The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1873-01-24


Up to the middle of the sixteenth
century, the most common mode of
travelling was on horseback, with car
riers, and heavy goods were conveyed by
means of pack-horses. In Shakespeare S
Henry w., Act H., Scene l., two carri-
ers appear in the inn-yard at Rochester.
One has a CANNON of bacon and two
RACES of ginger, to be delivered as far as
Charing Cross; the turkeys in the pan
nier of the other are quite starved. We
see that people Travelled in companies,
from one of the carriers saying: "Come,
neighbor Mugs, we'll call up the gentle
men; they will along with company; for
they have great CHARGE" and that they
were on horseback is shown by Gadshill
bidding the hostler bring his gelding out
of the stable, and one of the travellers
saying, "The boy shall lead your horse
down the hill; well walk afoot awhile,
and ease our legs" Journeys on foot
were rare, even ut that time, owing to
the insecurity Of the roads, although in
the Middle Ages pedestrians on re-
ligious pilgrimages We're protected by
the sacredness of their purpose. =
Long after the introduction of coaches
it was considered effeminate and dis
graceful for men to use them. Queen
Elizabeth always preferred to make her
journeys on horseback, and even in old
age and sickness took reluctantly to her
coach. "In Sir Philip Sidney's time" >"
says Aubrey, $50 famous for men at
armes, it was then held to be as great
disgrace for a young gentleman to be
seen riding in the street in coach as it
would now for such a one to be seen i'll
the street in petticoat and waistcoat;
80 much is the fashion of the times al
tered" Like most other Improvements,
coaches We're vehemently attacked, on
the ground that they promoted effemi-
nate luxury. Taylor, the waterproof,
declares that housekeeping never de-
cayed till coaches came into England"
and much later, in 1872, Mr.. John
Cresset wrote pamphlet urging the
abolition of the stage-coaches between
London and the interior. Among other
grave reasons for their suppression, he
urged that such stage-coaches make
gentlemen come to London on every
small occasion, which otherwise they
would not do but upon urgent necessity;
nay, the convenience of the passage
makes their wives often come up, who,
rather than come such long journeys on
horseback, would stay at home. Then,
when they come to town, they must
presently be in the mode, get fine
clothes, go to plays, and treats, and by
these means get such habit of idleness
and love of pleasure rs make them I'M
easy ever after"
The immediate paecursor of modern
modes of land travel WAS the English
mail-coach, which forty or fifty years ago
uHoIutu tiic Hioot tApcoti'iouH hicaHo VI
public conveyance. 1t was, on the
whole, a pleasant institution, if we may
judge by contemporary reports, much
more social and jolly, as well ms more
satisfactory, to those who like to use
their eyes when traversing beauti-
full country than the steam-cars"
i'll which we are now whirled along over
iron roads which traverse Europe and
America in every direction. In the good
old times, when ten miles an hour was
regarded as wonderful rate of speed,
travelling meant something more than
it does nowadays, and seeing" a
country through which one passed was
not the meaningless phrase it has be-
come since the introduction of railroads.
Still, the modern system has its compen-
sations; and perhaps majority of the
people who glory in rushing from New
York TO San Francisco in a week see as
much as they would if they took six
months for the trip. 1t makes all the
difference in the world whether you see
with the eyes of Ruskin or with those
of a-0et the million who are not
Ruskius finish the sentence to their own
taste. e).-HaTpcr's Maga=inc.