New-York tribune., 1869-03-29
EASTER MONDAY IN ENGLAND.


Coles
EASTER MONDAY IN ENGLAND
Easter Monday, Hampton Court, and Green
wich Far What visions Of bliss, happiness fun foic
and delight conveyed to the mind OF the loWereass
Cockney at the bare idea mention Of their names For
weeks past he has scrupuously put aside a certain
portion Of his weekly earnings wherewith to form
fund pay the expenses Of his Easter Mondays outing
For weeks past hls wife has been debating within her
self whether she aOrt to sport silk gown and
bonnet for the occasion and her deliberations should
result affirmative, what color and style is most
likely to create sensation and cut out her next door
neighbors And then dare she go far Of those
last new chignons green paraso and pair Of maenta
gloves For weeks passed his children have been count
ing the hours till the time shall arrive when they VIII be
oted into the country in taxed cart ride half price, or
for nothing their mothers lap, in dirty thirdcass
carriage on the Greenwich Southwestern Railway or
be remorselessy left home in the and to the ten
der mercies Of neighbor whose equanmity has been
sadly upset at not being position to do as others do
and who consoles herself by spending in advance IN the
most approved and nebrating concoctOn OF blue ruin,
the payment she is to for taking care OF the
children whom she cooly out TO make mud pies In
the streets, TIL within hour or 80 OF the time when
their parents are likely TO return,
To make holiday to sacrifice days wages, to spend
mOIe money than he afford and to drink much more
beer and bad gin than good for him. on Easter Monday
is as supposedly essential TO the respectabty ana social
position Of the welOdo London mechanic as is the leaV
ing town after the prorogaOn Of Parliament to any
woudbe member OF the Upper Ten Thousand, And II he
cannot afford days pleasure he will not do days
work. that would be and worse, and would lower
him stin more in the social scale His wife will be sick
at home or his aunt viii be dying Ia the country
or, in the absence of any plausible excuse, he VIII
even OsentatOusly leave his home In the morning with
every holiday parade, and sneakng round the corner,
will pass his day dling about some sktte alley m the
ofCbIp Nor hat he k-Em
Downs or Nine Pins but Ike ms more arlstOcranc
dow shutters the front Of their houses in May Fair
previous closing them and living Tor three months in
ihe back rooms during which time they supposed TO
be rooreatng in country at the seaside he thinks
that he would lose caste among his fellow morkmen he
were supposed to be at home on Easter Monday.
The place in the world IN which your thorough
bred cOckney would think OF seeking his days pleasure
Is the great metropolis To his Workshop smoke-begrmed
ideas, and trees are sine qua non 10 hol-
day and in Greenwich Park In the grounds OF the Crys
tai Palace, on hampstead HEATH OF at hampton Court
he feels that lie enjoy nature aud the fresh air In
combination with variety OF amusements suen as ski
that have no milk in them. targetshootng for nuts,
rambling In the maze. row on the water and KISS IN the
AT an early hour in the morning there is much hustle
and excitement Mt all the railway stations. Parties OF
sh0Wiy dressed women and children, and men VINO are
not unite their clothes and whose hats ap
lime to see the tain move Slowly out Of the station But
they told that the trains have been running every 10
fore with the hope that they will not have to wait long
fUIity OF smoothing themselves out and getting little
cool The principal roads leading out OF town. too
crowded with every description Of vehicle. Four
horse omnibuses damned inside and outside. with tho
inevitable already half tipsy eornet player to enliven
eveTgreens crammed fun OF workingmen, their wives,
children drawn by pair OF wretched animals which
look though they had not got couple OF miles IN them
much less the fifteen which they must travel before they
reach Hampton Court taxed-earts stuffed Ike sheep
trucks, fourwheeled cabs, and cosermongers barrows
drawn by fast rotlng donkeys get In each Others way
for of the road while their OCCUPANTS
Keep up an interchange OF eourteses ana ne OF cshI
which somehow or other require to be acknowledged or
cooled down. as the case may be- at every roadside public
On Easter Monday there are often many 6OOOO
10000 persons roaming about the Crystal Palace, or
rambling through its parks and grounds, smoking aud
drinking in its barroons, busy in the dining-rooms
provided at shilling head In another, those
more exrayagantly Inclined can go as high as halta-
fastdiOus gourmet can be provided with
delicate soups, the tenderest OF outlets and game.
or guinea a bottle. Numbers OF the poorer holiday
hoe In small baskets and M downn little groups in the
corridors TO parake Of II OF have eScO picnic in the
gardens The Crystal Palace Company generally provide
series OF holiday aInusements, burlesque panto-
mime foot races balloons, fireworks, etc. and always
give display Of their system OF fountains. which are
supposed TO be the largest and most beautiful lii the
No stranger can have any conception Of the delight
which a LOndoner experiences IN donkey race over
Hampstead Heath 1t is OF the most grotesque sights
in the world. Hundreds Of fullRrown men and women
will spend whole afternoon and the savings OF weeks
in making fools Of themselves on the top OF donkeys
cOckney would as little think OF going TO Hampstead
without having donkey ride as he would or going TO
bed without his supper And then there Is oil tine fun OF
the fair at Greenwich with It's gingerbread stalls dancing
booths shooting galleries. travelling shows and theaters
Gpsy fOrtuneeers and men who weigh and measure you
for twopence are most polite and vie In their attentions
with ge1tlem0n wh0are willing 70 teach you the trick OF
prckng the garter thimble rig for six pence Bands,
barrel organs and ba10es an playing dnerent tunes az
the same time, men shouting their wares Till they are
purple in the face, screaming in the swings dogs
yeplng and children crying, combine 10 create din
s4d turmoil which Is deafeninG and distraoting, but
lis mind Of fS fa and sis Without Hut ths % P E
would have no charms for him. As lie sits peeling his
cracking bis nuts betSeu the ncts IN his our-
penny gallery seat Shoreditch nOter after his re.
turn 10 town. he recalls all these little ca~~is and
events OF the day aud 10 the CONCLUSION that
must have enjoyed himself immensely.