, 1877-06-25
THE L0NDONt SEASON.
A Mammoth Social Phenomenon
in the Worlds Capital.
Why British Pashionables Have Their
Gala Term In Midsummer,
A Rain Of Dinners, md Receptions, dnd
Paradcs In the Pork.

One Hundred and Twenty Nights In q
Drsss-Coat.
Few Americans ever know anything about
that mammoth social phenomenon called tic
London scason. In tho spring and carly sum.
nler, when the exodus Of travel takes place from
the United States into Europe, Americans ar-
Hving In London are usually too much engross-
ctl in tho purchasing Of "outAts," or In arranr.
Ing letters Of credit with their bankers, and too
eager to breathe tho more foreign atmosphere
Of tho Continent, to have much thought about
the extraordinary movement Of polite ciy)Jsa.
tfon which is Just tl,cn hating place In the Brit
ish Capital. Or, II tlcy remain, passports Of no
common kind ore required to Introduce them
into tho defended circles OF English society.
Perhaps half-1ozcn Western Republicans In
year come armed with the extraordinary cse-
dcutlals, mud have inclination aul leisure to re-
maln in London while they may bc inductcd luto
the wilderness of entertainments which char
actcT1zc tts season. geographically considered,
London season 10 not an affair Of London at
all, but Of
wEsr RND,
or The part Of English Babylon which has Bel
gravla square ns It's ceutrc,sand It's periphery
within two. miles Of that distinguished neigh
bor1ood. lnside Of this limit lie Westminster
aud the Houses Of Parliament, tho famous streets
Regmt and piccad!lly, the Academies OF scicnco
and Art, tho gfcat parks, and, grouped about
tho fatter, tho palaces Of the nohllity-~evcry-
thing, IN abort, which divides polite London
from the vulgar, shopkccptng city.
Considered with reference to its ttmo In tho
year, tho English season Is the worlds out-of-
scaxon. Tho nation gifted with a political con.
tltutlon which Joct not conto,n ,ta law. ,,,t, ;.
snvorotan ~. ne.1,;..aa ~ .,,,a w. 1--WE, WIN
duces lta arboreal fruits on vines clingTng to
garden walls, consistently differs from The or
der OF Nature In having fts nrban notItc nc,,o,,
amid the feryors Of mid.ummcr. i Tho ou1ou out1u
season IN this respect Is indeed MI anomaly.
Fashionable society II other countries bcrins
tts gaia term In November md close, Il In Anr,]
-rctrcnt,nr from Noturo III, ,,no 4, +. matt
pef1ou. inc EngllaN crowd 10 their Capital
with the breaking Of May buds, and tho last Of
thclr metropolitan festtvittes dfo away nmId the
excessive dusts md heata OF July. Tho &C.
ihc '@~~
HABITS OF TIE AnlsrocRAcl,
Polite lie elsewhere hns It's beginning and In
spiention in citics-thc centres OF commerce and
OI llllEllECLU1l RCstplIEGs tQ04 Society In En-.
gland has its strong roots tn tho county, In tic
iaullly seats Of the mobiles. and of tho landed
gentry. It Is distinguished, 10 q word, IA thu
only modern cultivated society which Is rrral
rather than urban, keeping alwnys Its favor Of
society makes IT, irruptions into the great city
where II elects to hold It's holiday. The London
season becomes kind OF social rcscryoir tsllcd
by ttiekllng tributaries from every part of tho
Kingdom. Its temposnl limits, as hare inti-
mated, arc determined by English arIstocratlc
taAscs and usagcs. Tho a1lclcnt passion for fox-
huuting during The wintcr months l,as not di.
rnlnished among the gentry, mud one Of tho ira
asscmble tho mombcrs OF a llouschoid ot this
country home during Christu,aa.tiJe. Tho nreat
families like to remain At their rural scata unii
after tho Easter festival; the smaller families
Beginning 81 the London carnival Is I'd tielpycd in ed
until tho middle OF spring. "Gotng up to LON
don II Ior tho season, rs Tue English cIprcss Il.
Is like going 10 ball, these appearing most dis.
tinaEusehed xho appear late. -
AaasMbIrso or PARLIAMENT IN 7EDnuARY
Tho 1rst step toward tho great fashionable hol|-
day Is thrn considered taken. In the Interval
between this eTent and tue week after Eaator-
which arc to take part in tho London carnival,
Is believed to retain itself In rural scclusion
with considerable tmpatcnce. british tnatrons
bEataQa4 Will EGlETEllCN 10 tHG Tor
curing dcalrablo matches for elder daughters,
krow anxious for IN carly settlement In thclr
town residences. Younger daughters who are
about to enter upon llcIr first year OF society
exist for tso mouths In u state of nervous M
tieiuation. In London Itself there orc also steus
OF looking iorwaxltp to It's annual transformation,
Members Of Parliament, including The heads Of
many strong households, nrrlyu and lnko resi-
lilies. Just enough entertainments must be a.
tempted to preserve misrepresentation Of tho
state from socInl staguation. TAera begins 10
be u little activity ~ tho palaces OF tlu great
clubs along Pail Mall md In tho houses Of w.
rions resident journalistic and literary celebrities
that series Of entertainments known us "At
Homes" md which maintain as the model Lon
don receptions throughout the eeason, Ia family
tultlatcd. At the eiid OF March u lew Of tlle
earlier arriving artatocratic families, wioso caJs
rre Il. one or the other HOUSES OF Parliament,
are already In town; there ia pcrccptl1jo bis.
tic OF lifo In tho fashionable ncighhost,oob, mud
IN the grim quarter Of Bulgrayla. During April
The season breaks out mantfcstly III The parke.
For the parks ass tho pulse OF tic London gala
ycnr, tlIc show Of cttitpage and riders on tho