The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-11-29 00:00:00

Varieties.

ENGLAND EIGHTY YEARS Sic.—Leisure is gone—
gone where the spinning-wheels are gone, and the pack-
horses, and the slow wagons, and the pedlars who
brought bargains to the door on sunny afternoons. In-
genious philosophers, tell you, perhaps, that the great
work of the steam-engine is to create leisure for man-
kind_ Do not believe them; it only creates a vacuin
for eager thoughts to rush in. Even idleness is eager
now—eager for amusement; prone to excursion trains,
art museums, periodicals, literature, and exciting novels;
prone even to scientific theorising and cursory peeps
through microscopes. Old Leisure was quite a different
personage ; be only read one newspaper innocent of lead-
ers, and was free from the periodicity of sensations which
we call post-time. He was &contemplative, rather stout
old gentleman, of excellent digestion; of quiet percep-
tions, undimmed by hypothean ; happy in his inability
to know the causes of things, preferring the things
themselves. He lived chiefly in the country, among
pleasant seats and homesteads, and was fond of saunter-
ing by the fruit-tree walls, and scenting the apricot when
they were warmed by the morning sunshine, or shelter-
ing himself under the orchard boughs at noon, when the
summer pears were falling. He knew nothing of week-
day services, and thought ,one the worse of the sermon
if it allowed him to sleep from the text to the blessing;
liking the afternoon service best because the prayers
were the shortest, and not ashamed to say so, for he had
an easy jolly conscience, brood-backed, like himself, and
able to carry a great deal of beer and port wine, not
being made squeamish by doubts and qualms and lofty
aspirations. Life was not • task to him, but a sinecure;
he fingered the guineas in his pocket, and ate his din-
ners, and slept the sleep of the irresponsible,—tor has
he not kept up his charter by going to church on Sunday
afternoons' Fine old Leisure I Do not be severe upon
him, and judge him by our modern standard. He never
went to Exeter Hall, or beard a popular preacher, or
read tracts for the times, or Sort or &earl us.— Ado=
Bede.
"PERILS OF RAILWAY TRAVELLING." A corres-
pondent of a contemporary writes:—" Some months ago
I was seeking a second-class carriage at the Shoreditch
terminus. A pretty young lady attracted my notice by
politely iniorming use that there was room in her compart-
ment, politely pushing open the door at the time. As
soon as I was seated opposite to her she pulled to the
door, as much as to say there were enough. We started,
I very ungallantly becoming engrossed in my newspaper,
she silent, having no one in the carriage but myself to
speak to. I felt the carriage very narrow, and feared I
was crowding her, and I moved back as far as I could.
In a few momenta I still felt her dress against me, and
soon was really crowded, being pressed by her. Now,
I confess with shame that, being a young man, I felt •
little vanity at her attentions, and I yielded to tempta-
ilea so far as not again to more from her. In half an
hour • gentleman got in, which from the lady's face was
not an agreeable thing; she looked vexed. However, our
silly conduct proceeded, she throughout taking the lead.
At length the gentleman observed us, and my compa-
nion, blushing crimson at being discovered, very wicked-
ly drew herself away from me, and flying to the opposite
aide said I had insulted kir. When she found, more-
over, that she was known to the third corner Misbecame
very indignant and 'dreamed for the train to stop—that
she had been moat grievously assaulted, to. I cannot
toll you, Sir, my confusion. I durst not charge her with
being the first to commence—bow cowardly it would
have looked !—and upon reaching the terminus her bro•
thi.r was informed —Dot by the lady, but by the gentle-
insa—how infamously I had insulted her. He flew at
me like • tiger, thinking I bad really ruined his sister,
he smashed my new hat over my eyes, and being much
bigger than myself, and assisted by the other pMetaller.
gave me such an awful punishment that I shall never
forget it. They were then geing to give me into custody
but, upon my appealing to her, she said that she would
gladly have given me into the charge of the police, but
was too bashful to appear in • court of justice to prose-
este ; and so I got et"
THE PEOPLE OF DIIIIERARA.—A people HO happily
satisfied with their own position I never saw elsewhere,
except at Barbados". And bow could they fail to be
satisfied, looking at their advantages? A million hogs-
heads of sugar to be made ohms the coolies some! They
do not, the most of them, appeal to the land as being
that of their nativity, but they love it Do less than that
of their adoption, "Look at me," says one, "I have
been 30 years without leaving it, and never had •
headache." I look and see a remarkably hale man of
40, I should say, but be says 50. "That's nothing,"
says another, who certainly may be stricken in years,
" I have been here fivelind-fifty years and have never
' been ill but once, when I was foolish enough to go to
England. Ugh! I shall never forget it. Why, Sir,
there was frost in October." "Yes," I said, " and
snow in May sometimes. It IN DOE all hins with
me, whatever it may be with you." "Not that we
year's end"
have too much sunshine," interposed a lady, "you
don't think we have do your Not in the least.
Who could ask snore, madam, than to bask in such
years than, than, than—" and
the half-crowns in his breeches
iilis•idoengl,oes though not • few of the pro-
se..
Ananhainise
coas..yoeurwrs
fiforri.hyiesengrs eat
a:eked
al a
gentle-
man in trade. "Flourishing, Sir, if you want to
make money, here's your ground. Why, Sir, here in
this wretched little street, there has been more money
turned.ket rummaged
no
da e
fits spoken of had found their way thither. "Do you
ever find it dull here?" I asked Of a lady, perhaps
not with very good issue, for we Englishmen have
pejmes an idea that there is perhaps • little same-
ness about life to • small colony. " Dan ! no. what
should make us dull? We have • great deal more to
todvAsn.sand:eathein.w":;:N.dersuainand.deder—aiwPaintetuirtiesziNo'.weninisaNndorrso.
amuse us than most of you have at home." 7his
might perhaps be true of many of us. "We have
nu.:±—socuvateponietwysibethhieratgracairCii
lope's West hulks.