Spirit of Chambers's Journal : $b Original tales, essays, and sketches, selected from that workChambers, Robert
General
Spirit of Chambers's Journal : $b Original tales, essays, and sketches, selected from that work
Chambers, Robert
English literature -- Scottish authors
THEY, also, amidst all his multitudinous and most Protean varieties of
character, is a general scapegoat for all the mischief that is done in
a household. “I see THEY have cracked that decanter.” “THEY have at
last made an end of the globe in the lobby.” Or, as I once heard said
by the lady of a house afflicted with a breaking woman-servant, “I
declare THEY have broken the very kitchen poker!”—a compound fracture,
too, it was. Such are a few of the doings of THEY in his household
capacity; and it must be owned that in this light he is very great,
and often comes above-board. The grandest aspect, however, in which
THEY ever appears, is when he stands up as a representative of the
government of the country. “THEY are going, I see, to bring us into
a war with France.” “THEY intend, it seems, to resume cash payments
at the Bank.” No matter whether the affair refers to privilege or
prerogative; no matter for the claims of the particular officer
under whose hands it ought to fall; King, Lords, Commons, Treasury,
Admiralty, and Horse Guards—all melt, like mixed colours, into the
single white light of THEY! Things may be different under the Reform
Bill; but, heretofore, there has hardly been any precise government but
THEY. THEY crowns the king—signs the orders of council—passes all bills
through the legislature that _will_ go through—fits out armies, and
rigs fleets—makes war, and concludes peace—is church and state—Swing
and the Press. THEY is a being of past history, and of present
existence—a tyrant, or the people. THEY is the great despot pronoun of
the _world_!
RELATIONS.
Owing to the different merits of the different members of a family, and
in some measure, also, to the various chances which are vouchsafed to
them of bettering their circumstances, we generally see that, though
they all begin alike, some go _up_ and some go _down_ in life, so that
in the long-run the family, or at least its second generation, is
scattered over nearly the whole surface of society, from its top to its
bottom. The case may seem startling; but it is our belief that there is
hardly any person, be his own situation ever so exalted, who has not
relations, and near relations too, in the very lowest walks of life—not
only in the condition of servants, perhaps, for that is decent, and,
in its way, respectable, but in the most degraded state to which human
nature can well be reduced.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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