The Portland daily press., 1874-10-08
From the London Globe.]
Reading Parties.

e lfrOm the London Globe.l
Reading Parties.
At this season of picnics, water parties and
the hundred other festive gatherings which
warm weather, green fields and general holi-
day-making provide for our social enjoyment,
there is phenomenon visible in certain parts
of England, Wales and Scotland, which not a
various forms, and assumes various disguises,
It creates great deal of curiosity among ru-
raj races, good deal of speculation among
Country circles;" and has been known to
bewider itinerant peddlers to such an extent
that their steps have been arrested, and they
have encamped on the spot. The phenome-
non may be bri1y described. The spectator,
we will presume, is like every one else, out
for holiday Tourist-like, he has chosen
some pleasant out-ofthe-way corner, where
he can escape from noise and business, and
devote himself to the beauties of scenery and
the hearty enjoyment of country life. The
time is 1890 P. NJ; the day hot and languid (;
the place retired dell, or an orchard, it may
be, attached to some farmhouse in North
Wales or Devonshire. Suddenly he sees
stretched along the grass before him about
half-a-dozen young men lolling in every atti-
tude; some are lying on their sides, some on
their backs, with flannel caps pulled over their
faces; one or two are prOpped against tree /;
railway rugs, sofa cushions, and holsters are
scattered promiscuously about. Yellow
backed novels, newspapers and magazines
strew the ground. Here dilapidated Greek
lexicon is reclining, open-leaved and crushed
as though it had been "shied" at the gentle
man in whose neighborhood it lies. Clouds
of tobacco smoke curl lazily into the air, and
ever and anon comes the gentle purring of
the hookah, the property of languid looking
youth, who has just observed that he would
like to hang himself, but, as no one has no.
ticed his remark, has applied himself with
some vigor to excepting his hookah in." Two
or three dogs are chopping dreamily at the
flies: gurgling murmurs of laughter ripple up
now and then from two of the recumbent fig
ures, who, collarless, waistcoatless and hat
less, with their hands upon their heads and
pipes in their mouths are propping up on
their knees Punch or Bret Hartes last. One
curious figure, apparently the only one of the
whole group who, to judge from his contract
ed brow and bepuzzled face, does not seem to
be at his ease, has two books before him on
the grass, which he seems to be painfully
comparing, with no satisfactory result. A
glance at the volumes indicates that one OF
them is the estimable "History of Thucyd-
ides," in Greek, the other the equally esti-
mable ''crib'' furnished by Mr.. Bohn. The
only specimens of real animated nature con-
nected with the scene is boy who seems to
be constantly travelling to and from the neigh
boring house with tray. Brandy and soda,
claret Soup" ebb and flow from the aforesaid
house all day long, as regularly as the Euri-
pus, to the fervent admiration OF mine host in
the neighboring tavern, in whose society the
young heroes usually pass their evenings.
This interesting scene is suddenly enlivened
by the arrival OF a new conner, and an obsery-
ant spectator would probably mark two Incl
dents connected with the said new comer's
arrival. He appears TO introduce disturb
ing element; two or three yellow-backed nov
els seem to be suddenly transformed into
dingy-looking notebooks the languid- looking
youth with the hookah has got Virgil open
the Greek lexicon is all at once deferentialIy
consulted by the gentleman in whose neigh
borhood it lies. =
The next incident connected with the new
arrival is the commencement of brisk con-
versation. "Now this is really too bad," OBJ
serves the new conner; "a fortnight gone and
not stroke OF work done; two of you fellows
have been ploughed twice, and Robinson has
had three shots at Mods. Jones had eight
howlers in his prose last night, and won't
open book; If you can't work shall break
the whole affair up. This sort of thing is
nothing but robbing your people," 81 can't
work, it's so confoundedly hot" observes the
languidlooking gentleman with the hookah.
II intend TO put on a regular squirt next
the evening"" impatiently chimes in the
Greek lexicon gentleman. "My eyes are so
bad can't read two consecutive lines" en-
phatically rejoins the youth who has been
deep in Bret Harte all the morning. This
curious collection Of youths comprises what
IS usually known as a reading party-the
gentlemen sprawling about with novels and
pipes are hard-working, conscientious young
men, who, unwilling to waste long vaca-
tion.in idleness, have impressed on their in
nocent friends at home the necessity of being
sent 10 some quiet place where they can de-
vote themselves to ''really hard grinding"
The gentleman of the disturbing element is
their tutor, who, to do him justice, is not
altogether pleased with his hopeful pupils,
and is rather in an awkward position. He
has five or six young men in his care; it is
his duty to see that they really work, and
keep out of mischief generally; he is in no
small degree responsible for their success in
the several examinations for which they are
reading; but he was absolutely no authority
over them. They are not boys who may be
commanded, they are not sensible men that
can be reasoned with, but belonging to that
mixed and middle state between boyh
and manhood, without the impressibility of
the first or the solidity of the second, they
are the most unmanageable of created beings.
In addition to this there is usually the differ
ence between the teacher and the taught.
Reading parties are no doubt very delightful
things; they help a young man to lay up
large stock of pleasant "reminiscences; they
form and cement friendships. Leading to
long walks and much exercise in the open
air, they do much to strengthen the bodily
powers and develop the muscles, but what
they aim at doing most certainly they do not
accomplish. No man ever yet got First on
the strength of what he learned on a reading
party, unless both himself and his tutor were
striking exceptions 20 an equally striking
rule. The large proportion of men who are
'plucked" and ''gulphed' are the devotees
OF reading parties, which means, of course,
that their education costs their parents and
guardians just double what it might have
cost them. To condemn reading parties, or
to deny that there are not many advantages
connected with them, would be absurd; but
it is only fair that that the initiated should
know that the advantages are of a vastly
different order to what they anticipate Rob-
inson, for instance, has not avery long purse,
but Robinson has son; that son is sent, by
hook or by crook, to college. The long va
cation comes. What is the young hopeful
to do? Robinson wishes his boy to take
must have tutor. A reading party is
started. If Robinson wishes his son to pass
a delightful vacation, to form friendships
which may possibly be useful to him, to lay
in good stock of health, to be polished up
socially, to learn good deal about current
poetry, to become fluent in superficial criti-
cism, to talk paradoxes-in fact, to be put in
the way of being delightful young man,
whose only drawback shall be egotism, sell
fishness and sort of elegant misanthropy-
let him join at once long vacation reading
party. But it Robinson's son is to read, let
him avoid the North Wales orchard or the
Devonshire farm cottage.