, 1875-02-07
ence is to be noted between these aud the na-
tioual customs Of the continental countries.

| tue somnre character OF all OF LIS otnet lnoagnt
| and actions: The holiday sports OF the Engsi
peasant have none OF the airy grace ana Light
meas often noticeable in those upon the Cont
| uent; his enloyments are OF lower grace, ant
! partak8 more or the purely Hensua4 cn4saeter
| the eat1ng and drinking part he unues6tands bet
ter than any other, and ciings to Il most tena
ciousy, and since this is the most important par
excess here, to eat greedlly when ne eats, to Ge
beastly drunk when be drinks. In England, thf
Carnival has never been observed under ina
name, but the two days Precedins Lent nave
always been holidays N tue calendars GO 5oth Of tnt
common people and OF the Church Ihese nave
| been generally known by the name OF
suRorE-TIDE,
since they ware set apart by the unretormeo
Church as proper DAYS Tor the shllslng'-a' e.:
confessiagf and obtaining PARDON Tor si;1a,-ot
| the people. TO prepare themselves Tor the last
Of Lent. Whether because open confession IL
good 1or tue aonl or not It Is certain that THESE
surviving DAYS came to 20 accounted as speclai
days OF rejoicing. marked, nke the feasta OF
Bacchus IN heathen nome,-back to which, in
qeeo the observance Of the pre-lenten season y
dated BY some antlqlqarlans,-Vith o5servancca
Thfch were curious mixtures Of doTot1on and 10
deoancnety. welcome. merry ohroVe-t'oe:
says ahaRepeare. other poets ano writer's maze
frequent 1efeEance to 1t u the same way. 'Iha
MondAy OF this week %as known aa
coLLoP MONDAY,
because On that day formal leave was taken OF
flesh by eating Of jerked meat called collops. On
tuesday tue term o. aost'nence WAS begun BY
the general eating Of pancakes For this reason
the day ID often known as
PANCAKE TUESDAY.
10 the early morning, or III some districts 1t
noon, great bell was rung, which was known as
Pancake Ben: In some villages in Yorkshire
tnls oell ls SILL rung. ihe especial significance
PINNED, but the custom has been followed from
time lmmemonM with religious ardor, and we'll
authenticated case ia given Of divine in York,
Who, having attempted, during The time Of the
Commonwealth, to abolish the fondly-charished
pancake from Shroro Tuesday, regarding it as
relic Of FoperY nearly paid for his would-be
iconoclasm With his life: ANY one who should
attempt to-day to abolish the Shroye-tide Pan
cake from the English public schools would prob
ably meet more serious fate than this zealous
sarY q part OF shroye Tuesday there as the plum
pudding is Of Christmas. For genuine, simon
pure conservative, commend us to school-boy,
to whom the I. has been Of the past is always
the "nust be" OF an future time, whether the
question be ono ct the position Or marbles Tor
game, pancakes On holyday, the construction
OF Latin sentence, or the legitimate time OF
succession to throne. Among tbs
saRoVE.T1DE SPORTS
OF the past to which the schoolboys still cling,
may be mentioned that q barring out" the
schoolmaster SILL successfully practced IN the
schools OF Scotland, and the playing OF football,
to. which latter game the most Of the day is
glyen up IN many Engllgh schools The advance
IN gooc sense ana mo1ant5 on the part OF teach
ers has succeeded IN driving from tue schools,
though at the cost OF much difficulty, the barbar-
ous practices OF oock-hghtingg aud throwing at
cocks: Those customs, though lald under the
ban OF dlsapproFa BY the majority, are yet not
Unknown among certain portions OF tho lower
classes. Inc INST OF these sports has always been
more or less IN vogue IN Southern Europe, since
the time When' as TRADITION asserts, 1t was intro
dnced INTO the games OF Athens hy the great
Ihemistocles; out the Latter practice, throwing
at cocks, is dstnctlvely English Institution.
Ae6s lnhn Ivy years ago u WAS very generally
practlced; lhree hunared years ago 1t vas
most noble Sport 1olned IN BY polished gentle
men, TITLED lords, and eTen the sclons OF royalty
stset. In It, the nnfottunate hlrd Was tied to
STAKE ana pelted WITH missiles until y kll!ed- Ihe
one VINO gave tue 1aIa1 gIroE6 Won the dead BIRD.