The Monitor-register. [volume] (Woodstown, Salem Co., N.J.) 1892-1972, 1896-11-27
A Woodstown Mans Impressions of
England.
HOTEL METRoPoLE.
LONDON, ENG Nov, 10. '9l

LONDON. ENG Nov. 10, '96
Monday was as beautiful a November
day as ever shone on this fair earth.
Contrary to our rule in America. the
English railways build and operate in
the larger cities hotels in connection
with their stations; so when wished, in
Liverpool, to take the train for London.
all had to do was to pass through the
door OF the Northwestern Hotel and
was upon the station platform.
The country near Liverpool is level,
and the soil dark and rich; further on
there are gently sloping hills, with the
same rich soil, and down near London.
higher hills and sandy, rather sterile soil.
Most OF the land is in grass and was
being pastured by cattle and sleep
mostly sheep, of the lopg wooded variety.
vi the plowed land, large portion was
IN root crops, principally rutabagas, and
these were being harvested; the tops were
fed in the pasture fields to sheep, and the
roots were piled in heaps and covered
with earth. was told that grain crops
tailed 80 often that it payed better to
keep the ground in grass and save wages
as far as possible. The fields were green,
and the grass much closer and finer than
we see at home. Near London, on the
lighter soils, most of the trees still retain
their leaves, and with the bright sunshine
made one forget that winter was SO near.
England is a beautiful land from
scenic point Of view; it is so carefully
cultivated, and 80 thickly populated that
| it looks more like a park than ordinary
farming country. The manufacturing
cities are unlovely, as the smoke from the
soft coal makes everything black and
grlmy, but the villages and the green
nelds are picturesque and satisfying. l
was surprised to see 80 many trees, and
there are some pieces of woodland that
very likely are the game preserves of
wealthy men, where deer and game birds
are bred as we rear sheep and chickens,
and at the proper season the owner comes
from town with his friends and has
days shooting occasionally.
The distancs to London is about two
hundred miles, and the time four and a
half hours. The road-bed of an English
railway is better than ours, but the
carriages are not so comfortable because
they put truck in the centre as we'll as
one at each end, so while the carriage is
rigid, it gives very sharp jolts at switches
and on rounding curves. There are two
seats to each compartment, and one half
of the passengers must ride back " ard:
Second" class compartments are now
being done away with, though some lines
still have them on few trains. In few
years the only choice will be E'first'' or
"third." The American style of cars
have been tried, but are not popular.
Very little land is owned by the
farmers, most of it belongs to the nobility
and the farmers are renters. II was told
farm land rented for. twenty dollars an
acre and when used for market garden
purposes, at one hundred dollars an acre.
Prices of most kinds of produce are but
little higher than they are with us. All
market garden land is spaded, not
plowed. Wages of farm laborers would
range from fifty to one hundred dollars a
year, and for girls in the house, from
twenty to thirty dollars; in fact all wages
in this land are very low and working
people show plainly their poverty--if
they get meat to eat once or twice week
they consider themselves fortunate.
Prices of clothing and manufactured
goods are about the same as with US;
! after careful inspection Of the shop
windows could see but little difference.
The conclusion is irresistible that
England is an unfavorable country for a
poor man to attempt to improve his con-
dition, and not many succeed in doing SO;
usually as man is born, so he dies.
There is no country which offers so many
inducements to favor men as our own
America. R.
rs