The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-01

some day in the church year or TO some
local whim based on tradition. But now
they are all elected the same week the lord
mayor of London enters upon his office
All, with a single exception. and this one
sop which modern reform has thrown TO
the whale Of old usage is at Winchelsea,
one of the ancient towns of the Cirque
Ports where, it was felt, any change from
the custom of electing the mayor at Easter
would undermine all the venerable tradi-
lions of one of the quaintest and most an
Gent localities in the realm. At one place
the ancient ceremony is observed of
weighing" the mayor into office. This year
the same man was reelected and the peo-
pie of the town consider it to the credit of
their aldermanic turtle and champagne
that the official scales show him to be
heavier by several pounds than he was a
year ago. High wycombe is the place
which thus takes it's mayor by weight and
in the same town every Michaelmas the
old-fashioned system Of "hirings" is OBJ
served. Those desiring to change their
situations gather in the market place To
denote their calling cowmen and shepherds
wear tufts Of hair in their caps, while the
caps of plowmen and team boys are
wages is all public. and after their engage
ment these hired men and maidens are
adorned, like prize oxen at a county fair,
with bright colored ribbons and go off to-
gether to a meadow where innocent sports
are INDUCED.
Those who have taken part whether pro
or con in the American agitation about the
curfew bell will be interested to know that
at viii IN
England, the custom of ringing the curfew
from the tower of the parish church has
been perpetuated for more than 500 years.
and there is official record of the fact that
$50 years ago the town bailiff was ordered
to see to it that the bellman should always
have bed and bedstead in the church
steeple. Country villages are numerous in
which at from to 8 a. m the morning
bell' is rung, informing laborers that Ii is
time for them to get up. and in not a few
places during harvest the bell Of the parish
church is rling at a. m as a cleaning
bell" This is in the interest of fairness. SO
that all who have cleaning rights shall
have an equal chance by all entering the
field together Otherwise the younger
women, with light duties at home, would
make a clean sweep while those having
up the dishes.
IN THE CEMETERIES.
1t is wicked no doubt. to chuckle over a
subject so grave, but this writer has had
many laugh over old customs which are
still observed in burying grounds. by means
OF which eccentric persons have provided
that for all time their memory shall be
kept green. and perhaps. incidentally, lit
tie good may be done by the money they
left There is mausoleum at ST. Ives,
Cornwall, which a man erected to his own
memory and glory He was not buried in
1t, but he provided that to the end of time
after his death celebration should be held
around it every fifth year. This consists
Of dancing by ten girls under ten years Of
age. who are led by two old women and ac-
ccmpaned by a fiddler. 1t is carried out
under the supervision of the city authori-
ties. who all supposed to be present
and after fifteen minutes of hilarity Of the
kind named. the girls are each presented
with ten shillings, the fiddler and the
women each getting twice that sum- In
another instance in which a dead English
man seems bent on still keeping himself
alive. the method adopted seems more APP
propriate. On every Easter eve since the
beginning Oh the last century the choir or
the parish church at Market Marlborough
has gone supplied to the grave of one VIII
liam Hubbard. Surrounding the grave they
sing an Easter hymn and after that they
receive a gratuity of twenty-one shillings
for the lot. derived from the rent charge OH
a house the man left.
On this subject of the survival of quaint
old English customs one wonders if 1t is
generally known that in a church at Led
bury in Hertfordshire a sermon is preached
annually against dueling. This is done,
and TO doubt Will continue to be done for
ever. nearly so. in accordance with the
last will and testament OF a fair damsel
whose rival lovers died fighting for her
hand. other annual sermons provided for
and generally paid for by the wills of those
long gone are the one against drunken
ness. which is preached in Grantham
parish church, and what is called the
Zion sermon annually delivered in the
Church of ST. Catherine Cree, in the city
Of London. Mention of this latter sermon
is rendered timely by the recent instala-
tion of the new Lord Mayor, for it was by
former Lord Mayor, Sir John Sayer, that
the preaching of this sermon was i1sti-
tuted. This gentleman. while travelling in
the East, had a marvellous escape from an
attack by a lion. and this fact is what is
so quantity commemorated by the annual
''lion sermon" at the Church of st. Cath
crime Cree not far from the Mansion
House. Speaking, too, of dead men, SER
mons and churches reminds me that az
Fessingfield, in Suffolk, there is a little
Baptist meeting house. the design of which
is in TIE shape of a coffin. 1t is known as
1.-The Coffin Chapel" and was expressly
planned on these lines by former pastor
as a practical reminder to his people of
their latter end.
ANCIENT TAXES.
Londoners were puzzling not long ago
over what they thought was a new rate of
halfpenny in the pound. called the
trophy tax" Because it hadn't been levied
for a number of years they were inclined
to kick, thinking it way of getting
at their pocketbooks. But it turned out to
be an exaction that had the stamp of an
tiquity upon ii, and Of course when people
knew how old 1t was they couldn't help
feeling, being English, you know. that 1t
was all o. X 1t is levied only when a spe-
cial need arises. 1t was first levied CEN
turtles ago under the old train-band sys-
TEN, and has been confirmed to the city
fathers by every monarch from Charles II
TO Edward VII. Somewhat akin to this are
some ancient rights OF tolling that have