Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-07-15
WakemaD's Wa3deri3Qs,
ODD INCIDENTS OF FoRE1cN TRAVEL AND,
. OBSERVATION

one to lament IN truth the departure Of
old customs in the rugged land OF
Tres. Pol and PEN" See what a host
Of these dear old drolli, and these but q
few out OF hundreds. even a Yankee
can find and remember. The "Takin'
Sunday" wnen all the lads and las,es
meet TO select "piirducrs" Tor MazAri
Cherry Fair, that most beloved and
ancient fair at Praze; the 'giowder'
selling and gfowdcr, or sclubbug day.
the watching uvef night Tor the May
days coming; the blessing OF apple
trees on ST. lamess Day and 90 Christ.
mas time, "rouk' day ON the great
estates. wheu all the peasant lols can
shoot rocks to their hearts content and
luxuriite In pOtfc made Of tHe young
rocks lor a fortnight the,caltcg Cob
nutting, that ieruci0ie contest between
Cornish lads, AMI quite as wonderful
kitcIlying by grave old miners, that
immortal custom OF mothers Of bcst0w.
ing gifts TO the first person met, when
returning from q christening; the TAX.
ing the New Year into houses inyari.
ably by men first, ON account 81 tlc VI
luck always following a woman's acci.
dental FIRST entrance, custom almost
as universal 10 Scotland, Ireland and
lone portion OF the north OF England.
the saiuualia Of nlWc,s M Hclstou calf.
cd Furry Flora Day. as ancient as the
duchy itself; aud The 'huer" ol Carr
inggladeu and pouumlniusicr Hills. ST.
,cs. and their horn blowing aud bush
waving as the shoals Of pitchers are
sighted.
Then there are the BfilaH fires. as IN
ireland and the Scottish Highlands.
older than Christianity itself the touch
pirc" or sicsia OF the Cornish miner,
". b ptc grass" aud below, the "vagtom
liirh or wild, batburc conveying
by children OF all yagabond travelling
show, the "wipIng Of the shoe" By the
pilcherpackiug liSuwiyc, Of ST. Ives, or
daubliug the strangers shoes with oil.
for which halt crown cor luck Of the
lair maids that feed and clothc the poor
(thc pilchcrsl must be paid, or hus,ling
or ducking will follow; the very ancient
harvest home custom Of crying the
neck" which consists OF elcyating a
small sheaf OF the best heads Of grain
the times aud crying THE Ncckl' as
token that the field Is done and q
signal furiarmsidc generosity and iolIity;
and those quaint old customs at Cornish
funerals OF carrying the box (iho
culhnl laying oop the corpse,
"walchin', b" which is nearly equivalent
In an essentials to the Irish wake the
display OF the "hictcrs' lbearcrl and
their unique coiintackle, the slow,
weird, psalm.chsutiug professionals 10
the churChyard. the walling Of all
females at the church, the compensation
OF the "passon' In coin IN the presence
of the multitude; the final 'cheern
OF the moumcrs at the homes rod the
latter. and the gallons Of "shnaegrum
NJ the public house, over which the
lamented "Coden lack Is paid the
highest eulogy known TO Cornish genus,
~ kEOWcd h7''
In England generally the great mum.
Der OF old customs surviving, and al
most prevailing, Is far more remarkable
to those who will see, than can the
absence Of their like be either striking
or lamentable save 20 those of COM
pletcy Opaque vision. In modern Lon,
don, modern as Paris or New York In
most vi is cosmopolitan characteristics,
there are no end Of ancient customs
still in vogue, especially among the
ancient guilds and among the extremes
Of society. from the cOstermongers'
annual outlandish parade 10 tile Lord
Mayors banquet, There Is a no greater
nest OF these odd old ceremonlals and
things than may at any time be obscr-
we'd In and about parliament and the
house Of lords; while for every halt
dozen court ceremonills In vogue dur,
ing the time Of Elizabeth that have been
discarded, any person OF intelligence
can point out score, equally antique,
curious, and some might insist ridicu'
lous, which have been dauntessly re-
tanned.
As ! have previously shown In these
articles, English villages and village
! life are in most particulars as charming
and charactcrlul as they were any time
at or beyond a century ago. The Gus.
toms remain with these practically the
same; and the change IN essentials Is
largely In the Imagination OF those who
remove to the cities, and who are them
selves subject to such radical change
that their former provincial environment
seems mean and delormed from the
new and wondcrous view. But coming
directly TO the most important and
| effective illustration that can be made
| take lie IN and about the great English,
or for that matter Scottish and Irish,
noblemen's estates. As British instilu.
tons aud sociology go, these provide
the highest possible example. With
few exceptions such as the discontinue
ancc Of homebrewing OF ale, aud the
provision OF servants hall IN place OF
the common table the entire regime
OF these splendid places remains the
same as In the time when the old robber
/ N.aH aNHtfN "a
bitches around them were transformed
int prlnccly Ei1abelhian castle or
| hall,
In nearly every detail Of relations be-
tween lord and tenant; between tenant
and hind, in the management Of the
home demesne; in the force OF retaineri
and their duties-irom steward or agent,
down past head forester and under for
esters, head gamekceper, helpers and
"beaters," head gardener and under
gardeners, lodge keepers, and all house
servants there remains, strong and
fixed and seemingly interchangeable, every
olden custom, observance, duty graiuity
and pleasant or unpleasant ASSOCIATION
OF master aud man that have, for nearly
quarter OF a thousand years, provided
the most interesting pages OF English
literature and secured tue almost un.
shaken admiration, II not always lilec-
ton, Of those who have, despite all
political turmoil, held the British nation
together; all Of which is not In defense
OF a system, but the statement Of his
toric fact and practical Illustration Of a
most interesting acknowledgements.
Generalizing, there are innumerab'e
ancient customs and obseryances re.
q.