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ROSE DOUGLAS. Rose Douglas: or Sketches ...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Spencer's Social Statics. Social Statics...
« ' But to what does thw doctrine , that men are ' equally entitled to the use of the ea rth , lead ? M « st we return to the times of uninclosed wilds , and subsist on roots , berries , and game ? Or are we to be left to the management of Messrs . Fourrier , Owen , Louis Blanc and Co . ? " Neither . Such a doctrine is consistent with the highest state of civilization ; may be earned out without inf olving a community of goods ; and need cause no very serious revolution » n existing arrangements . 1 he change required would simply be a change of lands . Separate
ownerships would merge into the joint-stock ownership of the public . Instead of being in the possession of individuals , the country would be held by the great corporate body—Society . Instead of leasing his acres from an isolated proprietor , the farmer would lease them from the nation . Instead of paying his rent to Ihe agent of Sir J ohn or his Grace , he would pay it to an agent or deputy-aaent of the community . Stewards would be public officials instead of private ones ; and tenancy the only land tenure . of to ordered would be in
" A state things perfect harmony with the moral law . Under it all men would be equally landlords ; all men would be alike free to become tenants . A , B , C , and the rest , might compete for a vacant farm as now , and one of them might take that farm , without in any way violating the principles of pure equity . All would be equally free to bid ; all would be equally free to refrain . And when the farm had been let to A , B , or C , all parties would have done that which they willed—the one in choosing to pay a given sum to his fellow-men for the use of certain lands—the others in refusing to pay that sum . Clearly , therefore , on such a system , the earth might be inclosed , occupied , and cultivated , in entire subordination to the law of equal freedom . "
Did we not say this was a terrible chapter ! It places landlords in an unhappy predicament ; but , as Mr . Spencer wisely remarks , " We shall do well to recollect that there are others besides the landed class to be considered . In our tender regard for the vested interests of the few , let us not forget that the rights of the many are in abeyance , and must remain so , as long as the earth is monopolized by individuals . .... It may by and bye be perceived that Equity utters dictates to which we have not yet listened , and men may then learn that , to deprive others of their rights to the use of the earth , is to commit a crime inferior only in wickedness to the crime of taking away their lives or personal liberties . " We must break off here ; but will return to the book for one or two more articles .
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Rose Douglas. Rose Douglas: Or Sketches ...
ROSE DOUGLAS . Rose Douglas : or Sketches of a Country Parish : being the Julubiuyra / j / nj of a Scotch Minister '* Daughter . By S . K . W . In two volumes . Smith , Elder , and Co . Those who are not too young to remember the days of coach travelling will vividly recal the pecular sensations Avhich stole over them as the four snorting horses suddenly pulled up at some village posting-house . The outsiders nastily get down to stretch their legs . All is still , sequestered , innocent ; the very dogs that lounge about the inndoor seem of a primitive turn of mind ; the ducks
that waddle under the horses' legs are not more unenlightened than the women and children come out to stare at the coach . Scarcely a sound is heard ; the crowing of a cock or the sudden bark of a dog is an incident . The effect of this stillness upon your mind is quite peculiar . After the noise , the eddy and the tumult of great towns through which you have just clattered , after the sharp and incessant rattling of the coach which you have endured for some hours , the pastoral stillness of this little village suffuses its serenity over your mind , and you murmur fragments of Virgil or Theocritus ( if reasonable sums have been spent on
your " liberal education" ) , or Shakspeare , or Thomson ' s Seasons , or any other poet whose lines may live in your memory—that is , supposing always your literary tendency to he adequate to the occasion ; if you are a cheesemonger ( in soul as in trade ) your thoughts will take a less discursive sweep . He you what you may , the contrast ; of this rural stillness with the noise to which you have so long been accustomed will be very grateful to your mind ; and while we write wo are certain that the raider is realising this picture , drawing from the recesses of memory some quiet Bcenes of exquisite dehffht .
We need some such image to convoy the expression of our enjoyment of Hose Douylus . It is u perfectly charming book , carrying us from the tumult of town life into the sequestered quiot of a Scotch village , where we are introduced into the homes of primitive out-of-the-way people , and made to contemplate the panorama of life as it moves before them . It is not u novel . A Blender thread of autobiography connects the sketches together ; but the strength of the writer is less shown in the construction of a plot and the accumulation of incidents , than in descriptions of character and
domestic scenes . A feminine delicacy of observation aiding an artistic power of selection makes the pictures full of detail , yet not overcrowded . Everything lives and moves in these pages ; everything stands out as distinct as if in sunlight . We seem to be settled down in Auchtermuir , as residents at the manse , and to be the personal acquaintances of all its inhabitants . Such truthfulness is extremely rareand it makes this book unusually delightful .
, It reads very like a real autobiography ; so mttcn so as to make us regret even the present small intimation of its being a fiction . We think if it had been given frankly as an autobiography some disappointment would have been avoided , and greater interest excited in its pictures . Rose Douglas , who tells her own story , is the daughter of a Scotch minister in a remote village , every corner of which she has made us know . Sketches of her daily life
and of her neighbours fill up the early portions . Then her father dies , and she resides with a rich aunt in Glasgow , and has to undergo the tortures of a " poor relation , " from which she escapes into the situation of governess to a weak indolent woman , and finally marries a young minister and returns to her native village . That is the thread . On it are strung a variety of sketches of character , custom , and forms of society not familiar to the public , but most vividly represented . We can afford room but for three samples , which we do not select as the best , but as the most easily detached : —
A . FAMILY OF OLD MAIDS . " Such a family of old maids ! The youngest mistress was forty , and the two servants were somewhat older . They had each their pets too , except I think the eldest , who was the clearest-headed of the family . The servants had the same Christian name , which was rather perplexing , as neither would consent to be called by her surname . How their mistresses managed to distinguish them I do not recollect ; but the country people settled it easily amongst themselves by early naming them accord ing to their different heights , lang Jenny , ' and ' little Jenny . ' They were characters in their way as well as their mistresses . They had served them for upwards of of the famil
twenty years , and knew every secret y , being as regularly consulted as any of the members of it . They regulated the expenses too much as they liked , which was in a very frugal economical manner . The two Jennies had not much relished their removal to the country , and still often sighed with regret for the gossipings they once enjoyed in the Castlegate of Lanark . But they could not bear to part from the family ; so they now boomed at their wheels or mended the household linen in the damp dull kitchen of Burnside , instead of performing the same work in their old cosy , comfortable one in the buTgh town , and tried to indemnify themselves for their privations by establishing a kind of patronizing familiarity with various of the cottagers' wives .
" Miss Jess and Miss Jean were the names of the younger ladies . There was that species of resemblance among all the sisters , both mental and personal , which is often to be observed in members of the same family . Menie , the eldest sister , was , however , much superior to the others in force of character , but her mind had not been cultivated by reading . Jess , the second , was a large coarse-looking woman , with a masculine voice , and tastes decidedly so . An excellent wright or smith she would have made , if unfortunately she had not been born a gentlewoman . She had a habit of wandering about the grounds with a small hammer and nails in her hugr pocket , examining the fences and mending them if netoowhen neededwith
cessnry . She could pick a lock , , great neatness and despatch . I rather think she could repair one also . I have still in my possession a small box of her making , which , for execution and durability , I will match against the performance of any rival amateur of the opposite sex . In spite , however , of such freaks , and as if to make amends for them , Miss Jess possessed one of the softest and most impressionable hearts which ever fell to the lot of a mature maiden of forty-five . She had suffered from no less than six different attachments during her life ( she made me her confidante ) , and most unfortunately they had never been to the right individual , for they were not returned . But poor Miss Jess cherished no malice ; Bhe freely forgave she had not the heart
them their insensibility . Indeed , to kill a fly . Every beggar imposed on her , and her sisters were obliged for her own sake to reatrain her charities . Her dress , like her puruuiis , had always a certain masculine air about it . Hhe wore lar « e rough boots , coarae gloves , and a kind of man ' s cravat constantly twisted about her neck when out of doors . In short , shf was one of those pcittons one cannot help liking yet laughing at . Jean , the youngest , sister , had been a beuuty in her time , and hheHtill laid claim to the distinction resulting from it . It was a pity , considering the susceptibility of her second Hinter , that her charm * had not been shared by her . Jean was coquettish , and affected a somewhat youthful manner and atylc of dr < 8 H , which contrasted ill with her time of life . But the rest of the
family , In which of course I include the aervantH , evidently considered her a youn ^ thoughtless thing for whom much allowance must b « - iniiuY . "
At a ininiater ' s dinner—wonderfully describedwe have a glimpne of a very common nuisance , and ittshuH be quoted as a warning to those whose philoprogenitivenesH in larger than their benevolence ; and coOociftiitknianesH : — " After the cloth was removed a large punch-bowl of Indian china with ainueoB was placed on the table . I
forgot to remark that during the whole time of dinner there had been an unusual bustle , and a mo vement of feet in the passage , a scrambling it seemed for the spoil * of the dinner , for the servants' voices were often heard in expostulation . All the notice Mrs . Purdie tO"kof this ( for her husband did not interfere ) was to desire that the door should be kept closed ; but when the glasses were placed upon the table , she whispered audibly to the ser « vant to tell the bairns they might come in now . ' Accordingly , after the delay of a few minutes , which were employed , I suppose , in composing their dress by old Janet , the door was thrown open , and the children made their appearance . They advanced aocording to their ages' wee Johnny' bringing up the rear . The
, girls were dressed in white muslin frocks and red sashes , with necklaces of blue beads . The eldest looked half inclined to be bashful , half to be forward , —the others only looked eagerly to the table in search of the biscuits . " There was a sudden pause in the conversation as they entered , and then a forced alacrity to welcome and make room for them . Children are considered by almost every one except their parents a dreadful nuisance on such occasions , while civility requires the guests to pay them some attention . They should really never be intruded upon large mixed parties . A damp seemed to fall upon the company , conversation was interrupted , and more than oae discussion postponed to a more convenient season , the parents and children only appearing
satisfied and at their ease . Some formal remarks on the children ' s growth and ages were made at the head of the table , and Mrs . Symington and our hostess compared notes on the height , temper , and inclinations or their different offspring , each secretly claiming the superiority for her own . A look of invitation from me brought Phemie timidly to my side , —Johnny had stolen to his usual place beside his mother , and the others were disposed of among the company . A glass of currant wine was then given to each of them , and by desire , of their smiling parents they were in turn compelled to drink the company ' s good health , naming every individual present , and assisted by Mr . or Mrs . Purdie when their recollection failed them .
' ' How old is Johnny ? ' inquired Mrs . Symington , with an appearance of great interest . "' Three years auld last November , ' answered the mother . " Mrs . Symington was quite astonished . Dear me ! he ' s very big of his age . ' " He ' s a very forward laddie of his years , stroking down the hair of her favourite . ' But ye have such fine bairns , Mrs . Symington , yoursel ' . You can repeat " The Lord's my shepherd , " and " How doth the little busy bee , " already , —canna ye , Johnny ?' " Johnny took no notice of this question , his attention being wholly engrossed by the contents of the sugar canister which stood near . ' Me some sugar , mama , ' he asked , or rather demanded . "' Repeat the " little busy bee " to Mrs . Symington , and you'll get it , ' said the proud mother .
" ' Come , Johnny , ' said that lady in a coaxing tone . " ' How doth the little , ' began Johnny , but stopping suddenly , he whispered loud enough to be heard , 'Mama , Tarn ' s getting sweeties from the gentleman . ' " ' Whisht—and ye'll may be getting sweeties too , ' said Mrs . Purdie . " ' But Tarn ' s gettin' them a' , ' whimpered Johnny , who , with finger in mouth , sat looking discontentedly at hia brother ' s luck . " ' Tam , ' said his mother coaxingly , anxious to p lease her favourite , ' there ' s a good callant , gie Johnny some o' your peppermint draps . ' ' *' I ' ve just got twa three , ' answered Tam , who was crunching them as fast as he was able , ' and I hae nane to uie to Johnny . '
" ' I am very sorry , ' said the gentleman , feeling again in his pockets ; ' but I fear '—The search was without effect . " Here we were all startled by a howl from Johnny occasioned by his disappointment . "' Whisht , whisht , laddie , ' said his mother , something ashamed of thia exhibition , and endeavouring to quiet him . ' Whisht , like a gude bairn , and ye'll get a penny the morn to buy peppermint draps . ' But Johnny waa deaf to her expostulations and promises ( perhaps he had experienced the deceptive nature of the latter ) ; the noise of course put a stop to all conversation , and drew every one ' s attention to himself . " ' Johnny , Johnny . ' 8 aid his father , knitting his brows and looking up the table .
" ' For ony sake , Tam , ' said his mother beseechingly , 1 gie him the sweeties . Ye bad laddie , are ye no ashamed roaring that way ? What will the company think of y « . Hold your tongue this minute , or you'll be sent out o " the room . ' All was of no avail—the disturbance continued . " ' What '« this , Johnny ? ' at length inquired the Reverend Doctor Drynore « d , who But at the hoHtoBs * right hand , holding up a halfpenny as he spoke . ' What is it ? ' again asked the Doctor . " ' It ' s u bawbee , ' murmured Johnny , while amilefl rct . nrned to his countenance . " ' And will y <> greet ony mnir if ye get it ? ' " Johnny promised ; and immediately clutched the halfpenny , which he held up in triumph to Tom .
' * ' Doctor DryHCTeeri ' s owre kind to you , ' naid the pleatH-d mother , ' you ought to beg the company ' s pardon . " To ttiin Johnny turned a deaf car while contemplating bin tM'flniire . '" It ' s a Him- U » ing to greet , ' Haul Tam npitcfully , who was in part , to blame for the disturbance , ana who hud now finished hia peppermints , lint he , waa silenced by hi " mother . " We must ulso give Uib close of thi » party : •* - " On our return to the parlour we were entertained by an exhibition of the children ' s accompliahmentH . Minn Purdie was debited by the complacent mother ( who
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 15, 1851, page 14, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_15031851/page/14/
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