New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-09-02
LONDON SOCIETY,
FURTHER NOTES ON CONVERSATION AND ON
THE CUSTOMS OF PARTICULAR lotteries.
N,

former social generations and the present He Is
not ouite three years younger than Mr.. Gladstone.
and like the statesman the poet has the secret OF
perpetual youth. If you inquire IN different COM
panies. you will hear different accounts OF MIR.
Browning as a talker lie is the opposite of Mr..
Gladstone in this that he allows his conversation
TO be influenced by the company The statesman
takes his own line across country. The poet VIII
now and then amble through gates. and wait for
lead over a gap in a hedge. and even so round by
the public highway. lie is capable of talking
long as with as much energy on that truly British
subject. the weather. rs the most unimaglnauvc OF
Philistncs. For his best talk he wants fit audi
ence The audience may consist of only one but
the one must be appreciative. Other things beng
equal he prefers. l fancy. more than one. Mr.
Browning is, unlike Lord Tennyson, diner-out
Lord Tcnnyson is a recluse: seldom to be met III
London drawing-room. Hardly anybody is TO be
met oftener than Mr.. Browning. Student. thinker.
hard worker as he is. he contrives TO be man Of
the world also. 1t depends on his host or hostess
or ON their guests. in what character he appears
Their evening may be spent with Browning the
poet or with Browning the MISREPRESENTATION
people say they find il hard in reading him to sep
arate these two-or with Browning the man OF lei
ters, Of music. of art or, finally, win bro"hlh@
the man of the world. They have. however, at
least one thing in common-these various BroWn-
ings: each of them is a remarkable talker' IL you
have the good luck to meet two OF them. or even
all Of them, you may ponder little over the prop
lem of NEUROLOGICAL identity They are all alike
in possessing wonderful memory; one OF those
memories which seem 10 do their work without any
volition on the part of their owner: memory on
which things engrave themselves deep as on tab
lets of brass. but with the raDidity and natural
ease of a Photographic impression. Mr.. Browning
is mine of knowledge; knows with minute accu-
racy the history OF literature. of art OF music OF
many other things; and knows by heart should
think all the verse that has ever been written
You will hear him. when he is in the mood. pour
out quotations without number of verses by poets
without name or fame II you are lucky enough
70 hear him rcitc some Of his own you VIII at
onee perceive how futile is the work OF the CON-
mentator and eXpounder The only commentator
Browning needs is Browning.
Ii would be easy to single out many other men
Of the day whose conversation is remarkable IN one
way or another There is Lord Granville: he TOO
has hold on the past and on the present. nor Is
there a better example of that elegant suaVlty OF
style which never becomes common and Is Ger
tainly less common now than 1t was lie has
finish OF manner which is more French than Eng
Ish a turn of the phrase too both III pubic ana
in private speaking. to the ncatness OF whlch ouI
few of his countrymen attain; and with all TINS
sense OF Qelcd'c NuinOr NlIlCA 10 Ju9' "F A-'-7''
the other quality is French. Mr.. Kinglake has al
most withdrawn from social life. but there was
time when he and Lord Granville might have been
almost bracketed together. And there are others:
sone of them women and some of the women fore
most of all But Of womon. and OF takers who
belong altogether TO the present. L VIII. Tor the
present say nothing.
To name any one man or even any group OF men
OF women as type. or as complete ILLUSTRATIONS
Of the conversation of the day. is Impossible
There is no longer an Autocrat of the Dnner-'apie
Dr. Holmes himself. whether at Dinner or Break
fast. would have to share his benefcent despotsn
with somebody else. 1t is no longer the man who
rules; it is society. Nobody has all the talk ana
everybody has some. The individual withers and
the world is more and more. The less numerous |
the company the less chance has any one talker OF
supremacy over the rest Society becomes not
merely democratic; it is communistic Everything
is put into a common stock and divided among the /
contributors And the result is precisely what 1t |
would be if there were redistribution oi other !
property The clevereSt soon resumes his former /
share: adding some Of his neighbours for the extra
trouble. lie conforms, nevertheless. TO custom; he
carries no sceptre to assert or to denote his rank:
he renounces all the appearances of authority IN
order 10 preserve the substance he submits to be |
INTERRUPTED and interrupts nobody; he waits his |
,urn: he modulates his voice he yields to others:
he draws out others he does not argue; to contra
dict he would be ashamed. His reward is that ne
escapes the almost inevitable penalty Of superb
GRITTY; the envy of his fellow men. lie IS one OF
those uncrowned kings TO whom Democracy PAYS
the homage Of unQucstiOning and unsuspecun@
obedience
The great increase in the number of those who.
In one sense or another may he said 10 belong TO
London society has had the effect of splitting so
Evan amid This multitude The law
Of attraction. of afinities. holds good. To say
that Jones is in society is to say little: what set
does he belong TO is the question that has to be
answered Il becomes difficult. therefore, TO gen
eraizc whether about society or about the CONVEX
sation Of society. If there be anything true OF all
sets. it is that each has certain slbboeths of its
ovn. Each speaks language Of its OWL or. at
least has its own topics. as well as topics winch
are more or less common 10 all. Nothing is more
Characteristic of society than that 1t takes 50 much
for granted but each coterie takes different things
for Granted ; has different slang. if such word
may be applied 10 the talk of those who dwell in
these celestial regions. 1t is Of the current
ISLANDERS upon one section OF New-York society that
the men talk Of nothing but stocks. Well. II is
possible to dine out in London and hear of little
hut racing which, as a form of gambling, is not
much better than stockiobbing, and as a subject
of continuous talk soon becomes quite as weari-
some Hunting or shooting is sometimes discussed
in a country house with not less pertinacty and If
YOU find yourself among military men you may
hear enough military and barrack-room gossip TO
last you for the season.
There are certain kinds Of shop which men
and women permit themselves 10 talk They
tacitly assume that everybody else present knows
all about their subject. ought 10 know. If you
do not know so much the worse for you. Strong
instances might be cited There came TO London
some years ago lady from Germany who had lust
married an English nobeman. She was well re
ceiyed; every effort was made by his relatives and
friends 10 do honor TO the bride. She asked
by one Of them to dine. The party made for her
comprised an English lady Of greater rank than her
own. whom the host took in 10 dinner. The Ger