Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-02
THE ENGLISH AT HOME.
Every Day Life Among the Middle
and Well to Do Glasses.
How Breakfast and Dinner is Con-
Quoted.
POst.Prandial EmplOyments ant
Amusements.
English SerVants-The Majesty Of the
Butler and the SubOrdinatiOn
of the Lower Glasses.

English SerVants-The Majesty Of the
Butler and the SubOrdinatiOn
of the Lower Glasses.
From the Galaxy for June.
It was my privilege to see something OF
the English in two country houses Of diff
ferent character. One was about sixty or
seventy miles from London, in rich, well
titled country-an old fashioned stone house
in the centre of the property, within half an
hours walk of q small village.
Everything was simple, solid and COM
Portable. The host, known as the squire,
q hale, hearty man of fifty, asked me the
morning after my arrival if would take ga
bit of turn" Surprising this to be an in
vitation to go over his grounds, assented,
when l was led off in brisk walk for five
miles and the return making ten. The squire
was evidently trained to the exercise
and did not feel it, while was much tagged.
The excursions together in the neighbor-
hood were Of every day occurrence. For a
mile round were two or three fine dwell
ings, the rest small tenements, of which
many were whitewashed and th2tched; the
fine roads bordered with hedges, rolling
sw,e cps Of ground in lawn or forest or I'M
der cultivation. There were many halts in
these walks. The squire called out in bis
sonorous voice to the laborers in the field
touching the crops; hung over the gates
and fences to talk with the women and
children concerning their domestic affairs
from which it appeared that the cottagers
were in frequent relations with the folks Of
the hall in the way of gifts of coal, clothing
food, and medicine. The questions con-
corning the ills of family, its misfortunes
and hopes, were many, put with bluff
voice and impossible face. When the
widow and the orphan whimpered in the
account of their troubles, as they did il
one or two instances, the voice Of the
squire grew harder, but he blew his nose
and complained of cold.
The master of the house was of the old
fox-hunting school, and his dinners were
solid, f1anked with sherry and port. Ii
compliance with old customs, the womeI
retired toward the end of the repast, the
cloth was removed, and decanters of por
on wheels were placed on the naked table
labeled in silver with their respective ages
These were industriously pushed around
each pouring a generous portion as they
went by. The clergyman of the neighbor
ing church was generally one of the guests
and helped himself as literally as the 9th
ers. When the deeanters had several time!
made the circuit of the table, endeavoreC
to excuse myself from further libation OF
the score of lack of capacity. Will
that bluntness characteristic OF thu
Anglican race, was requested no
to be such Miss Nancy, ant
pooh-hoohed in chorus. There was NJ
help for It, and was obliged to empty my
glass with the rest. This continued fOl
nearly two hours, when we arose from thu
table and marched unsteadily to the draw.
ing-room to Join the hostess and he
friends. For my OWE part, am persuaded
that it would have been difficult for me tC
say, "The scene is truly rural about here. ,
NV companions, whose ibations had beer
more copious than mine, were probably
thicker of utterance and more obtuse Of eye
and brain than 1. The advent into the
drawing-room of this befuddled group il
dinner garb was singular, but ELECTED NJ
manifestation of surprise or remark from
the women, who had evidently grown &C
custOmed to it.
From their thick tongues came heav!
platitudes, and compliments bout pOrtdnt
to the women, occasioning little feminin'
tittering, accompanied by the boisterOus
ala, ha.' ofthese Squire Westerns under
the reign of Queen Victoria. One fell int
a doze, the others settled down into rub
bers ofwhist. In an hour strong tea wa
served, restoring the sleeping convive II
wakefulness, and the company to some
thing like animation. At an early hour al
retired, The next morning saw them vi
early, without sign of the previous nights
wassailing on their rudy faces.
A soft, damp climate, famed by the sal
sea-wind, and vigorous exercise, gave then
stomachs that bore these daily burdens
with ease. They were free of the Ameri
can malady, dyspepsia. There was stron!
| food and stronger drink, but no especia
disturber of the stomach's repose. Thu
] fortified Briton might manage our incon
| gruities without much detriment; but we
sustained neither by climate nor out-of
door exercise, must regard the task a
| hopeless.
This household may be regarded as rep
resentatiVe, for England is full of such.
This representative man, the squire, wa
simple, frank, blunt, hospitable, with viril'
mind and body. He was public spirited
read the "TinleS" every day, personally su
perintended one of his own farms, was di
rector in neighboring railway and knocked
about in an active way for several hours
which worked off the bulky nourishmen
and heavy draughts of old port. Besides
a sword Ct Damocles hung over his toes ant
stimulated him to his exercise, for he wa
afraid of the govt.
Another house in which was an inmat
| some ten days was further from Londol
| than the former, situated also in a beauti
| full, rolling country. Its occupants wer
higher in the social scale than those of tn
| other household. They had a town-houst
| in the West End of London, and moved in
the caste-cir of that quarter. They haC
| lived in most of the capitals of Europe
were well hammered and familiar with cur.
rent events, spoke good English, and ont
or two other languages with reasonable ia
ciIity. Besides myself were nine or tel
guests, whose acquaintance l made a
quickly as if we had been Freemasons
| The quick, frank way Of taking stranger
into the confidence of the household, i
one Of the most agreeable features OF Eng
fish country life. :,
The family consisted of an elderly lad!
| and her daughters. At nine O'Clock of tn
morning belfry bell was rung, which wa
a summons to religious service conducted
in a great hall, where the mistress stood a
one end; on the other side the family ant
guests, or those of them who were up, in
row; and on the other side in familla
row, the servants. All were provided witt
the prayer-book of the Established Churcl
as they came in, and the mistress read tn
] service, to which the responses were dis