I have now, my dear Annie, a few words to say on a more important subject than those I have yet touched upon; I mean the duties which are imposed upon you by your residence in the country. As your husband is the last descendant of an ancient family, it is particularly incumbent upon him, and, of course, also upon you, to keep up as much as possible the kindly feeling which existed in the olden time between the lords of the soil and its cultivators, but which has, of late years, been too much neglected. The proprietor of a large estate ought to be regarded by the labouring cottagers in the light of a protector, to whom theycan look up for advice and assistance in their troubles; and as a friend upon whose kindness they may confidently rely, and who they know will be interested in their welfare. When this is the case, the tenantry of a country gentleman will form his best body-guard; and, instead of ever attempting to injure his property, they will do all in their power to protect it.
I think it highly desirable that you should be personally acquainted with the poor people in the vicinity of your husband's mansion, that you may know how to afford them the most acceptable assistance, and who are most deserving of it. For this reason, I think you should occasionally walk through the village, instead of confining your rambles exclusively to the park, and call frequently on your poorer neighbours; not with the apparent wish of dictating to them how they should live, and how they should manage their families, but with the ostensible purpose of employing them in some little work, and in reality to see how you can best be serviceable to them, and how you can do them the most positive good. It is the blessed privilege of wealth and rank that they give us the power of making our fellow-creatures happy, with very trifling inconvenience to ourselves. A word or a kind look from the rich to the poor speaks volumes, and carries with it encouragement andpleasure, which no efforts of persons in their own rank in life can give. It is, however, difficult for the rich to know how to be of real service to the poor, as giving alms seldom does good except in cases of sudden and unforeseen distress. The best charity is first to teach the poor how to maintain themselves, and next to give them employment; and when they have this, they have a better chance of happiness than any riches could bestow combined with idleness. Perhaps, indeed, there is no state of existence more happy than that of a person who is usefully and profitably employed, and whose employment is of such a nature as to exercise moderately the faculties both of the body and the mind.
Establishing schools is an important duty which the rich owe to the poor. Every girl ought to be able to sew neatly and well, and to read, write, and keep accounts. I think also it would be a great advantage if all the girls who have attained the age of fourteen were to receive a few lessons in dress-making, and making waistcoats and boys' clothes, from the regular mantua-maker and tailor of the village; or you might pay for this out of your own pocket, and make it a reward for good conduct. It is particularly useful to the wife of a labouring man to know how to cut out and make or alter clothes, as work of this kind can be taken up and laid down while the mother isnursing her children, or watching the boiling of a pot, or some similar kind of simple cookery.
Many poor women waste a great deal of food by not knowing how to use it to the best advantage; for instance, they often throw away the water in which meat has been boiled, and of which an excellent soup might be made by the addition of a few vegetables, and thickening it with oatmeal, flour, or pearl barley; and they sometimes spoil meat, when they have it, by letting it boil so fast as to become hard and indigestible. I do not mean, by making these observations, that I think you should make inquiries into what your poor neighbours have for dinner, or how they cook their food, as there are no points on which the poor generally dislike to be interfered in more than these; but I only mean that you should, if possible, get the daughters taught the best way of cooking food suitable to their rank in life, by some experienced person, and that then it should be left for the mothers to adopt these new plans or not, as they liked.
Generally speaking, I would not have you too fond of offering to have the daughters of the cottagers taught any thing by your own servants. The modes of living of the rich and the poor are necessarily so different, that a cottager's daughter would reap very little advantage from seeing how the dishes were prepared for your table, whileshe might be rendered discontented by observing the very great difference between the mode of living in your kitchen and in her own cottage. There are, however, exceptions to this rule, in the case of girls who wish to become servants; and, whenever that happens, I would advise you always to have the girls sent to the mansion-house, to be placed under the direction of the servant in whose department she might wish to be employed.
Before commencing your visits to the poor, I would advise you to inquire in what way you can best afford them employment; for instance, in your neighbourhood, I believe, the country people employ themselves generally in making lace; knowing this, you could not do better, when calling upon some of the cottagers, than to give an order for lace, and in doing so you might enter into conversation with them about their patterns, the length of time they have been employed in the business, and a variety of other topics which will suggest themselves naturally. This will deprive your visit of the painful feeling which would have attended it if you had called without any direct object in view, and it will give you an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the different members of the family, and seeing whether there are any too young or too old to work in the same manner as the others, and for whom you may possibly be able to find fitting employment.
Plaiting coarse straw or bulrushes is an employment that can be followed both by old people and young children; and you will find covers made of straw plaited into bands, and then sown together, of great service in protecting your half-hardy plants during frosty weather. Garden mats, baskets for flowers, and various other things, may be made in the same manner, and you will easily find out what will be most suitable to yourprotégées, and what they can do with least difficulty to themselves.
In cases of illness, I am sure you will be happy to assist your poor neighbours in every way in your power. When poor people are ill their means of support are stopped, and they have not only to labour through the pains of illness, but they are also exposed to the greatest privations for the want of food, at the very moment when food of a more nourishing nature than usual is required for them. Then it is that the helping hand of the rich is of the greatest value to the poor, and that charity takes its most graceful form.
Many ladies in the country employ a portion of their time in making clothes for the poor; but with the exception of permitting young people to make baby-linen, I question whether it is advisable that much should be done in this way. The feelings of the poor are often hurt by having it dictated to them what they are to wear, andthey are apt to look upon the clothes thus given to them, and which are probably quite different from what they would have purchased for themselves, almost as a badge of slavery which they are compelled to wear to please their patrons, but of which they hate the very sight.
And now, my dear Annie, I shall bid you adieu with my pen, as next week I hope to be able to accept your often repeated invitation to come and see myself the result of my admonitions. I shall certainly be delighted to visit your gardens, your poultry-yard, your dairy, and all your favourite haunts; but what will give me most pleasure will be to see you happy, and to be assured from your experience that it is possible for a young and beautiful woman, though brought up amidst all the gaieties of a town life, to abandon them without a sigh, and to enjoy rationally a Country Life.
A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.P.Q.R.S.T. U.V.W. X.Y.Z.