I had the honor of a conversation with a lady of
high birth and long descent, and, as I happen to know, of great kindness
of heart, a landlady much beloved by a grateful and cared-for tenantry.
I remarked to her that justice seemed to me to be rather one-sided:
"There is much difference unavoidably between one class and another, but
there are three places where all classes should stand on an equality--
on a school room floor, in a court of justice, in the house of God." "I
would agree with you so far," said the lady, "that they should be on a
level when they come before God." I am sure there would be no agitation
nor need of coercion if all the landladies and landlords were like this
kind-hearted lady in practice.
Another instance of kindly thought on the part of another landlady. The
famine left many a poor tenant without any stock at all; every creature
was sacrificed to keep in life. This lady bought cows for her tenants
who were in this sad plight. She left the cows with them until a calf
grew up into a milking cow; then the cow was sold to pay the landlady
the money invested. If the cow sold for more than was paid for it the
balance was the tenant's, and he had the cow besides.
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