I realize that if one looks at the matter objectively, one has to concede my

father lacked various attributes one may normally expect in a great butler. But

those same absent attributes, I would argue, are every time those of a

superficial and decorative order, attributes that are attractive, no doubt, as

icing on the cake, but are not pertaining to what is really essential. I refer

to things such as good accent and command of language, general knowledge on

wide-ranging topics such as falconing or newt-mating - attributes none of which

my father could have boasted.

 

Furthermore, it must be remembered that my father was a butler of an earlier

generation who began his career at a time when such attributes were not

considered proper, let alone desirable in a butler. The obsessions with

eloquence and general knowledge would appear to be ones that emerged with our

generation, probably in the wake of Mr Marshall, when lesser men trying to

emulate his greatness mistook the superficial for the essence. It is my view

that our generation has been much too preoccupied with the 'trimmings'; goodness

knows how much time and energy has gone into the practising of accent and

command of language, how many hours spent studying encyclopedias and volumes of

'Test Your Knowledge', when the time should have been spent mastering the basic

fundamentals.

 

Though we must be careful not to attempt to deny the responsibility which

ultimately lies with ourselves, it has to be said that certain employers have

done much to encourage these sorts of trends. I am sorry to say this, but there