New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-28
COMFORT.
&c IT TO BE FOUND IN AMERICA?
WHAT AN ENGLISHMAN THINKS ABOUT IL
NOW TO BE COMFORTABLE AT MEALS.

- ~ boundless resources and possibilities,
:, Is NOT q comfortable country This as
s.rtion may appear in the light oil erdtul'ous
;sce of impcrtinence coming from foreigner
e indeed an Engishman can he thus described
:, the United States. But have been SO Ire
op.ntlv asked of late by friends acquainted WIN
NV record as globe-trotter to state my OPINION
,.qarding the manner in which American comfort
comparcs with that of other climes, that cannot
10 otherwise than comply with their WISHES l
.orfess that am somewhat at loss to understand
tho motive of their curiosity, unless indeed, IL
n. q vague kind of desire TO secure some more
definite information than they nov possess OF a
feature of life that is mainly conspicuous by It's
obsence on this side Of the Atlantic. The de-
6ciency is chiefly attributable TO the relative new
moss of the country, and to the mental and phys
,caI activity which the innumerable undeveloped
resources OF the continent exact from Itch ana
moor alike Looking at things from broad point
II view idleness may he said 10 be unknown III the
United States There are no droncs. Every
body contributes bis her share TO increasing
and fostering those talents which Providence las
intrusted with such a bouDtiful hand to the
great Republic of North America. II is this uni
versal expenditure OF energy, attributable IN part
TO the keen competition for pre-emlnence Ill the
chase after the almighty dollar, that produces
= rcstlesSncss, feverish activity of mind ana
body and tension of the nerves when render
comfort utterly impossible. The enjoyment OF
comfort in the true sense of the word requires
in the first place absolute contentment. the ab-
sencc of ambition for things neither within or he
yond reach. and the perfection of thousand and
one small items of every day life which. though
trivial at FIRST sight, occupy important places IN
the construction Of comfort. II is TO these trlvl-
alites that | desire more especially TO draw the
attention of those who are good enough to honor
nv letter with passing glance. For if my Amer
lean friends would bu: take the time to devote a
little consideration TO these matters which
they regard beinG of no consequence. they would
obtain far more enjoyment out of life, and realize
the vast distinction between comfort and pleasure
Comfort being a genuine English word that
is absolutely untranslateabe into any other Ian
guaQc il is only natural that the English should
claim that il exists nowhere hut on the soil OF
Great Britain. In this, however, ] am disposed
20 differ from my cOuntrymen. For while adj
hitting that on the whole there is larger quantity
of comfort TO be found in the United Kingdom
than anywhere else. / regard it as a cosmopolitan
rather than an exclusively British affair. Per
haps the word cosmopolitan is not altogether
correct For cosnopoitanism implies travel and
gadding about from country to another
at home. Thus with regard to dress and to the
manner of enjoying amuSements, such as music
the drama, etc. the Orentals far excel the
English in point of comfort. What more uncom-
Portable garb can there he than that in which
both men and women of the civilized Occident
are srrayed. The fair sex. with its corsets, its
tight-htting gowns. it's unnatural shoes and the
men. with their hideous silk hats. their equally
ugly coats and waistcoats that impede every
natural movement. and their extraordinary neither
garments-all compare most unfavorably with the
Orientals, such as. for instance, the Arabs. The
latter are arrayed in loose flowing garb that
drapes them gracefully, and which neither inter
feres with the process of digestion nor hampers
the movements of the wearer. While in Japan |
used invariably to don the dress Of the country
when attending native oanquets. | did not do
this for the sale of the picturesque appearance
Of the loose robes, but solely ont of regard for
the fact that the dishes were exceedingly in
digestible. and that the cose-fitting nature Of
my European clothes would inevitably have ar
rested the functions of my sorey tried digestion.
involving great discomfort This, 10 my mind.
infinitely preferable 10 being obliged 10 unbutton
not only the higher but also the lower buttons
of the waistcoat. secs almost every old
gourmet do in France and Germany when enjoy
ing a good dinner.
No one can imagine how comfortable these loose
Oriental clothes until one has tried them
They impart such sense of freedom and Of full
and fair play for every movement and every
muscle The absence of anything to hamper the
latter is not without exercising a most beneficial
effect upon the mind which enjoys the reflected
freedom of the body.
Another delightful phase of comfort in the
Orient is the absence Of the necessity 10 he seated
a chair during banquets and dinners. II is
impossible TO conceive anything more bal ba rous
than the ordinary dining room chairs, which are
usually the most uncomfortable in the entire es-
Establishment Indeed, I only know Of one house
which forms an exception 10 the rule. II is that
of Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain. NJ F.. of Fisheries
fame. The Right Honorable gentleman, who. not
wthstanding his three mar ges and his Radical
political opinions, is something of sybarite, pro
vides comfortable armchairs for the guests seated
around his hospitabe board lie has the good
10 realize that it is impossible to apprecat"
the merits of culinary chef d'oeuvres If seated on
an uncomfortable chair, one of those denominations
for instance, with straight, high narrow backs,
and equally narrow and hard lodges. Comfort
able, however, as have found the chairs around
Mr. Chamberains dinncr-table ! must confess
that ] prefer the Oriental method of dining in a
recumbcnt position with my legs on level with
the remainder of my body. The position Of the
body when seated in chair is neither a natural
one nor yet n healthy one. For it necessitatcs a
considerable amount Of heavy drinking in order
to prevent the tendency of the blood 10 conccn-
trate itself in the lower portion of the legs, and
10 send it coursing to the head by way of restor-
ing the normal circulation. No better illustration
of the evil effects of a sitting position at meals
can be found than in the prevalence of CONT among
those noted for sitting the longest their din
ner namely, the English
In their mode, too. of enjoying theatrical enter
tainments, the Orientals understand how TO do 50
with considerably more comfort than Western
nations
Instead Of sitting in crampcd positions on
awkwardly constructed chairs as we are forced
TO do. they either squat comfortably on the ground
or else reclinc in easy and graceful attitudes on