The Grenada gazette., 1888-12-13

he knew what he had to expect when
he set out to pay this short but expen-
slve round of calls, and it is even pos
sible that, like lesser personages who
have to keep up the dignity of a
high rank or an important position, he
enjoys the consciousness Of haYirs
done his duty Regardless of expense"
Still 100000 is sum which even an
Emperor may be excused for taking
into his calehlatiofs When ne is medi-
tatng Il Weeks visit to royal or i'm
perial neighbor, and the impossibility
of enjoying each Others hospitality
except on these tarins tail hardly fail
tc encourage the virtue Of domesticity
among the crowned heads of Europe.
A monarch may easily get To prefer his
''ain iireside' I'd hn% one clsGr Etrd
whom it costs him the capitalized equiv
0lent OF $500 year to spend a few
days at the hospitable board of n
brother potoniatc. And, considering
That the meetings of European sover-
eigns are not always unattended with
international mischief, the world has.
perhaps, no reason to regret that they
have provided themselves with at least
one inducemcnt of more or less potency
to stay at home, Although, therefore,
combination among these high per-
sonages against the payment Of tips
at any rate On sC splendid scale
would be feasible enough, it might not
be to the interest of the Eu-
ropean public to encourage it; and
ensten "iying upon as like a
Weight" may be trusted to keep up
the standard OF royal iiberallty on
these occasions, however individual
sOvereigns may feel about it No
doubt there is q whole body Et ninut"
prescriptions existing on the subject
Of the selection Of donec5 and OF the
gifts appropriate to thpm-a pomrle'@
code Vt CttGMonl0l rules, which it
would be almost more than an En-
peror's place is worth te defy: The
gold watch, iGr instance, is, it is stated
''the correct gift for a kitchen func-
tionary;" and probably the proper ra-
cipient Of al Tie other presents are as
duthOritatively designated By etiquette.
1nviolable tradition bias no doubt In
dirated the wrists on which the brace
lets may glittcr with proprioty; and in
variable usage has guided the jewelcd
+ scarf-pins to TIE neehtins which th"F
ahould adorn. We may take it for
granted that no officer who should
have received a splendid presentation
sword has been put off with gold
framed photograph Of the Emperor;
nor is it probable that any court func-
tionary who is entitled to a diamond
ring has had to content himself with o
cigar-case.
1t Is long since the custom OF tip
ping. which in private life has become
a mere counsel of perfection"-or n,
any rate a practice not necessary to be
followed unless it is felt, like the
equality of mercv,' to bless him
who gives as well rs him who
takes-wds regarded as a really
serious tax upon the private
purse. At the height, however, of thc
walls system-in its "palmy" days
if we may be allowed an ambiguous
expression--1t operated as real OBJ
Etacle to social intercourse. The an
ecdote of the invited guest who de
clined a proposed visit to a friend 5
house on the ground that the walls to
the servants of the household woulC
make too serious an inroad upon his
income is well known. So. TOO, is thai
of the guest who had crown returned
to him by an offended butler, with the
intimation from the latter that,h was
not in the habit OF accepting any
thing but gold, to which the former
returned the eminently natural anC
proper reply that he was not in the
habit of giving any thing but silver
1t was probably about the time whcH
matters reached this pitch that the re-
volt came. In what part OF the king
dom the worm first turned can not now
be ascertained, though tradition-and
we may, without otfensc, be permitted
to add certain antecodent probabil,
ity-points to the northern portion ol
these islands as the cradle of the eco
nomical reform. Boswell, indeed, ii
may be remembered, incautiousty
took credit to his countrymcn for hay
ing rendered this service to society.
II boasted,' he writes in the immOr-
tai "Life," that we had the honor OF
being the first to abolish the inhospita-
Bile, troublesome and ungracious Gus
tom of giving walls to servants y To
which johnson replied, with that
bluff geniality OF his: Sir, you
abolished walls because you were too
poor to be able to give them. There
could hardly have been better rca-
son; but, if Boswell himself had sug-
gested it. the Sage would. in all hui
man probability, have mot him with a
flat contradiction, and have maintained
that it was not the poverty but the
stinginess of the Scotch which prompt
ed their rebellion against these veXa-
tious imposts. As, however, he, had
just been rebuking Boswell's pride in
the horticultural aptitudes of his coun'
trymen by reminding him that garden
ing was necessity in country where
things which grow wild here must be
cultivated with great care" to grow al
all, his thoughts were naturally run
ming rather on the disadvantage thar
on the foibles OF the Scotch, and hence
l