FEBRUARY 189 



possibly take her wages. No, we are — on both sides — 

 just as selfish as we dare be. And this self-interested 

 bargain between masters and servants can only be 

 settled on each individual ease. The merits on each side 

 must, according to one of the oldest of symbols, be 

 placed in the scales, and the noble, majestic, upright 

 figure of Justice must hold out her arm and adjust the 

 balance. 



We never get beyond this, and it is the only escape 

 from the greatest of tyrannies — the power, either by 

 gold or by force, of one human being over another. This 

 power it will ever be the business of civilisation to rule 

 and to diminish. This, in our day, is the business, first, 

 of the master of a house; or, when he has the chance, 

 of the county court judge. 



The temptation to give false or partially false charac- 

 ters is a very great one to young and kind-hearted 

 people. As in so many other cases, the public them- 

 selves are responsible for this — so many people like 

 being deceived, and look upon truth as naked and 

 barbaric. If a mistress gives an honest character, not 

 all praise, in nine cases out of ten the servant fails to 

 get the place. This state of things is unreasonable and 

 ridiculous; and if those about to engage a servant would 

 ask for the chief failing of the person they are going to 

 admit into their families, they would be better able to 

 judge if the servant were likely to suit them or not. I 

 remember, many years ago, being asked if I knew of 

 a young nurse who was to have every good quality under 

 the sun. She was to be strong, she was to ask for no 

 holidays, she was never to leave the children to associate 

 with the other servants, her temper was to be perfect, 

 and so on. I wrote back that such a combination of 

 good qualities as was expected for twenty pounds a year 

 I had never yet met with in any young mother. A cor- 



