Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-11-10

ESeLIsH CHARAcTER.-The English are a
rational people, most emphatically. Nothing
is more apparent in small things than their
strong, useful common sense. All the ar
engagements of daily life 90 on with a perfect
system, which is unthought Of among our
selves. 1T is curious TO look at ourselves
from this side the water. What a headlong,
shifting, mercurial, impulsive, initiative, un-
hnished people we seem TO be, compared
with the steady, reasonable, stolid, self-com-
placent English, who, having been a thou.
sand years busily engaged in discovering the
best way Of doing every thing, are quite sure
they have found il and that every BODY who
does any thing in any other way must GER
tainly be wrong The excellence which has
been the result IF their patient effort, leads
to their obvious self-suficiency and preju-
dice; our consciousness Of deficiency, and
willingness 10 learn, drive us into s~ervile
imitation, and a disposition 10 think that
whatever is new must be an improvement
upon the old. Yet the English are evident
ly, in spite OF themselves, imbibinp some
thing Of the American spirit, which we take
10 be the spirit Of this age let us hone that
We shall settle into whatever is good and
stable of the olden regime. A short resi-
dence in London cannot but inspire one with
great respect for the English character.
EYGLIsH Observation-Disclosures is some
thing very pleasing in the tone Of English
hospitality, II is manly and dignifed. yet
sufficiently solicitous 10 satisfy the feelings
of the stranger it is elegant, without appa-
rent effort abundant, yet not superfuous /;
considerable, intelligent, sympathetic. Hos
pitaliiy is considered in England a duty OF
lac -. - hurJoo ir,noead kg cir-
cumstances, and to be gotten rid of as cheap
ly as possible, or as an opportunity for osten-
tation, which is to be made the most Of. 1t
forms part of the plan Of life, instead of be-
ing, as is too often the case with US, a rare
thing, for which no regular provision is
made. Dinners for show there may be, and
doubtless are We know there are royal din
nets, and cabinet dinners, and Lord Mayors
feasis. But dinners where, although every
thing is handsome, and good society is the
first object, are much more common. Con-
v~ersation is a recognized pleasure one oh.
ioct in coming together socially, is the ex-
change Of information, and thp-coilision Of
thought. And still more agreeable'than these
dinners, where all the guests are invited for
a reason, are those ten o'clock breakfasts.
from which all the gene Of dinner is exclud-
ed, and at which one may sit in a straw bon
net, and speak TO a n~eighbor without intro
duction. This form Of entertainment is al
most unknown among us but it deserves 10
be introduced and adopted. 1t affords am
Pile scope for elegance, while il excuses all
that makes a dinner terrible TO the mistress
OF a family, in America, where domestic SER
vice is so imperfect. Tea, coffee, chocolate,
rolls and butter, a few slices of cold meat,
honey, marmalade, plover's eggs, and per-
haps, a basket of oranges, or fruit in season
these, as far as we can recollect make up the
mundane part of one of these quiet London
breakfasts. But to give an idea Of the better
part, we should enumerate the company .
but that would be contrary to our vow, which
binds us TO mention no names, even where
our entertainers are as well known to the
literary as to the social world. We may
say, however, that at our breakfast table,
where our host was indeed a host, we found
a man Of science, a travelled man, and a con
e ~noisseur in art, as our conrires ; at another
: well known TO many an American ~t:avelle
. in the old world, an assemblage of guests
each Of whom brought no triffing contribu
{ ton to the common stock of pleasure and
all converged towards their entertainer, who's
S stores Of memory. whose wit and humor, ant
4 thorough acquaintance with the world, MAKE
an hour spent with him something to be re
. SuS iNiNS "a ~ "
mind they belong to a state of high civil
cation, and form one Of the most unmistake
d able marks of it. The lunch is anothe
d, means of u~nceremonious hospitality in Eng
o land, and an excellent short cut to a good ur
Outstanding between parties who have neve
e met before, and who have not time for tn
e slow ~ripening Of acquaintance into friendship
There is the social position round the tabl
not too large for general conversation, nc
too small for more particular interchange {
thought there is the pleasant variety of II
II freshment, which, while it gratifes variou
r tastes, suggests no unpleasant thought
care and labor beforehand, There is III
very agreeable possibility Of dispensing a
mos, entirely with the attendance of servan
rendered so necessary by The complication
of dinner. Everybody agrees in thinkin
~ that a quiet supper is the most social and u
bending, and heart-waiming of all meals 5
= but next to that, commend us 10 the Engls
q breakfast and lunch, of which we have see
20 such charming specimens.
of
- MonknyS in India