Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-10
English Servants All Seem to Be
Confirmed .Beggars.
EFFORTS TO ABOLISH THE CUSTOM
Christmas is the Heyday Period for
Getting Gifts.
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP
special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

paper mans boy comes for his box. They'll
all turn UP before the day is over-the
drstman, the bakers man and all. The
war has made some slight difference, but
where it has taken away in one direction
1t has added in another to the household
ers' many worries. and so 1t goes. It Is
said that the box or Christmas gratuity
system is gradually dying, but 1t has every
evidence of healthy life yet.
A fight has been made against 1t this
year on the part of large wholesale houses,
which have in former years been expected
to subscribe to the supper clubs and enter
tainments of the clerks in the retail trade.
Several firms combined to stop this, and
the agreement, 1 believe, is being lived up
to No one in America can realize to what
an extent the practice of demanding tips
mas reached in England until an experience
of Boxing day. of glorious memory has
been vouchSafed them.
Something to nearly all who ask you
must give; more you may give, and there
are plenty of rich people who distribute
annually many hundreds of pounds In
Christmas boxes alone, though some Of
them lodge their boxes in the wrong
quarter.
For instance, year or so ago friend of
mine who Is blessed with wealth gave to
each of his seven men servants on Christ
mas day gold-mounted purse with flo
men servants a silver-mounted purse with
60 note in it. Not one of these servants,
mind, had been in his service over three
years; several had been with him barely
three months. On April the 1st-most APP
propr1ate of dates!-all these servants came
TO him in body and gave q months no.
tlce, urging as their reason for leaving
MIN that the food he gave them to eat was
not quite TO their liking! Yet / know for
fact that the servants used all to eat ex-
actly what he ate, and as much of it as
OFTEN great deal more than-they needed.
The real reason they left was that he did
tnem even too Well with the result that
they got what is called in the language
above themselves"
Rather a Bright Christmas.
Christmas this year has been far brighter
In London than last. There seems to be
more money to spend and people are spend
ing It, Some of the war sadness has worn
away and there are not so many new
deaths this year to put whole families in
mourning
After few days of fog and rain London
put on its Christmas dress and looked
rather nice.
However solid or somber its buildings
may look in a winter haze, there can be no
ooupt as 10 their richness and beauty when
seen under proper conditions of light
wonderfully clear atmosphere allowed long
sight views Of every thoroughfare, and en-
abied one to observe a stretch of color that
was almost Kaleidoscope in it's many
changes Wherever one turned there was
sure to be something fresh to scrutinize-
some radiant robe or dainty doll or tasteful
trinket.
Christmas may may not retain all its
former prestige. People may be more gen.
| efouS IN giving or more Stingy But there
| Is something about Christmas shop at
| the present day that was never surpassed
| in any former understanding that seems
to pull the money out of the pocket of poor
m W hath ar no jl-1c 10,
or not.
| At Covent Garden market the festival of
the eNergreens was at it's height, and not
| of the evergreens only, for there were
| stocks OF roses on sale, mngling midsum-
i mer and December in singular fashion
| Mild as the season has been hitherto, these
were not of English growth They came
| from the south of France affording an ex-
/ cellent advertisement for the Riviera and
| they were in great demand for church dec
| grafton.
! Fruit was also unusually abundant espe-
! Cially American apples and bananas Cali
| fornia pears We're the only ones obtain
able. except at very fancy prices.
had News From Africa.
| Ugly rumors continue to circulate In an
undiminished degree as to the state of
things in Cape Colony. A tendency to ex-
aggerate the gravity of the situation is, of
| course, inevitable in certain circles, where
the war was never viewed with favor But
even the most optimistic sections Of the
government are deeply impressed with the
latest phase of the situation and the state
Of pubic feeling in Cape Town itself. 1t Is
apparent now what Lord Salisbury was al
| luding to the other day when he described
| the present as a time of anxiety. Rumors
of personal danger to Sir Alfred Milnel
and Lord Kitchener have been spread
| about, though there is not the slightest
| ground for apprehension to either. Stories
of this character invariably accompany d
% t;.,F pot +1lIt
South Africa. Moreover, Dr. Leyds agents
| at The Hague are inventing a large variety
| of sensational yarns for the consumption OF
| the continental public On the part OF
| the government the dangers attending 9
! recrudescence Of the war are fully recog
| niZed, but they are in nowise alarmed al
| the poor prospects of an early settlement
| in South Africa. The measures to be taker
for strengthening the hands Of Lord Kitch
ener in South Africa have given genera
satisfaction. Next week will see the de
| parture of 500 mounted infantry, and as
! soon as the transports can be got ready
couple of cavalry regiments will also b.
dispatched. This, however. does not ex-
haust the measures decided upon by the
secretary of state. Australia and New Yea
land being invited to send further
mounted contingents drafts on the sam,
terms as the Imperial Bushmen. 1t is no
easy for one not on the spot to say whether
these additions to the mounted arms O.
Lord Kitchener's force will be adequate G.
not but the impression prevails that thu
reinforcements are based on the recon-
mendations of Lord Kitchener himself.
A story is going the rounds as to VIII.
the memorial service arranged to be hell
at ST. Paul's Cathedral in connection will
Lord Roberts return was abandoned. When
Lord Roberts was asked by cable whethe
he would attend it he promptly replied II
the affirmative, under the impression tina
it was a national memorial service. Late
on when he called at st. Helena, he learn
ed that the service was to signaliZe hi
safe return. He then took a characteristic
step. Explaining that there We're thousand
of equally worthy soldiers still fighting Il
South Africa he cabled home refusal t
attend service which set SO much stor
on his safe return. "Bobs'' IL essentially
modest man as well as a pious one.
An Experiment in City Government.
The London county council is about t.
: make an experiment-with the ratepayers
, money-which should be of interest to al
, municipalities that have housing of the
poor problems to solve
The council has arranged to spend 81 800
600 on a scheme to erect workmen'
l dwellings outside London. 1t has selecte
/ a very pleasant and healthy spot at Nor
bury to the south of London, about eigh
miles out. But one great difficulty is tina
+ the place is inaccessible for workingmer
he 10 :,