St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-01-26


German potentate. however, has
been the guest OF two courts,
and has, no doubt, had to dis
pense his gifts with equal liberality
at each. Of course. no excessive SYM
pathy with him Is demanded OF us.
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 having
done his duty regardless Of expense. :"
Still E4O.OO0 is sum which even an
Emperor may be excused for taking
into his calculations when he is medi-
tating weeks visit to a royal or inn
perial nei,hbOr, and the impOssibility
OF enjoying each others hospitality
except on these terms can hardly fail
to encourage the virtue of domesticity
among the crowned heads of Europe.
A monarch may easily get to prefer his
lain fireside" to any one elsewhere
when it costs him the capitalized equiv
alent of $500 a year TO spend a few
days at the hospitable board of a
brother potentate. 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 inducement Of more or less potency
to stay at home. Although, therefore,
a combination among these high per-
sonages against the payment of tips
at any rate on so splendid a scale
would be feasible enough, it might not
be to the interest of the Eu-
ropean public to encourage it; and
custom 'lying upon as like a
weight" may be trusted to keep up
the standard of royal liberality on
these occasions, however individual
sovereigns may feel about it. No
doubt there is a whole body Of minute
prescriptions existing on the subject
of the selection of dOnees and of the
gifts appropriate to them-a complete
code of ceremonial rules. which it
would be almost more than an En-
perors place Is worth TO defy. The
gold watch, for instance, is, it is stated,
.'the correct gift for kitchen func-
tionary;" and probably the proper re-
cipient Of all the other presents are as
authOritatively designated by etiquette.
Inviolable tradition has no doubt in
dicated the wrists on which the brace
lets may glitter with propriety; and in
variable usage has guided the jeweled
scarf-pins to the neckties which they
should 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 q
cigar-case.
II is long since the custom Of tip
ping. which in private life has become
a mere counsel Of perfection"-or at
any rate q practice not necessary TO be
followed unless it is felt like the
equality of mercv." to bless him
who gives as well as him who
takes-was regarded rs really
serious tax upon the private
purse. At the height. however, Of the
walls" system-in its ''palmy" days.
il we may be allowed an ambiguous
expression--it operated as a real OBJ
stacle 10 social intercourse. The an
ecdote of the invited guest who de-
clined a proposed visit to . friends
house on the ground that the walls to
the servants of the household would
make too serious an inroad upon his
income is well known. So. too. is that
of the guest who had crown returned
to him by an offended butler. with the
intimation from the latter that he was
not in the habit OF accepting any
thing but gold, to which the former
returned the emincntly natural and
proper reply that he was not in the
habit of giving any thing but silver.
1t was probably about the time when
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 Offense, be permitted
to add a certain anteccdent probable
ity-pOints to the northern portion OF
these islands as the cradle of the eco
reform Boswell. indeed. it
may be remembered, incautiOusly
look credit to his countrymen for hav-
ing rendered this service to society.
Il 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" 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 q better rea-
son; but il Boswell himself had sug-
gested it. the Sage would, in all hui
man probability. have met him with a
lat contradiction. and have maintained
hat it was not the poverty but the
,tinginess of the Scotch which prompt
I'd their rebellion against these vexa-
Iious imposts- As. however. he had
Just been rebuking Boswell's pride in
he horticultural aptitudes of his coun-
trymen by reminding him that garden
ing was a necessity in a country where
things which grow wild here must be
cultivated with great care" to grow at
IL his thQuchta vera naturally run