Daily Republican., 1882-08-31
Letter from England.
IorYeyponden6e Of the REPUBhI6AN.

LONDON, England, Aug. IA, 1889.
To the intelligent foreigner visiting
this metropolis during the recent dog
days few of the every day street sights,
that his curious, obserVaut eyes encoun.
tered, could have been go suggestive of
amusement and pity as ruddy, full
bodied Englishman OF the upper-m iddle
class striding over the burning pave
ment to his business or pleasure at o
good round pace, buttoned up to his
cravat pin in q tight.ftting frock coat,
his flushed brow surmounted by o stiff,
highly FURNISHED black chimney pot
hat, Stout dog-skin gloves encasing his
swollen hands, and perspiration visibly
bedewing his unspeakably respectable
Under that s1perfine
double milled Saxony broad-cloth sur.
tout is waistcoat, not visible, but
materially aggra waiting the heat and
constraint from which its wearer 10 too
obviously suffering. Cloth trousers,
strong double seled boots, o thick silken
Cataract" and. unyielding starohed
collar, complete the outward and visi-
BILE costume Of this martyr to British
received notions of deeorr1m and pro-
priety.
The Well.to-do Briton, 10 matter
what his party politics may be, is a
staunch conservative with respect to all
current conYentionalities No infringe.
ment Of the polite code is more bitterly
resented by English society than what
respectable people are pleased to desig.
nate as "eccentricity" in dress 80 the
Londcn merchant, broker, Government
clerk, solicitor, or wealthy tradesman
envelopes himself during the sultry
summer months in garments ingenious
ly devised for the development and
maintenance of abnormal bodily heat,
consOling himself for infinite discom.
fort with the reflection that he is In
every respect aS are his fellow citizens,
and that no man can with Justice ac-
cQse him of the least proclivity towards
innovation In the direction OF personal
ease and convenience.
Thus attired without a, vsntilating
flaw in his social harness, he labors
painfully along crowded, sunny
thorOughfare, breathing heavily and
mopping his moist forehead with a
moister handkerchief, an object of CON-
ical compassion to some coelly clad
alien-say Frenchman, arrayed in
loose silk wrapper, nankeen trousers,
light shoes and an all but impondera-
BILE straw hat who contemplating HIS
unnecessary agony, smiles Gym lcally,
and murmurs "consecrated blue; has he
hot, that one there One must be mad
med to be tied--to dress oneself in q
manner so insensate by, q heat thus fe-
rocious !" 1t is indeed amazing to the
verge Of iucomprehensibility that
EnRlishmen should thus stubbornly
persist In ignoring the variations of
temperature to which their country
is 80 peculiarly liable.
Frenchmen, Germans, Italians,
Spaniards, and all other continental
races conform with more or less SUBJ
missiveness to the exigencles Of climat-
10 change. The Briton alone bids stern
defiance to natural accidents of this
class, probably deeming it beneath his
Unborn dignity as q son OF the Island
Queen to subordinate his habits AID
customs to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
such as those we have recently expert.
enced-which he regards as unreasona-
bly, abnormal, and therefore unworthy
of serious consideration. The eternal
gratitude Of patient mediocrity and
long suffering respectability, themselves
born of Rudacity and enterprise ade'
auate to self emancipation from the
tyranny OF those baleful garments
will be rIghtfully due to the great
Reformer who shall initiate . custom
airy epoch Of white duck and soft tolt,
and teach the middle.Class Englishman
10 adapt his clothes to his climate. 81