The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-15

heard for the greater part only by per-
sons OF acute imagination. Grateful in
deed was il TO find the soft music of these
village chimes stealing in upon ones senses
on Saturday evening. This is TO prepare
both the ringers and the general public
for that fuller control Of sweet sounds
which the Sabbath is sure to bring. These
Saturday night rehearsals by the bell ring
ers are weekly custom all the year round.
The only variation is on that Saturday
evening-just a week from now-when the
village bellmen are entertained by the vicar
at of the village publics. At this time
a sumptuous supper will be served in the
good old English style, and the vicar of
the parish will preside over the bellmen
and the beef and mutton and the flowing
ale like baron over his retinue in the
merry days Of feudalism.
These English villages are not such dull
places in the winter season as the short
days and long nights might lead one to
suppose they would be. You have to Light
up a little after ION cloudy days much
earlier-and from then until rational bed
time is long spell of life by the freside.
How is this time passed? To begin, there
are two meals after that hour for even
the poorest, tea at or g. and supper just
before retiring. Very unfortunate is Il
that in this particular village there are so
many drinking places. Seven of these for
a population which is only about six hun
dred, including the many babies OF course,
not a few of the men are nightly patrons
of these public houses and pass consider
able time in this way. But far less vicious
are these village drinking places than the
kind which abound in big cities. The most
tempting thing one sees in them is the
blazing fireplace. The staple refreshment
is weak beer. and pint of it will serve
a as pay for a snug seat and more
or less interesting confab with his neigh
bors for an hour and a half at least. and
often longer.
READING AND FEASTING.
As offset to the attractions of seven
public houses there is a reading room in
this village. But it is only a reading room,
and when inadvertently 1 spoke the other
evening of going over to the library" 1
was very properly corrected. There are no
books-only few papers. fewer magazines,
and alas. still fewer readers. The charge
for using this reading room is penny a
week. and the few who patronize it, to
make sure of getting their moneys worth.
little party and indulge together in
quiet game of cards. For young folks bent
Improvement the winter months in this
village offer the advantage of well-con-
Quoted night school. but the trouble is that
young folks bent Improvement are so
few in English villages. The contrast edu-
cationally between town and country is far
greater in England than in the United
States. So. too. English villages far
behind those of America in popular lecture
courses. Such things are almost unknown
here. Occasionally, however, the dull rou-
tine of village life is relieved by a con-
cert, and this is sure to be appreciated:
by the majority not any less, perhaps,
when its musical numbers. so called. are
at the mercy of home talent than when
| something better is secured from the neigh
boring university town.
But feasting seems to be the principal
diversion. Every winter brings its stated
occasions for a village blowout" and
by these delightful fixtures" is the flight
of time measured. Earliest in the list is
the annual supper of the Cricket Club.
Then comes the Bellringers' feast and
than the annual feed INDUCED by the Con-
sentative Association, at which latter the
village voters are honored by the presence
in their midst of the county NJ P. and
goOd many lesser political lights But of
all the feasts by which this village like
| hundreds of others, breaks up at intervals
| the dull monotony of its long winter nights
| that which is most enjoyed by the bene-
| hciaries and which best illustrates what is
distinctly characteristic of English life is
what is called the shooting supper. There
are really two of these; there have to be
to accommodate the crowd, for the shoot.
ing supper is complimentary banquet ia
all the farmers and farm laborers in the
neighborhood. given toward the close of the
shooting season by rich Hebrew, who.
from the farmers and landowners, has pur-
chased the shooting rights" of this dis
trict at half a crown an acre.
A FAMOUS HOSTELRY
This banquet is held at famous hosiery
which abuts on the Newmarket road and i
sort of halfway house between New
market and Cambridge. Few were the
Cambridge students of the past who did
not at some time pay a visit TO this well
known roadside inn. The present landlady
has kept ii for twenty-five years and be-
fore that for fifteen years her aunt was the
mistress of it and she an assistant The
"reminiscences of this female boniface are
worth listening to. She can tell Won of
many an escapade by Cambridge under
grads. Often have they reused her at i'm
the morning in their demand for drinks.
and more than once when she was slow in
/ coming have these obstreperous youths
/ whiled the time away by breaking win
/ dows and battering in doors Fortunately
though. as you are very glad to learn. these
| rowdy proceedings all occurred in the dis
4 tant past. University men are not in these
/ days so thirsty crowd they used 10 be
/ and in going to the Newmarket races do
not make so many stops for refreshment
/ and diversion. Such was the testimony of
| this hostess. and nothing could better illus
trate the great change in university man.
/ ners within twenty years Largely. too
I this change for the better is observable in
the manners and habits OF the English peo-
/ pie in general
/ rare distinction enjoyed by this half
way house OF refreshment between New
market and Cambridge is that il was Wis
/ tied about forty years ago by his Majesty
/ King Edward VII 1t was when he was i'm
residence at Trinity College He. too. was
wont, like other undergrads of those davs
/ 10 make a stop or two on his way TO New
market heath. and one of these was ma6e
4 a the modest xybfcb ,;.---