The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-08-07 00:00:00

BANK HOLIDAY IN THE STATE
APARTMENTS.

Under the above heading the Daily Telegraph of Tuesday
published an article by "A Wanderer," from which we make
the following extract :

I do not know whether the Royal servants in their
brilliant liveries quite approve of national rejoicings,
or in what light they view Sir John Lubbock and
those of his friends who won for the people their holi-
days. But their appearance yesterday, as they stood
at the doors of the Castle and viewed the immense
crowds of people who trooped up past the Chapel of
St. George to the entrance "under the porch,' was
that of men who were very considerably puzzled.
Never was there such a levee, I should think,
since the days of Edward 1., who, having given
a great tournament in the adjoining park, if
history is to be credited, invited the spectators by
thousands to view the place. Even then it is doubtful
whether there went so many ladies carrying children
in their arms, gentlemen with short pipes in their
hands, carefully hidden so far as the bowls were con-
cerned in their sleeves, so many matrons with
luncheon bags and reticules, so many fathers with
troops of little ones, or so many sweethearts either.
. . . Whatever the officials may have thought, they
certainly did all they could to put their visitors at
ease, and so it came about that the vast crowds went
from apartment to apartment, criticising the pictures,
marvelling at the tapestries, admiring the chairs, and
now and then measuring the tables and vases,
with great comfort and satisfaction to themselves
and no trouble to anybody else. And how ten-
derly they touched even the marbles. There was,
perhaps, a certain droll wdy about some of
them, as, after the manner of experts, masons tapped
the malachite vases, or cabinetmakers consulted each
other about the value—the exact market value—of
some of the articles of furniture. Curious it was, too,
to hear ever and anon some authority in furniture.
making recounting reminiscences of work done for
somebody or other which was nearly as good as this,
and in which he had had a hand; stranger still to
listen to the explanations of the paintings which were
volunteered here and there by self•appointed mentors
in the old ball-room; a little perplexed, perhaps, to be
asked by some earnest enquirer, which was the
party called Jacob " in the Zuccarelli pictures,
but all intensely interesting and amusing. Not
the slightest disorder occurred, not a single attempt
was made to take a forbidden turning, not an un-
couth expression, not an unkindly or impolite word
was heard, but all were orderly, quiet, observant,
and delighted, full of intelligence, and very appre-
ciative. It was not precisely the crowd which finds
its way daily to the galleries of the Academy; but it
was an art-loving, art-admiring crowd—a crowd
w.iich, beyond a doubt, contradicted the assertion
that we are not a loyal and reverent people by its
ready admiration for the instructive and the beautiful
in the Queen's eountry home.
The scene outside was just as delightful. The rules
which were posted up in the Long Walk had for the
nonce been relaxed, and not only were pie-xic parties
permitted to enter, but ender the fine old trees, right
in front of the eastle windows, with cloth spread out
on the ground, and viands in plenty upon it, camped
many a family in the bright .warm sunshine. Even
the dogs, which are usually forbidden, wandered at
their will, and, in company with their owners, shared
in the general liberty. So far as the eye could reach,
and it is a great way, for the splendid avenue
covers a long distance, there were little groups to
be seen, comprising hundreds and even thousands
of persons, all bent on enjoying the day they had
come to spend at Windsor. Better still, though
no policeman's uniform was in sight, there was not
one inebriated or noisy person in the scene. So, too,
on the Brocas, close by Eton College, where a cricket
match was being played in the presence of a great
throng, and on the river, where boats flew backwards
and forwards, all filled to the brim with merry-makers,
the general rejoicing left nothing to desire. If the
wanderers from the metropolis had left home in
doubtful spirits, they had at any rate found uncom-
monly good tempers in the Windsor sunshine, and
were bent upon enjoying themselves to the utmost of
their power in the most rational way.