The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-05-14
DURING THE QUEENS REIGN.
Some Changes in Social Life Since Her
 Majesty's Accession.

scientific progress, the literary achieve ments, or other higher matters of the Victorian epoch, but the recollections of one who saw the Coronation procession from Lord Carringtons house in White hall, which exists no more, and who, when six years old, ran a race with the great Duke of Wellington from Walmer church to the Castle, may afford amusement to those of a younger gene ration who may be interested in noting the changes that have crept almost inn perceptibly into our social life.
 On one occasion, when present with contemporary at a pretty little play at the Princess Theater, called Sweet hearts" I remarked to my friend on the out-of-date costume of the hero, and wondered why he was so dressed. Cast your mind back" he said, "only to 1850, or thereabouts, and you will find that that was the way you and I used to dress at that time" And it was true. A paid of dove colored trousers with two fiuted stripes down the sides, and buttoned under the foot with broad straps of the same material; the boots, of course, were Wellingtons, which were sine qua non with a man of fash ion in those days; a coat so high in the collar that the back of the hat rested on it. Indeed, every hat had a crescent of cloth on the back of the brim to prevent the rubbing of the beaver, or imitation beaver, of which the hat was made, for silk hats were not then invented. The scarf never folded less than twice round the neck, like waterfall bulged out from double-breasted waistcoat, cut very low, and was ornamented with two pins joined with a gold chain. In the evening we wore a blue coat with tight sleeves and brass buttons and a waistcoat of lowered or brocaded silk. Black trousers, fastened by straps un- der patent leather pumps, had just then achieved a final victory over light-co ored kerSeymeres or nankin pantalO0ns, As lately as 1862 Lord Derby insisted upon his sons dining with him in panta- looms and black silk stockings A fold ing chapeau bras for opera hats had not been invented, was always carried under the arm. for nobody but an apotheCary or a solicitor would have dreamed of leaving his hat in the hall of the house where he was calling or dining.
 In the early days of Her Majesty's reign peers drove down to the House of Lords in full dress, with their orders and ribbons, and bishops wore episco- pal wigs, Bishop Bloomfield, who died in 1857, being the last to do so. Lord Strafford recollected seeing his uncle, the famous George Byng, NJ. P. for Middlesex, going down to the House of Commons dressed in tights and black silk stockings; and Disraeli tells Us how Lord George Bentinck on one occasion attended in boots and brooches, his red coat partially hidden under what was called a surtout. HeSslan boots were common the last man to wear them was MT. Stephenson, a commissioner of excise, well known in London society, who wore them to the day of his death in 1858 It was not till 1867 that mem- bers came down, to the horror of MT. Speaker Denison, in pot hats and shoot ing coats. And now, In 1897, cabinet ministers ride to their parliamentary duties on bicycles in anything but full dress. In charming sporting book published in 1887 find all the sports men dressed in blue or brown frock coats and high hats.
 The glory of Crockford's had depart ed before l came to London in 1851, and a restaurant doomed to failure had taken it's place. But St. James was full of fashionable "hells," the Cocoa Tree club being the best known. It was here that one Sunday morning the wit ty Lord Alvanley saw two mutes stand ing at the door. ''Is it true" he said to them, that the devil is dead? because, if so, need not go to church this morn ing" For in those, and even later days, pageantry pursued even the dead -mutes standing at the dead mans door for q week, hearses with black plumes of feathers, black cloaks and gloves, and long hat streamers of silk or crape, according to the relation of the mourner to the deaceased, and hatchments-properly spelled, achieve ments-hung over the door for year. Mr. Banderet, the old proprietor of Brooks club, recollected when the packs of cards used there were reck- oned by scores a night. Now cards are not called for at all, except sometimes on the occasion of a rubber at the meet ings of the Fox club which are held there. In the early forties long whist with ten points to a game was still played; and now I am told that even short whist is being supplanted at the Portland and Turf clubs by Bridge whist, ecarte and bezique.
 Early in the reign people at large country house parties used to go into breakfast arm-in-arm and no woman ever walked with her husband except bras sous bras. Friends always walked arm-in-arm, and the country neighbor always made his entry into a party arm in arm with his wife and daughter Now the fashion has disappeared, ex- cept at dinner, and there has sprung up an odious habit of indiscriminate hand shaking morning and evening, in sea- son and out of season, and another fash ion, worthy of table d'hote, of assign ing to each guest the place where he is to sit at dinner I wonder why the bolder spirits of the younger and impe- cunious generation have not risen in re- volt against this interference with indi- vidual liberty of choice which used to be theirs.
 Lady Grenville once remarked that in her younger days nobody in polite socf- ety ever mentioned their poverty or their digestion, and now they had be- come the principal topics Of conversa-