14 



The Country Gcntlematis Magazine 



a churn, or in taking care of stock. Of their 

 general behaviour and good conduct the 

 farmer has often no more guarantee than that 

 which is aftbrded by deportment in the 

 market-place at the time of inspection. 

 Consequently it often turns out that the ser- 

 vants are altogether unsuitable — that they are 

 incompetent, insolent, or morose, and the 

 bonds between master and servant are 

 severed before next hiring fair. On the 

 other hand, good servants are often as care- 

 less as masters in making inquiries about the 

 employer, and the result is that they find out 

 in a week or two that the place they have 

 taken for a slightly increased wage in the year, 

 or half-year, is intolerable, and leave on the 

 first opportunity. The testimony of all who 

 have been uninterested, philanthropic ob- 

 servers of the doings at hiring fairs is unani- 

 mously against their continuance. 



The agricultural labourer, speaking gene- 

 rally, has not such an inordinate appetite for 

 beer as alleged by some recent speakers 

 and writers ; but at statutes he certainly does 

 indulge to an extent injurious to himself, 

 and inimical sometimes to the comfort of the 

 peaceable lieges of the village or town where 

 he attends to make his engagement. The 

 worst feature of the fair, however, is not the 

 drunken men, but the half or wholly 

 intoxicated young women whom one sees on 

 the streets after they have accepted their 

 arles. The result of these gatherings is not 

 a pleasant one to contemplate in the returns 

 of the Registrar-General. 



For many years efforts have been made to 

 substitute register offices for meetings in the 

 market place, but without much effect. The 

 farm servants seem as adverse to state their 

 qualities in a book, as farmers who have 

 been in the habit of standing on the street 

 for the transaction of business are to enter 

 some new corn exchange specially erected 

 for their comfort. They appear to fear more 

 for the chance of losing a holiday, than for 

 the loss of their character,'or for its deterio- 

 ration, through the fact that it cannot pos- 

 sibly be properly appreciated by the exhibi- 

 tion of themselves on the public thorough- 

 fares. Farmers, also, Avith some exception. 



are very half-hearted in tlie matter, many of 

 them apparently enjoying a fair day after 

 the same fashion as the persons they engage. 

 This subject was recently discussed at the 

 Penrith Farmers' Club, and we are sorry to 

 say that, notwithstanding admirable speeches 

 in favour of the abolition of statute hirings 

 made by several members, a large majority of 

 the club approved of the old bad method of 

 engaging their servants. Mr Crosby, who 

 opened the discussion, put the whole argu- 

 ments against them in a nutshell. We can- 

 not do better than here quote his words. 

 He said: — '• There was nothing to correspond 

 with statute hirings in any other industries, 

 and there were many evils incidental to the 

 custom. It lowered the self-respect of the 

 servants, especially women, to make them 

 wait hour after hour in a market place for 

 employers, as if they were so many cattle. 

 Farmers or their wives would not like it : and 

 if the servants had not self-respect enough to 

 dislike it, they ought to do all they could to 

 awaken such feelings in them, for then they 

 would be more likely to respect their masters 

 and do their work in a conscientious and 

 intelligent manner. It was impossible, in a 

 hiring, to form an intelligent opinion of the 

 servants engaged, and inquiries had to be made 

 afterwards, which was rather like buying a pig 

 in a pock. The servants adopted the same 

 senseless method, and sometimes sent back 

 the earnest money, saying they had changed 

 their minds, or went to their places in a very 

 dissatisfied spirit. But if the engagement 

 were a matter of private negotiation, inquiries 

 would be made beforehand, and many of 

 these disappointments would be avoided. 

 Servants, also, would be more stationary, 

 and would not be so much tempted to 

 change by being brought face to face with so 

 many fresh masters every six months. He 

 looked upon this constant changing as a 

 great evil, so far as work was concerned. 

 So soon as they had adapted themselves 

 to the master's ways of doing the work, they 

 left, which led to farmers being bad tem- 

 pered ; and the short terms made servants 

 careless of their masters' mterests, which 

 ought not 10 be." 



