The Washington herald., 1914-11-07

were fond of. He had been in
their family virtually all his life
His father had been the family
butler before him and, as a boy,
he had been the footman. He
I--=-@ had married one of the servants
who had been with the family since childhood. They
had two boys still in school Their employers want
ed to send the boys, who were unusually bright,
either to Cambridge or Oxford and later to fit them
for professional life When they made the PROPOSE
ton to the butler they got shock. He acted as if
he had been insulted He refused to let the boys go
to college, When they asked for his reason he said
The men in my family have been buffers for genera
tons. We are proud of record We want to
stay where we belong l don't want my boys to be
educated out of their class They're just as well off
as they are.''
well, what happened?' / said
Netting happened The butler had his way
Those people thought they had right to interfere
During the next few moments both silent
well what do you Think" he asked.
"I rather like the butler"
why do you like him."
wasn't quite sure myself. l had to take an in
terval to decide "ln the first place, he was satisfied
with his life. He was contented. Few people are"
why should his being contented make you like
him?"
That remark started me talking "He was con-
tented because he successful wasn't he? He
must have accepted the social fabric many people
do, unquestioningiy and reverently. His ambition
was to hold up the honor of the family, of his line,
by being good butler doing his work well and win
ming the respect and the liking of his employers.
With his inherited and deep-rooted ideas of class
distinction, he was happy in revolving in his own
sphere and being light there"
"But wasn't there something selfish in his attitude,
as well as limited? He was as competitive and as
fortunate from his own point of view as J. Pier
pont Morgan. He belonged among the privileged
people He had exceptional advantages, through liv
ing on the specially favored He shared in their
graft"
But how about those sons of his? How about his
denying them a college education and professional
training and all the resulting advantages? Surely,
you can't sympathize with him for being so narrow
minded and short-sighted?'
had to confess that | did sympathize. I began
to speculate on the First, liked the pride
OF that butler In most ways it was honorable pride
Then there was kind of independence in it and
courage an aloofness from current opinions that
might be so misleading merely upsetting. On the
other hand, he might have been much more worldly
preston of English life he knew English prejudices
In Oxford or Cambridge those boys of his might be
subjected to indgnities as the of butler. He
might find his pride converted into shame He might
even know the ignominy of being despsed by those
sons. Here however, l had to acknowledge that /
was presenting the butler rather gnobly. On the
other hand perhaps he felt that nothing in the world
could compensate those children for the loss of their
family pride and their loyalty to him and to their
mother and to all that was represented by his kind
Of service
As I, somewhat brokenIy, tried to outline my
view, my friend said, in a disappointed tone: rs
that all?"
had to confess that had exhausted my ideas on
The subject. What do you Think" l said.
He shrugged his shoulders. at seems to that
The butler was wise man All his life he had been
able to observe the difference in the lives of the peo
pie he served and in his own life. He saw that his |
employers weren't really any better off than he was
himself Perhaps they weren't as we'll off Their
dleness, their diversions, their unrest must have
seemed to him very unsatisfactory compared with his
OWN interests and activities. After all, he had the
oy OF serving OF course, it wasn't high form of
serving But perhaps it was as high he could con-
,eive He really liked his way of living. 1t had
brought him happiness. 1t the only way that he /
anew anything about of securing happiness to his
,oys Don't you think he would have been a foolish
nan to oblige those boys to take chance?"
l didn't answer. l wanted to think the matter
jSer At intervals l have been thinking about it i
.ver since !