The times., 1899-12-24
EneIish HnmIcts.

Among English Hedgerows' Is an eN-
quisitely illustrated volume by Clifton
johnson. with an Introduction 10y Hamilton
". Mabie. The atmosphere Of English
country villages and hamlets is admirably
reproduced, and anyone who reads the
book through viii feel that he has wan
dcged with the author through the quiet
lanes of southern England and the Lake
Country. Mir. Johnson has not confined
himself 10 Out-Of-door scenes. He has
made pictures of cottage interiors and oil
quaint characters whom he met in ms
travels His selection of views and of
topics is remarkably clever, and, in short,
the book could not be better from any point
of view.
Not only does Mr.. Johnson give graphic
accounts OF the scenery and customs Of the
people, but he has contrived TO secure for
his book some characteristic expressions Of
thought from the people themselves. An
example Of this is d speech made by
shoemaker OF more or less socialistic
ideas. lie said
There's man just goin' past He's been
wOrkn' from early morning, ten hours Tor his
master Now he's goln horne 10 have tea, and
work in his garden a while. and then he be
eoin' out agau tor two or three hours to help
his wife op-tyin'. lie and ms wife has 10 work
all they can TO gu along. They couldn't live
uu their weekly wages. They has 30 do task
work 40 earn something extra or they have TO
20 10 the union lthaJ is, the workhouse. Il gets
the former name from the fact that several
communities usually unite 10 maintain 4
single home for their poor That man IN har-
vest just sliyeTs into 1t and works night and day
and the wife helps The cmpiqyers-they don I
care whether a man lives or die, and il they
get a down they tread on him. They can
do anything 90 q man, or - his wife and chill
dren-aHd they does pretty roughlsh things SOME
times-and the man oaTen't maze any complaint
If he does, come Saturday night, there's hls wages
and he's not wanted any more Then where $
he 10 go, and where's hls next week S food TO
come ir0mg
The warehouses; worse than the grave to the
thinking of a good many Of the lab9rers, There
was poor old Ton Christum that lived down
here next TO the chapel. He's dead these two
years now. He -,as getting old and couldn I
support himself, but he always said he woudn' {
90 20 the unioI, and be didn't The day Ihey
came 10 take him he cut his throat.
The treatment not over grand al the Work
house. and they're not Cyerfed there either, ana
they get no beer or other liquors. Then the
men and women, except the older people, are
all separated. A man would never see ms Wlte
there. ouly by chance in the yard The preachers
say, What God hath Joined together let no
man put asunder," but they don pay much
attention TO that saying al the workhouse.
This speech is rather a curious contrast
to some Of the Lady Bountiful sentiments
which one finds in English novels in which
the squire and his lady distinguish with
their approval the hard working peasant
and condemn the noG-WOrkeT; and it
throws some light on the steadily growing
socialist movement ia England.
Mr.. johnson differs from some other
people who have written similar books OF
travel. In that he spends most Of his time
with the common people. He pays little
attention to the gentry and there is only
one chapter on castles and cathedrals. One
particularly charming chapter is devoted
10 the Lorna Doone country, and there is
one about life in an English inn, and one
given up 10 a description Of two Sunday
schools. CNew York; The Macmillan Com
papv. s225)