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Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915

"Up from Slavery: an autobiography"

Everything
moves like clockwork. I was impressed, too, with the deference
that the servants show to their "masters" and
"mistresses,"--terms which I suppose would not be tolerated in
America. The English servant expects, as a rule, to be nothing
but a servant, and so he perfects himself in the art to a degree
that no class of servants in America has yet reached. In our
country the servant expects to become, in a few years, a "master"
himself. Which system is preferable? I will not venture an
answer.
Another thing that impressed itself upon me throughout England
was the high regard that all classes have for law and order, and
the ease and thoroughness with which everything is done. The
Englishmen, I found, took plenty of time for eating, as for
everything else. I am not sure if, in the long run, they do not
accomplish as much or more than rushing, nervous Americans do.
My visit to England gave me a higher regard for the nobility than
I had had. I had no idea that they were so generally loved and
respected by the classes, nor that I any correct conception of
how much time and money they spent in works of philanthropy, and
how much real heart they put into this work. My impression had
been that they merely spent money freely and had a "good time.


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