The morning call., 1893-10-22

Vanderbilts under eight or ten million
dollars. Lord Dudley. the Duke of Port
land, Earl Derby. the Duke of Sutherland,
who owns more land than anybody else.
the Earl OF Zetland and many others keep
up state lofty as that of princes. and
know nothing Of the hard times which
aff1ict some of the proudest houses on the
Continent, particularly in Italy. where
dukes are scarcely able to pay the wages
of the door porter and would sell their
madonnas and saints by the early masters
if the Government would let them.
The round of the year in England mong
the titled and wealthy follows well-estab-
lished ruts. At Christmas time my lord
or the squire goes down to the family man.
sion in the country and keeps up festivity
for three weeks OF more, with numbers OF
friends invited. Ny lady and her daugh-
ters are then attentive to the families on
the estate and the poor Of the villages,
who are cheered with coal, presents of
meat and blankets. Perhaps the clergy
hall. The young men follow the hounds
in foX-bunting, or kill pheasants. In Jan
uary there are quarter-SessionS at which
country gentlemen as magistrates try
prisoners and send them to Jail for poach-
ing. burglary and other crimes of
civilization. Then Parliament meets.
and my lord and the wealthy squire
season of town gayetes-theaters. opera,
dinner parties, luncheon parties, rides in
Rotten Row, races, presentations of young
ladies al court, weddings, and SO on. in
whirl Until Easter, and then comes tort
night of the country in spring and an ln-
terchange of visits. Then back to town
again until Whitsuntide, and then flight
from the town to the country or the sea-
side-anywhere Oh the earth to recuperate
from the jaded flabbiness and safety of a
season of monotonous indulgence. Long
before Christmas, what with shooting
parties, yachting, travel and seaside So
journing. the reaction to health and cheer
fulness is complete. 1t is a healthy
though rapid life when not strained by the
propensities open to msspent wealth, and
many of the aristOcracy are pictures OF
health and cheerfulness, free from the
wrinkles of care.
| 1t must be said. however. that falling
| agricultural values have sadly plnched
many Of these patrician families. for their
incomes have fallen by. one-third or half
and the selling price of their land by more
than that. Many of them are not grinding
| landlords, oppressive of their tenantry.
| They share the burdens of hard times with
the farmers by returning from Is to 25 per
cent of the rent, and they have always
paid for the permanent Improvement of
houses and fences. 1t would be better II
| land were broken up into small properties
cultivated by the owner. But these
changes are coming. In favor of the sys-
| tenn it must be said that the wealthy, in
order to be comfortable themselves, mus,
| keep their armies of servants in content
! ment-thelr land-stewards, hOuse-matrons.
buffers, footmen, coachmen, grooms. gar
deners. housemaids. ladies' maids, cooks
and other ranks of domestcs. Ii they do
build mansions preposterously too roomy
| for habitatiOn in the American sense. they
at least give employment to large numbers
of workmen. and their artistic furniture
and pictures circulate immense sums
of money. Into the ethics of how
these vast estates have formed when
kings were liberal. statesmen predatory
and monastery lands were at the hands OF
the despoiler, it is not the province Of this
sketch to show. Wrongs cannot now be
righted without grievous topsey-turvey-
dom. TOD HILL.