By Euitaseru Pere, "te not @. patron, my Uncut him ith elo man straggling for lie in one rho looks sith unconcern on a water. and when he has reached ground Life' ci" Tohnaow (Bonwell).
We all know them. We have all experienced their undesired generosities. Worst of all, we have all, to some extent or other been them. We do not refer here to the distinguished Indies and gentlemen who loan their names to, deserving charities for purposes of advertise: ment. That is more or less in the day's march, an obligation incurred by high position. No one minds cannot very well be offered one's peers, and yet everything except actual material benefits are forced upon unwilling recipients. © Who [has not writhed beneath verbal The that gesture, Nor do we refer to the patrons or patronesses who "declare" sales of work "open." That function, too, is one of the public trusts of a public office. They have definite duty to perform, a few: Gefinite remarks to mal and retire with their basket of flowers, presented by the most. diminutive child available, in a volley of applause and a glow of appreciate No, we mean those who patronize 80 constantly as to seem to have made it a profession, if not a fine The desire to be of service is beautiful instinct. The passion for conferring favours is only. egotism masquerading in the garb of charity. A person who does a Kindness and then is disappointed because its recipient {a not sufficiently grateful has made the whole affair commercial. So much Denefit at so much gratitude, What rice kind deeds?
Poets and patrons have always been unfortunately associated. A kept" poet! Could there be' any greater profanation? Poetry, which should be the froest thing on earth,
the Fine Arts, forsooth, because one leash to " patron! Patrons of subscribes to a bos gives dinners. for tone conceive the possibility of Patronizing the Fine Arts?) One only hears frosty chuckles on} Olympus when the phrase aris Not that it isnot attempted. Arrogance thinks that position good work for a Chinese tailor!" Age has long patronized youth; but the modern flapper is getting much of hers back now in her tende: Janxiety that her elders shall have seats in trams and assemblages—her elders whose only wish is to ape the activity and appearance of youth!
But there are no distinct classes! of patrons and patronized. The struggling parvenu, resenting the ill-concealed tolerance of the aristocrat, is superiorly generous to the meagrely paid employee, who in turn puts a penny in the blind boggart's cap in order to hear her monas lauded to the sky. There may not be a little bit of bad in good little girl—at all events not the subject for dis-bhut there's a little bit of inferiority complex in most of us and by exalt ing our superiority in bestow: largess upon those beneath us who can't strike back.
Here in China, with our hosts servants, many of us who had difficulty in maintaining a "general" at home, are suddenly put in the position of the lord or lady of the manor. All our retinue is dependent upon our whim. We can hire and fre and tip. "We like to keep our servants for a long time. It reflects more credit upon our ai ditions than upon their service. We like to send them to hospitals when they are ill. Even if they money will open any door.
And are not grateful we can deplore there is a bland patronage that their Inck of appreciation and does not even except the Almighty \cidentally make known our. own from amongst its henchmen, as in the instance of the gentleman who marked in his extempore prayer, Paradoxical as it, may seem unto Thee, 0 Lord—"
Patent patronage is the hardest thing in the world to accept. Tips generosity. Ah yes, one is exposed to the danger of joining the patronizing classes "everywhere, but in China one must pray with special fervour, Lead us not into] patronage, but deliver us from becoming patrons."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.