National Republican., 1884-01-23
HIS OWN CASTLE.
The English Lodger-His Privileges and His
PeCularites.
wherein Apartment Life in Britain Differs
from American Hotel Living,
Epecidl Leitsr.

lodger is q boarder. This confusion Of terms
does not arise at all from the fact that in
England sleeping is more important than
eating, for such is not the case. On the con-
trary, the Englishman, though very particu-
lar about the hour of his meals, is not cor
respondingly careful as to his hour of retiring,
so we must seek elsewhere for the cxplana-
tion Of. the circumstance that one who hires
his eating and sleeping accommodations in
the same house receives his name and char
scter from the less important Of the two
functions The true solution can be deducod
from the old saying "An Englishmans house
is his CASTLE" If he has no castle he does as
did his titled ancestors, he seeks sanctuary"
In other words, he goes into lodgings, takes
one or more rooms, as his means will allow,
and is absolute master Of that part of the
house he has hired. He does not emerge at
stated hours and abdicate or partially abdi-
cate his sovereignty by joining fellow dodgers
in a common meal at his landlady's board.
No indeed He, as it we're emphasizes, thrice
daily perhaps, his absolute authority over his
lodgings by partaking therein, solitary and
in state of his meals composed solely OF what
his royal humor has been pleased 10 order,
and served at just the moment his caprice
directed. Right we'll then is he formed
lodger Compare his noble independence
Win inc ucRThueu bcTNlIuu0 Vi luC AultIlChu
boarder. The latter, will he mill he, must eat
at a certain hour and partake with gratitude
of what is set before him. But the lodger
has even wider privileges. When the humor
seizes him he becomes his own caterer. He
roams at will through the various markets,
hunts up fish here, foul there, and noses
around till perhaps he finds some favorite but
uncommon dainty. He has nothing more to
do then but await the hour at which he re-
quested his purchases to be served to him.
The lodger has at least two rooms, not gen.
orally together; indeed often on separate
floors In the one he sleeps, in the other he
cats, smokes, lives and receives his friends.
He may not often does not have even bow
ing acquaintance with his fellow lodger in
tho next room. If both happen TO order
roast for the same day, tho landlady is likely
to procure one large one. Then he who likes
his beef we'll dono is first served ; he whose
taste is for the rare must wait before his roast
is set before him, but it never occurs to these
two WORTHLESS TO dine together.
But the lodger has certain disadvantages;
he dare not lodge" in his own home city
not that the law imposes any penalty, but So
cety does; a law stricter than those of the
Medes and Persians prescribes that every
true born Britain, who is anybody, must
have house to himself especially If he has
taken to his bosom a wife. The penalty for
infringing this law is ostracism, more or less
severe and general. Another disability under
which he labors is the loss of his ballot for
members of parliament unless he pay GER
tain amount or over per a9num for his rooms.
True, the amount is smalfy but it ould seem
TO an American degradation indeed if his
greatest privilege wore dependent upon
whether he paid pound. more or less, in
year for his room rent
The theory is in England that in hiring
lodgings ono is engaging the services of
another, who is supposed to do the utmost
for tho nf ha hirar In, Ann uoric
the negotiation takes the form of treaty be-
tween friends and equals, by which ono
party, In con liberation of certain payments
is to allow tho other party certain stipulated
privileges. The latter theory, it may be
remarked tends to the advantage of the
landlady, who puts you on such footing
that you can't we'll complain, even if you
have reason to do so, and at the same time
enables her to maintain her dignity and self
respect by rejecting that she is doing you q
great favor in taking you into her house.
In America, ladies take boardcrs; in England,
more; and the takers" are always stronger
than the taken" In the former country
you must bend to the customs Of the house;
in the latter the house must bend to you.
The Englishman who can afford it is as
migratory bird as the American, and when
the proper time comes off to the seaside he
goes. But there is no such thing for him
rs leap in the dark with regard to his ac-
commodations. Distances are all SO short
that he can probably take an advance run,
between Saturday and Monday,to his holiday
place and arrange for his future coming.
He seeks some house whose window
bears the modest placard apartments"
he inspects slowly and carefully the rooms,
the ce!iings the walls, the floors, the furni-
turc, especially the bedclothes. He then in
quires about the drainage, looks at the sewer
traps,and wants to know the source OF the water
that is drank in the house. He then goes to
MINOR details; he has the cutlery brought out
to see if is presentabe, and looks at the plates
to find if they are nicked and at the silver
ware to discover how it is kept and ex-
cuses his solicitude in these respects by sug-
gesting the possibility OF an occasional friend
at dinner, for he is hospitable wherever
he goes. He then sends for the
cook and cross-examines her; asks her how
she prepares certain dishes, and listens with
gratifed smile as he hears his own theory
of roasting pheasant advanced. All being
so far satisfactory, he remembers to ask about
the view, and proceeds to examine for him
self Should there be none he is easily
reconciled by the recollection that he can get
one by walking q short distance and no
leaves with final stipulation that he is to
have q breakfast cloth and luncheon cloth
and dinner cloth, and that they must all be
changed twice weekly.
Among the tribulations that will assail
an American IN lodgings VIII be his inability
to procure a drink Of water. The English
horror of water to drink is as great as that
of the devil for it when it is holy. He
thinks (the Englishman, not the devil) that
in it lurk all manner of insidous diseases,
and if nature sometimes prevails and he
must have a drink he puts in q spoon.
ful OF whisky to correct its Of
fects. Its place is partially sup
piled for him by tho number
and cheapness of the artificial waters which
abound in England, especially since the tenn
perance agitation was begun. But the con-
slant effort necessary on the part of the
American before he can convince his pur-
veyors that water is to him necessary bev-
one grand effect. 1t transforms him rapidly
from 'boarder" into "lOdger' He sees
for the first time his power, and knowing
dares maintain" and thereafter has precisely
what he wants, or knows tine reason why.
Should the American not, unhappily, have
our national taste for that delightful, but in
England somewhat rare, liquid, bis develop
ment is materially arrested and he only be-
comes creditable lodger after some months
of bitter experience.
Certain of the large London hotels, to touch
on another branch of the same subject, pub
licly announce that they do not care for Amori-
can custom, and IL Is for this reason, among
others, that the American drinks too much of
the hotel water and too little OF the hotel
wine. He also has o bad habit of dining
wherever he happens to find himself, thus de-
priying the hotel of its profit on the table