Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-23
SOME ENGLISH HABITS.

Most Englishmen of the lower middle
class and the lower class in cities have a
way of walking which is Distinguishing
habit of common life. | had observed Ii
in Englishmen of this sort in the streets OF
New York, where could tell them by it
as far as | could see them. They lay them
selves out in their walking as If they were
doing a days work. They walk not only
with their feet and legs but with their
hips and their shoulders and their arms,
not swinging the latter, but arching them
out more or less from their sides, and put
ting them forward stiftiy as they step.
Virtual they look conscious of their walking,
and seem well pleased that they are doing
the correct thing. This gait and carriage
of body is most remarkable in the soldiers
that one sees about the streets of London
and of garrison towns like Canterbury, and
III the vulgar creature who has come to be
known by the generic name AIRY. You
will meet two soldiers frightened up to the
extreme of endurance ia their scarlet shell
jackets, with little fiat caps so far down
the sides of their heads that you cannot
see why they hesitate at coming down all
the way, and these two fellows, one of
whom is pretty sure to carry rattan
with a iaunty air, will take up the room
of three men by the set-out of their four
arms from their four sides, and will walk
as if their locomotion, instead of being by
human muscles, work by clock-work and
steam. The number of their imitators
cannot be told but an English gentleman
has none of this toilsome swagger. He
walks quite easily and unconsciously, and
generally with good, manly stride, just
as a man of corresponding position in Bos-
ton, New York or Philadelphia will walk
But in those places you will not see in
persons of inferior condition that strange
mode of locomotion which L have endeav-
re to describe.
Gentlemen in England have very gen.
eral fashion of wearing rings in what
seemed to me a very lady-like way. A
signet rng engraved with cipher, a
crest, or beautiful design, seems nit AMI
becoming upon the hand Of man who can
afford to keep it clean and out of danger of
knocks and blows. Nor are we unaccus-
toned to see examples of annular gorgeous
ness-notabiy vast amethy sts-upon hands
which are not so cared for. But this is
not the ring-wearing of gentlemen in En-
gland. There small rings set with stones
are in favor. Diamonds set in heavy hoops,
rubies as eyes in the heads of golden snakes
which coil three or four times around the
finger. diamonds and rubes, diamonds and
sapphires, in alienation, are seen upon the
fingers of most OF the men who are above
the lower middle class-nobIenien clergy
men, army officers, university dons. hard
headed men of affairs, merchants. Not one
ring only; indeed, a single ring upon a
mans hand is rather exceptional. You
shall see big fellow with big brown hands,
with three or even four jeweled rings upon
his fingers not unfrequently there will
be two upon one finger. The turquoise is
in great favor-the most unmanly and
woman proper of all precious stones in my
judgment; most suitable to the fairest and
softest of the sex. 1t is frequently al
ternated with the diamond on n heavy
hoop, a wide space being left between the
stones. The fashion impressed me as quite
homogeneous with manly dignity aad sim
plicity. But perhaps this was merely be-
cause | was unaccGstomed to it. | know
that saw man with diamond ring and
plain hoop on one finger, turquoise on
another, and ruby-eyed snake whose coils
covered one joint OF third, whom l knew
to be gentleman, and had good reason to
believe thoroughly man. II these men
had not been of my own blood and speech
/ should not have thought this habit re-
markable; but thus it strikes stranger
who is yet not foreigner. = January At
lantic.