, 1870-06-05
A VILLAGE MAY-DAY IN ENG
LAND IN 1870.

May set in this yeas with what Horace Wal
pole would have called "its accustomed &c.
verify" In '6o there WAS = piercing nor easter
10 represent the t'ethereA noi1duess' which,
season. In 1870 We had not only the usual
Mny-day or'-esster. but also driving rain and
pelting hail, with Alterations Of cleaning
sunshine and transient tainbows.
In the little church Of our vi1Age-not Aiisa
Mitford's--vhere We were wotahipping on Nay
roof and window that the voice of the preacher
WAS nearly drowned BY what tho penny-a-liner
calls It the fury Of the elements" We Were ro-
minded Of thus the following morning, when
the village children, according to thei.
Say With its flowers and ribbons, and With ita
fhree or four dolls, the chief Of which is the
modern representative Of the goddess Flora
in the Roman festival Of the taorasia- The
wind, On that Monday morning, Was still in
that bleak quarter Of which II tho logic and
could not cnn1nour Us !; and As the little girls.
with their winter ''comforers" round their
nccks, stood in group, and held the long
stick acsoes which their garland WAS hung,
they sang the old .glee, Hail, al hail, thou
US that the more appropriate wonaa to tho
prettv tune wuuld have been these;
" Hail, Ill hall, thou miserable inst Of May!
Teu really hs,la tn!s ysa1 % .,,a that ~ a.y;
Our Aay-dar sohg and roundelay-
Hsil, al ball, then miserable frst OF Maytn
Soon after these children had sung their
song and been recnmpeneed With money, and
| had taken away themselves and THAR garland
to another quarter, there came another bevT
| Of village children with another garland from
l another parish, and they sang the old May-day
! song 49,.
iIaine nTssoi Hay:"
which was not tbs case. for it Was ths
I'd Of May, and we were neithar lords nor
ladies'; hut, with moro truth, they concluded
the yeFse.
"were brought you round the garland,
II looks 80 very gay"
They then delivered themselves of the follow
ing archaeological statement:
"Tne nightingale she sin 70 BY night
The CUCKOO she ktn7 bJ day."
But. before We had time to demur to the
choice Of the verb " sings 1s applied to the
unmusical two-notes Of the cuckoo, who
told his nAme to al the hills" The Bong
was brought to sudden conclusion With the
lines:
| &e a VIII ~ you ~ : happy Ia5:"
And. After being rewarded, they went, and
their places weze soon occupied BY 3 third
bevy Of village children from another
,heE garland With them. It had it's branch
Of hawthorn, but there were On it AaJ-buds
/ only; md no blossoms were re1dy to greet
the May-dsy Of 1870. 1aet yeaz, the haw.
tho1n bloomed early, thinks to : burat Of
ic1.hered It IN fu1l blossom on Aprl a.
referred to this In note On the hawthorn II
the "Table Talk Of Once 1feet, May IS
1869, p. sa4: md, in the ne1t Eote 70 that,
| epoke Of the common error OF confoundin{
tie hyaGnth with the hlue-bel!, a. er1os whiel
IL more widely spread than might q frat b
!! thought possible Was reminded this year O.
| both those notes in q T1ble Talk for when
had commented On the hawthorn in bud
| but not in blossom, said TO one Of tho lttl
damsels, :. But Jon have sos some h{ac.nths
. Upon which, the M.y-Queen, with n ny Q
| correction, szid, :" If you please, sir, theu
! ara htue-be1ls IA flower which, ~ It doee no
| rfpv in this past Of the world Will yentur
70 ssy she has never seen IN ths abort span Q
. ! her life
They then aAng their song, ths words Q
which wero well known TO ne, for bad ofte
! beard them. They Aze curious. and q eoro
, antiquity and, like tho Homer.s h2lads' hay
= been handed down by oral tradito.:7 and FTof
! xhly, with many modern 4ccledona- Inc
. begin with the verse:
1 +Herc comes u poor Mayors all
And thus We 10 begin.
To le1d our lives IN Righteousness
I For fear n e should die m SIN"
y This theological strain ia continued Il
: anoiher verse OF two, and Is then change
INTO = statement that tbs poor Mayors, 81
\ been wandering al the night, In order
! secure the branch Of MAy which they b.
:, brought to plaoe before the door of Il
- house:
!, IT'S ONLY E,,fput but ti'A ven budded our,
J. By the work Of the Almighty hand"
= After this, thcra il vezy singular inse
q mixturs Of pious morAGaing on Life, death, an y,
4 | repentauce, and very plain tutir1Atont " \
!. "drop Of something to drink" woulo