Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-02-05
ENotisH PRovINCIALs.
Contrastcd Traits In tho North and tho
South of England.

Contras6cd Traits In tho North and tho
South of England.
The feries of papers which the Times
recently began to publish upon the
characteristics that distinguish the
north and south of England is so inter-
esting, as well as amusing, that we hope
when it Is completed we shall have an
other describing the specialties of the
East Anglian, the western man, and,
above all, the man of the Mdlands and
the Londoner, in some ways, the most
separate Of them all. Owing, partly, we
fancy, to accident, and partly to the
marked opposition between their poll.
tics, the contrast between the northern
man, and especially the Yorkshire man,
with his self-asscrtion, his indepen-
dence and his republicanism, and sthe
man Of the soutb, with his comparative
smoothncss, lis r: diness TO obey when
he is led and his tendency to untruth,
has struck the general imagination.
The intense self-esteem of the north.
ern, especially as to his own virtues, his
consciousness of his ego and his raci-
ness of speech, arising from his care.
lessness of giving offense, his general
masterfulness, in fact, have increased
his perception until it has gradually
peryaded all literature, and men who
never consciously spoke to a porthern
accept John Browdic as typical, which
he is, though only of the good side OF
his countrymen. The real John Browdie
has grand difficulty in forgiving, is
apt when he encounters stranger
mentally to smell him as dog Goes be-
fore he will accord him amity, and, like
the Scotchman, whom he is in some
ways so unlike, never quite forgives
him for not having been born north Of
the Trent. The best description of him
In literature is perhaps Currer Bells
Mr.. Yorke.
The southerncr is far less dominant,
though he has a tenacity of his own;
his hatred is perhaps meaner, but less
vindictive, as II his memory were not
quite SO perfect, and he has much less
felicity in expressing himself, being es-
sentially, VIC fancy-though, curiously
enough, this is not apparent in litera.
ture-a less humorous man. Charles
Dickens, the greatest of modern Eng
l,sh humorists, was essentially, by
birth and mental habitude, of the south.
Even in his religion there is differ
encc, the northerner inclining to vc-
hement Professionalism, the southerner
when not partly Celtic, being either a
strongly convinced but not vehement
professor or deeply tinctured with
secularist indifference. In intellectual
ability there Is little to choose between
them, nor, curiously enough, in the bad
popularity of cunning or the good pc
culiarity of adroitness. But the north
erner is, If we omit the Londoner for a
moment from the calculation, decided
ly the more efficient man, partly, no
doubt, because Of his dominance, eff.
cheney depending mainly on the power
Of securing obedience, but partly also
because he cannot bear the sense, even
TO himself, Of not doing his work we'll.
The southerner is more content to be
Just as efficient as circumstances re.
quire, being in disposition, though not
always in fact, comparatively lazy
being. A world of Yorlsshirelnen would
not be pleasant world, or of Wiltshire
men stirring one.
DIR. 1essopp, who knows them well,
implies In all his writings that the ma.
tives of East Anglia are on the whole
the worst product among the men OF
England, and in some respects his judg-
ment cannot be honestly gainsaid.
Without the burly independence Of the
northerner or the smoothness OF the
southern man, the typical East Anglian
tends to be, like his Saxon and Danish
ancestor, boor, with vein in him OF
acridity, often improving into keen.
ness rather too self-rcgardant-t though
selfishness, In sooth, is OF no county,
and as often degenerating into habitunl
spitefulness. He would not "'eave 'ari
q brick" at the stranger for the world,
nor walk ten yards to put him in his
way. IIe dislikes humor, particularly
farcical humor, which he characterizes
as "jeerin'" and "feerin'," and has In
him vein of querulousness, which In
Suffolk is so strong as to impart spe.
cial tone to his voice, which in the real
people tends to be the shrill voice of the
natural virago.--London Spectator.