit, as memento of
his weakness, to the servant who had
knocked at his chamber door. When he
was bachelor, the servant after waiting
certain number OF minutes at the door
without receiving an answer, went in and
took away the bed clothes. This was a
that period the office OF faithful Natha
Webster, who was remembered kindly in
Mr.. PrescOtt's will, and who was for near
ly thirty years in the family, a true and
faithful friend of all its members
When Judge Prescott SO very suddenly
died, his sen, in note to All intimate
friend, says, Nathan, who takes this,
will give you tie account" Nothing could
so clearly show the affectionate and con-
tidentiai relations of the two as such a mes
sage at such time.
The letters of Mr.. Webster to his farm
err, John Taylor, are among the best he
ever wrote. Especially will that one Of
March II, 1862, among the last he ever
composed, be remembered as long as any
of his epistolary writings, containing, as it
does, in the briefest terms, the epitome Of
his whole political theory, in regard to the
subject then so deeply agitating the nation,
and exhibiting charming view of the re-
latiJns between the two:
"John Taylor" so he commences. "Go
ahead. The heart of the winter is broken,
and before the first cay of April all your
land may be ploughed. Buy the oxen Of
Captain Morton, if you think the price
fair. Pay for the hay Put the great
oxen in a condition to be turned out to be
fattened. What ground you SOW or plant,
see that it is in good condition. We want
no pennyroyal crops.
- y little farm well titled
" Is to a farmer, the next best thing To
a. little wife we'll wilcd.'
Cultivate your garden. Be sure TO
produce sufficient quantity of useful veg
etables Take care to keep my mothers
garden in the best order, even it it cost
you the wages of man to take care CT it. !"
Then follows that condensed and pow
erful statement of his views Of the polit-
ical lesson of the hour, and then lie con-
cludes:
"John Taylor! thank God, morning
and evening, that you were borne in such
a country. John Taylcr! never write ME
another word upon politics. Give my
kindest remembrance to your wife and
children and when you look from your
eastern windows on the graves of my
family, remember that he, who is the au-
thor of this letter, must soon follow them
to another world"
Before the year ended, he did follow
them to another world, and among all the
nnourners at his grave there was none
more sincere than John Taylor.
The relations between Sir Walter Scott
and Tom Purdie form most interesting
portion of Lockhart's biography, and we
cannot DO better than to quote what the
latter says In connection with this faithful
servant and friend:
believe Scott has somewhere ex-
pressed IN print his sat sfaction that, among
all the changes of our manners, the ancient
freedom OF personal intercourse may still
be INDUCED between master and an out
g-doors' servant; but in truth he kept by
the old fashion, even with dome tic SER
wants, to an extent which l have hardly
seen practiced by any other gentleman.
He conversed with his coachman. if he sat
beside him, as he often did on the boy
with his footman, if he happened to be in
the rumble; and when there was any very