The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-01
the life OF girl IN England and girl

In parties as with Us, unless II Ue at calls. SIX
out OF seven women you meet are over 30, and
many OF them over 10 or SO, not 10 say CO, the
o!der they are the more they are dressed and
oismonded. Young girls dress lees and wear
very little ornament indeed.
What a commentary this is on our
American way of doing things. where
young girls rule society. put their mothers
IN the background, and wear too tine
clothes
Mr.. Prescott was of course presented at
court. and his account of it is delightful.
Well, the presentation has come off and l will
give you some account OF it before going to dine
with Lord Fitzwiiiiam. This morning break
tasted with Mr.. MoiCtou Mines, where | met
Macauley the third time this week. We had so
Lord Lyttleton-an excellent seholar-G ladstone
aud Lord W. Germans, sensible and agreeable
person, and two or three Others. We had a
lively talk, hut left early for the court affair
was at Mr. Abbot LaBrence's at in my cos
tune-a chapeau with gold Ice, blue coat and
white trousers, DCgilded with buttons and metal,
asWord and patent leather boots, l was a figure
lnleed! out had enough 10 keep me in couute-
nance. spent an hour yesterday with Lady ~
getting instructions for demeaning myself. The
greatest danger was that should be tripped up
by my sword On reaching st. James place we
passed upstairs through the files OF the guard,
beeieaters, and were shown into large salon
richly hung with crimson six, and with some
fine portr its Of George III 1t was amusing as
We waited there an hour 10 see the arrival Of the
dlhe emit persons, diplomats, military and
courtiers, all men and women blazing in their
stock OF priueely fnery, and such a power of
diamonds. pearls, emeraids and laces, the trains
OF the ladies' dresses several yards in length
some OF the ladies wore coronets OF diamonds,
winch covered the greater part of the head. |
counted on Lady D-'s head TWO strings of da-
monds, rising gradually from the size of Jour
pence to the size OF an English shilling and
thick il proportion. The dress of the Duchess
OF D. was studded with diamonds as large as
nutmegs. The young ladies dressed very
plainly. tell this Tor LZZys especial benefit.
The company were permitted TO pass one by one
into the presence chamber, a room about the
same size as the other, with gorgeous canopy
and throne at the further end, on which
stood the little queen and her consort
surrounded by her court. She was rather sim
ply dressed, bu- he was in field marshsl's uni
form and covered, | should think, with all the
orders OF Europe. He IS good-looking person,
but by no means so good-looking as you are
gwen TO expect from his pictures. The queen
Is rather better looking than you might expect.
was presented by our minister by order of the
chamberlain as the historian OF Ferdinand and
Isabella and made my profound obeisance TO
her majesty, who made dignihed courtesy. /
made the same low bow TO his princeship and
then bowed myself out OF the circle without my
sword tripping up my heels. As was drawing
of Lord Carlisle, who was standing on the
outer edge, called me TO him and kept me by his
side, telling me the names OF the different lords
and ladies who, after paying their oDesaace to
the queen, passed out before US.
"Mr. Monckton Mines" became Lord
HoUghton and | had great pleasure in
knowing him well many years after this.
He told me what our American historian
was too modest to tell how we'll Mr.. Pres
colt appeared in London, Honized to death,
as the English alone can lionize, Mr.. Pres
colt never lost his modest self-possession.
He was everywhere remarked for his
beauty, his fine manner and his knowledge
of the usages of good society.
But then in 1887 the English went
equally wild-even more so-over Buffalo
Bill, and probably preferred him.
Mr.. Prescott was entertained at Cuddes-
ton palace, the residence of Bishop Wilber-
force, the famous "Soapy Sam, "from the
fact, as he said himself, "that he was always
in hot water, and always came out
cleaner than he went in" This witty and
accomplished preiate was very much
pleased with our American scholar and
gave him hearty welcome. 1t will sound
curiousy enough now, that Mr.. Prescott
found his Episcopal views very high and
says: The service was performed with
a ceremony quite Roman Catholic" The
bishop of Oxford would, were he living
now, be called low church, so much do
terms vary in different ages
Truly the world moves!
| was in my youth entertained at the
mouse of Mr.. Prescott at Nahant and
allowed to see his work-room and the
machinery with which he wrote. He
gave me, and | have it still, paper on
which he wrote for me, with the wired
plate which the blind use. for he could
scarcely see at all.
He was master of the "Art of Entertain
ing" How charming he was at dinner at
his own house, how pleasantly he made
one forget his greatness, except that SUI
preme simplicity seems to always accom-
pany true greatness. He had regularity
in his habits which would in a less amia-
bic man have interfered with his agree
ability, but with him it was most fascinat-
ing, as it seemed like a fine music, most
musical chords, set TO noble words.
1t would be pleasant to record the tri-
umphs of Mr.. Webster, Mr.. Motley, Mr.
Lowell, Mr.. Phelps, General Porter, Mr..
Evarts. Mr.. Depew and many another
great American in England, but that, while
a subject for national pride, scarcely comes
within the scope of this article.
1t would seem, however, that our ora
tors. however fed, have comprised the ac-
complishment of after-dinner speaking,
that accomplishment 50 much appreciated
in England, and it is to DE hoped that no
doomed dyspepsia from badly cooked food
will din the oratory of the future.
Shakespeare says:
The veins untitled, our blood is cold, and then
We poUt upon morning, are unapt
To give or TO forgive; but when We have stuffed
These pipes and these conveyauces OF our blood
with wine and feeding we have suppler souls
Than in our prlest-lIke lasts.
1t is quite true that a witty and full
talker will be silenced if he is placed be-
fore a bad dinner-one which is palat-
ably pretenuous but not well cooked, viii
lainously served. 1t is impossible for
the really conscientious diner out who
respects his digestion, whose religion is
his dinner, TO talk much or laugh much
if his gormandise is wounded. Even if he
wills TO talk in order not TO lose his repu-
tation his speech will be muddy flood
OF saponaceous biather" instead of his
usual brilliant flow of anecdote and rep
artee.
Not all great men have however felt the
influence of food as an inspirer. DR.. John
son was great. although he was q horrible
feeder. and at the other extreme was Cen
eral Grant so abstemious that he once told
me that he had not known the sensation
of hunger, that he could go three days
without food. At the splendid banquets
given TO him he rarely ate much, but no.
tiCed the people and the surroundings,
great hero that he was!
ThaCkerav, Disraeii and Dickens have
given us the most appreciatiye descrip-
ton of the art of Entertaining" and
We're men deeply sensible OF the charms of
a good dinner.
Charles Lamb has been the poet of the
homely and the comfortable side of good
eating. lie records for US in immortal
prose and poetry what roast pig and to-
baCCo have done for him.
We claim boldly that part of Wcbster's
greatness. PrescOtt's charm, the genius of
Motley and Of Lowell, the oratory of De-
pew. the wit OF Parke Goodwin and
Horace Porter. even the magnin-
cent march of Sherman TO the
sea. the great genius of Bryant, the
sparkling cup of Anacreon 10. W. Holmes,
the mastery speech OF our lawyers and
the unrvalled eloquence OF our pulpit ora
tors IS owing to that earlier style of do