The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1873-07-11
LOrTERHNG IN LONDON.


Henry waterssn's second Letter
20 the Ceurter-Jeurnal.
LONDON, June 10, 1873.
To-day. being Sunday, London Is rs
silent-almost ss deserted-yas q place Of
burial. The window Of the room in
which ! am writing overlooks an old
church-ysrd. II Is q moss-grown alp
odt Of antiquity which has not been en-
livened by funeral these six and fifty
years. Well, the streets beyond are
scarcely less still and solemn than this |;
for the English are a melancholic, Sab
bath-keeping people. The Times docs
not appear on Sunday. On Sunday the
midday omnibuses do not run, the rail
ways are at rest, and even the ale-houses
are closed. You miss the CHATTER Of the
everyday wheels. You miss also our
own Sundays jangle of c6urch-bells. II
Is eleven o'clock now, and / hear just a
single, belaied clapper, ringing q sleepy
dingdong. as il it had been only hall
wakened and reminded Of something.
At this moment Louisville l.. livelier
than London. The English churchgoer
Is Of Puritanic turn, and wears his
mien and his clothes after the same som.
her fashion; whilst the merry-makine
world. the nobility. the gentry, and ths
wicked Americans, take the Sunday
elsewhere, at Greenwich eating white.
halt; at Hampton Court ogling the por
traits Of the wanton women of ancient
festive times; at Richmond and a,
Brighton, drinking and flirting, happy
to be away from the Sabbatarian decen
cies and restrictions Of the villagiest
metropolis in the world.
Do you know that there is not well
ordered and fairly-equipped barber-shoT
in all Londoni A clean shave here Il
simple butchery. fOu 60 into a closet
seat yourself in a common chair. and ART
set upon by yscommon varlet, who fancic'
that your neck is young oak, and thai
his razor Is a dull AK, the latter surmis,
being strictly true, when presently you
are asked to get up and wash yourself
You do get up accordingly, holding
your head to your shoulders, and after
ward pay down your shilling with din
thankfulness that your life has beer
spared. You come away with a bud
ding aower-garden peeping up over YOU
shirt-collar. You don'e recover in ,
week. ! mentioned the circumstance
deferentially. to hair-dresser, who tolt
me he had spent year in America, anC
he said. "Well, you see, sir, we have n
little practice. The nobility are shaved
at home; the gentry and plain peopl'
shave themselves, None but Americans
need n barber"
Do you know that there is no sucl
thing as baggage check used on any o
the railways in England, You get M
guarantee whatever for your baggage
Il is your business 10 see IL on the cab
to see il to the depot; to see il ON tn
train. Then il l. your business to get ]
again at the end of your journey. Ye
the English fatter themselves that the,
are the best travellers, and that the,
have the best conducted lines of trave
In the world.
The English wemen are the poores
dressers in Europe; and yet English 50
siety Is singularly exacting. A lad,
goes 10 a common ballad concert at st
James Hall, happens to wear ligh
Paris bonnet, and b required 10 take 4
of in dressing room, paying the wait
ing-woman slxpence TO keep II. befor'
she is allowed 10 take the seat she haI
paid for. She goes In and finds the hal
filed with serubby, in-dressed women
each having a bit Of ribbon stuck to hel
hair and each considering herself in full
dress. or course no gentleman Is ad
mitted at Covent Garden or Drury Lam
without a swaDow-tailed coat and whit
ravat nor then until he has paid SIX
pence 10 bag who turns down his seA
for him or opens the door Of a box. G'
where yoa will this petty tax Is enoOun
tered. whyf Because the country /
50 full Of people and living has 20 b
got at for the overplus in some way. Il
a LOndon eabby cheats you out of SIX
pence, he thinks he has done goOd
thing, but Il docs you ior half crown
he feels proud Of himself, of his vOca
ton, and Of his country. A pretty bar
maid swindled me out Of halfpenny on 1
glass Of sherry the other day. and saw
JOY unspeakable beam out of her lovely
thieying eyes. ss turned away, and sh'
fslt sure Of having bagged her plunder
In London a penny Is big thing.
asked an oysterman 10 opeu me dozer
Of his oysters. "a dozen. sir says he
"Yes. a dozen" l said" 'DO you know
SIR says he. what they oosti" "No,
la 1 tfI aa..1t. w-k.s a, H., ,..,st