The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-05-14

head, was taken to the high pews, | where l had to listen to the fatuous and | lengthy sermons of @ curate in 0 black gown and bands, and the refined music of Tate and Brady. What a debt we who live now owe to the movement which has emanclpated us from that melancholy view of our religious duties; 1 though there may be danger of going too far in the opposite extreme, of pay ing too little regard to the scruples of others, and letting our Sunday amuse- ments rob some of needed rest,
 | Cock-tighting, which was illegal, | fourshed at a farm near Harrow till the fifties. Prize fights were still fash ionable, and there was a great fight, which excited the sporting world, be- tween Tom Savers and an American, J. Heenan, called the "Benicia Boy" at Farnborough in 1860. A subscription for the English champion was started in Napier street, to which the House of Commons, headed by Lord Palmerston, contributed. Early in the reign oaths were an ordinary ingredient in polite | conversation, The queens faVorite prime minister was more than an ordi- nary sinner in this way. Archdeacon Denison once complained to him that on going to his brother, Lord Beauyale,
 on the subject of some ecclesiastical
 bill, he had damned everything. But,
 damn it, what could he do?" said Lord
 Melbourne. Count dOrsay once called on the publishers, Messrs. Saunders X
 Otley, on Lady Blessington's behalf,
 and used very strong language. A beautiful gentleman in a white neck cloth said he would rather sacrifice
 Lady Blessington's patronage than
 stand such personal abuse. Il was not
 personal" said D'Orsay. If you are
 Saunders, then damn Otley; if you are Otley, then damn Saunders"
 At regimental messes coarse acts and coarse language were common, and at private dinner tables the departure of
 the ladies from the room was the signal for every sort of loose and indecent con-
 versation. That is rarely the case now.
 Sir Frederic Rogers in 1S42 tried hard
 in the columns of the "Times" to kill duels by ridicule, and they were forbid
 den in the army in 1S44, but they still
 existed. l we'll recollect Lord Cardi-
 gans trial in the House of Lords,
 where, in consequence of a legal technt-
 cality, he was acquitted of the murder
 of Captain Tucker in a duel Ridicule,
 however gave the coup de grace to du-
 els In 1852 George Smythe, the repre-
 sentative of the Young England party,
 and Colonel Romilly were going to fight
 in consequence of an electiOneering
 quarrel When they got to the Wey-
 bridge station there was only one fly to
 be had, so both Combatants, thirsting
 for each others blood, and their sec
 onds had to drive over in it to the chos-
 en spot, George Smythe sitting on the
 box and Colonel Romilly, with both the
 seconds, inside. At the fateful moment
 a pheasant rose out of a copse, as in
 Leech's famous caricature and a pistol
 went off. The combatants exchanged
 shots and the foes returned as they
 came. The incident was dealt with in a
 witty article in the Times and so rid
 icule did more than morality to kill du-
 cling. Solventur risu tabulae.
 One of the most remarkable changes
 of manners has been that familiarities
 have taken the place of formalities. In my early days few elderly women ad- dressed their husbands by their Chris
 lLellI III ptDllI Cl Altttlt u lAi ,
 mother call my father by his Christian
 name. I recollect that Lady -'s fame was imperilled because, after some great mans death a letter from her tc him was discovered beginning with his , Christian name. l think I am right in
 saying that at Eton We never recog- nized the existence of such 8 thing Even boys who 'ltnew each other at
 home" never divulged them. Letters , between friends often began My Deal
 Sir" and many boys in my time ad- dressed their fathers always as Sir A friend of mine, Gerald Ponsonby, din ing with Lady Jersey, heard her say that she never recollected her father
 Lord Westmoreland, though specially , attached to his sister, Lady Lonsdale call her anything but Lady Lonsdalei and Henry Greville, who was present al the same dinner, said he remembered l his mother, Lady Charlotte, and hel r brother, the Duke of Portland, meeting t in the morning at Welbeck and saying 7 How is Your Ladyship this morning?' and her replying with all solemnity
 ''I am quite well. l am obliged to Youl ] Grace"
 = All shopkeepers are now "young gen 7 tlemen" and young ladies" Tht 5 Duchess of Somerset, on making inqu s ry about something she had purchased 5 at Swan x Edgar's, was asked if sh, s had been served by a young gentleman - with fair hair. No" she said medita l lively, "I think it was by an elderly no . bleman with a bald head"
 = Before 1860 there were games, but nc l crazes. Tennis, cricket and rowing OK
 isted but created no enthusiasm Th ] boat races were watched by rowing mel
 and the friends of the crews, and tha n was all. l well recollect the great pub Q lie school matches at Lords, where tn, , Winchester men, as they always called , themselves, wore tall white hats. The, Q were attended only by some schoolboys N zNAa A,$SAa A, GGGA