The spirit of British institutions is nowhere more plainly and offensively manifested than in the treatment which domestic servants receive. The haughty1 bearing, the constant display of supreme2 contempt, and the frequency of downright cruelty on the part of the master or mistress, and the complete abasement3 and submission4 of the servant, have been repeatedly subjects of observation, and show clearly that the days of "lord and thrall5" are vividly6 remembered in Great Britain. In Miss Martineau's "Society in America," we find some observations to the point. She says—
"However fascinating to Americans may be the luxury, conversational7 freedom, and high intellectual cultivation8 of English society, they cannot fail to be disgusted with the aristocratic insolence9 which is the vice10 of the whole. The puerile11 and barbaric spirit of contempt is scarcely known in America; the English insolence of class to class, of individuals toward each other, is not even conceived of, except in the one highly disgraceful instance of the treatment of people of colour. Nothing in American civilization struck me so forcibly and so pleasurably as the invariable respect paid to man, as man. Nothing since [Pg 371] my return to England has given me so much pain as the contrast there. Perhaps no Englishman can become fully12 aware, without going to America, of the atmosphere of insolence in which he dwells; of the taint13 of contempt which infects all the intercourses15 of his world. He cannot imagine how all he can say that is truest and best about the treatment of people of colour in America, is neutralized16 on the spot by its being understood how the same contempt is spread over the whole of society here, which is there concentrated upon the blacks."
It has been remarked that those who are most submissive as serfs are the most arrogant17 and tyrannical as lords. In Great Britain, from dukes down to workhouse officials, the truth of this remark is obvious. Each class treats its superior with abject18 deference19, and its inferior with overbearing insolence. The corollary of our quotation20 from Miss Martineau is that the treatment masters give to their negro slaves in America, in their common intercourse14, is what masters give to their servants in Great Britain. In the free States of America a master may command his servant, and if obedience21 is refused he may deduct22 from his wages or give him a discharge, but the laws prevent all violence; the man is never forgotten in the servant. Another state of affairs is to be found in Great Britain. The laws are inadequate23 in their construction and too costly24 in their administration to protect the poor servant. Should he refuse obedience, or irritate his master in any way, his punishment is just as likely to be kicks and blows as a discharge or a reduction of wages. Englishmen [Pg 372] have frequently complained, while doing business in the United States, because they were prevented from striking refractory25 persons in their employ. In attempting to act out their tyrannical ideas, such employers have been severely26 chastised27 by their free, republican servants.
What the serf of the feudal28 baron29 in the twelfth century was, the servant of modern days is, in the eyes of the lords and ladies of Great Britain. Between these aristocrats30 and their retainers there exists no fellow-feeling; the ties of our common brotherhood31 are snapped asunder32, and a wide and startling gap intervenes. "Implicit33 obedience to commands, and a submissive, respectful demeanour on the one hand, are repaid by orders given in the most imperative34 tone, to perform the most degrading offices, and by a contemptuous, haughty demeanour on the other hand. In the servant the native dignity of our nature is for the time broken and crushed. In the master the worst passion of our nature is exhibited in all its hideous35 deformity. The spirit that dictated36 the expression, 'I am the porcelain37, you are only the common clay,' is not confined to the original speaker, but, with few exceptions, is very generally participated in. It is not, however, solely38 by the aristocratic class that the servant is treated with such contumely, the fault is largely participated in by the middle and working classes. [Pg 373] The feelings of the English people are essentially39 aristocratic."[100]
Until recently an order was placed at the entrance to Kensington Gardens, which read as follows:—"No Dogs or Livery Servants admitted." What more conclusive40 evidence of the degraded condition of menial servants in Great Britain could be obtained. A fellow-man, of good character—a necessary conclusion from his being in a situation—is placed on a level with brutes41. The livery seems as much the badge of slavery in the nineteenth century as the collar of iron was in the days of baron and villain42. It is a bar to the reception of a servant in any genteel society, and thus constantly reminds him of his debased condition. He can have but little hope of improving that condition, when all intercourse with persons of superior fortune or attainments43 is so effectually prevented. A menial he is, and menials must his children be, unless they should meet with extraordinary fortune. The following letter of a footman recently appeared in the "Times" newspaper. It is manly44, and to the point.
"Many articles having appeared in your paper under the term 'Flunkeyana,' all depreciatory45 of poor flunkeys, may I be allowed to claim a fair and impartial46 hearing on the other side? I am a footman, a liveried flunkey, a pampered47 menial—terms which one Christian48 employs to another, simply because he is, by the Almighty49 Dispenser of all things, placed, in his wisdom, lower [Pg 374] in life than the other. Not yet having seen any defence of servants, may I trust to your candour and your generosity50 to insert this humble51 apology for a set of men constrained52 by circumstances to earn their living by servitude? The present cry seems to be to lower their wages. I will state simply a few broad facts. I am a footman in a family in which I have lived thirteen years. My master deems my services worth 24 guineas a year. The question is, is this too much? I will strike the average of expenditure53. I am very economical, it is considered. I find for washing I pay near ￡6 a year; shoes, ￡4 10s.; tea and sugar, ￡2 12s.; wearing apparel, say ￡4 4s.; for books—I am a reader—I allow myself ￡1 7s. You will see this amounts to ￡18 7s. each year. I include nothing for amusement of any kind, but say 13s. yearly. I thus account for ￡19 yearly, leaving ￡6 for savings54. One or two other things deserve, I think, a slight notice. What is the character required of a mechanic or labourer? None. What of a servant? Is he honest, sober, steady, religious, cleanly, active, industrious55, an early riser? Is he married? Wo be to the poor fellow who does not answer yes to this category of requests, save the last! The answer is, Your character does not suit; you will not do for me. Again: does a servant forget himself for once only, and get tipsy?—he is ruined for life. In a word, sir, a thorough servant must be sober, steady, honest, and single; 'he must never marry, must never be absent from his duties, must attend to his master in sickness or in health, must be reviled56 and never reply, must be young, able, good-tempered, and willing, and think himself overpaid, if at the year's end he has 5s. to put in his pocket. In old age or sickness he may go to the workhouse, the only asylum57 open. In youth he has plenty of the best, and can get one service when he leaves another, if his character is good; but when youth deserts him, and age and sickness creep on, what refuge is there for him? No one will have him. He is too old for service, that is his answer. In service he is trusted with valuable articles of every description; and in what state of life, whether servant or artisan, surely he who is placed in situations of trust deserves a trifle more of recompense than is sufficient to pay his way and no more."
[Pg 375]
We have mentioned, in other chapters, some instances of the cruel treatment of parish children apprenticed58 to trades. We have also evidence that those who are hound out as servants are subjected to the most brutal59 tyranny. Occasionally, when the cases become so outrageous60 as to be noised abroad, investigations61 are held; but these instances are few compared with the vast number of cases of cruel treatment of which the public are permitted to hear nothing.
In the latter part of December, 1850, one Mr. Sloane, a special pleader, residing in the Middle Temple, was guilty of the most frightful62 cruelty to a servant-girl named Jane Wilbred, formerly63 an inmate64 of the West London union. The girl, or some of her friends, complained, and Mr. Sloane was brought before Alderman Humphrey, at Guildhall. During the examination, evidence of the most brutal treatment of the poor girl was given, and such was the nature of the statements made on oath that the fury of the people was aroused. Mr. Sloane was committed for trial. When he was conveyed to the Compter the mob attacked the cab, and seemed determined65 to apply Lynch law. But the wretch66 was safely deposited in prison, through the exertions67 of the police. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to imprisonment68; but whether he served out his sentence we are not informed. This was one case of punishment for a thousand of impunity69.
So great was the indignation of the people at the developments [Pg 376] made upon the trial of Sloane, that some measure of alleviation70 in regard to parish apprentices71 and servants was deemed necessary. The Earl of Carlisle, (late Lord Morpeth), brought in a bill in the House of Commons, the object of which was to compel the parish guardians72 and the binding73 magistrates74 to watch over and protect the helpless servants and apprentices. The bill was passed by Parliament; but it is inoperative and ineffectual. Parish guardians are too glad to get the children off their hands to take any steps which might retard75 the desired consummation; and the children can easily be prevented from making complaints to magistrates by the threats of masters and mistresses, and the common fear of consequences. In this case, as in all legislation concerning the poor, the Parliament of Great Britain has proceeded upon the same principle as the physician who applies external remedies for diseases which have internal causes. Instead of endeavouring to remove the great causes of pauperism—the monopolies of the aristocracy—it only seeks to render the paupers76 easier in their condition.
Mr. Mayhew, in his "London Labour and the London Poor," shows that a large number of the vagrants77 of London and other English cities, are young persons who have been servants, and have run away in consequence of ill-treatment. Rather than be constantly treated as slaves, the boys prefer to be vagabonds and the girls prostitutes. They then enjoy a wild kind of [Pg 377] freedom, which, with all its filth78 and vice, has some share of pleasure, unknown to those who move at the beck of a master or mistress, and live in constant dread79 of the rod.
In those countries where society is untainted with aristocracy, the servant when performing duties is respected as a human being—with a mind to think and a heart to feel—one to be reprimanded or discharged from service for neglect or positive wrong, but never beaten as a soulless beast. In England, the servant, to hold a place, must be a most abject, cringing80, and submissive slave. In some countries, the taint of negro blood keeps a man always in the position of an inferior. In England, the man of "serf blood," though he be a Celt or Saxon, is ever treated as a hind81 by the man of "noble blood;" and the possession of this same "noble blood" justifies82 the most infamous83 scoundrel in treating his domestics, not only with contempt, but positive cruelty. Americans have been charged with having an undying horror of the negro taint. In England, the common blood is just as steadily84 abhorred85 by the dominant86 class. The slavery of servants—their hopeless, abject, and demoralizing condition—is the result, direct and unmistakable, of the existence of the aristocracy. When the serfs are completely freed; when the country is no longer ruled by a few thousand persons; when a long line of ancestry87 and magnificent escutcheons cease to dignify88 imbeciles and blackguards; in short, when [Pg 378] England takes a few steps upon that glorious path which the great American republic has hewn for the nations of the earth—there will be sure respect for man, as man; and the servants may have some hope of improving their condition.
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1
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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abasement
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| n.滥用 | |
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submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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thrall
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| n.奴隶；奴隶制 | |
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vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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puerile
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| adj.幼稚的，儿童的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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intercourses
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| 交流，交往，交际( intercourse的名词复数 ) | |
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neutralized
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| v.使失效( neutralize的过去式和过去分词 )；抵消；中和；使（一个国家）中立化 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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deduct
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| vt.扣除，减去 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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refractory
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| adj.倔强的，难驾驭的 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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chastised
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| v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的过去式 ) | |
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feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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aristocrats
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| n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 ) | |
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brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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attainments
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| 成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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depreciatory
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| adj.贬值的，蔑视的 | |
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impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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pampered
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| adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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50
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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51
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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53
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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savings
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| n.存款，储蓄 | |
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industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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reviled
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| v.辱骂，痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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asylum
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| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
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apprenticed
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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alleviation
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| n. 减轻，缓和，解痛物 | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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retard
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| n.阻止，延迟；vt.妨碍，延迟，使减速 | |
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paupers
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| n.穷人( pauper的名词复数 )；贫民；贫穷 | |
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vagrants
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| 流浪者( vagrant的名词复数 )； 无业游民； 乞丐； 无赖 | |
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filth
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| n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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cringing
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| adj.谄媚，奉承 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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justifies
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| 证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护） | |
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infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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abhorred
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| v.憎恶( abhor的过去式和过去分词 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰 | |
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86
dominant
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| adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因 | |
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87
ancestry
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| n.祖先，家世 | |
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88
dignify
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| vt.使有尊严；使崇高；给增光 | |
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