The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-21
LONDON SOCIETY.
Gloomy Picture Drawn by Glad
stones One-time Secretary.

From an Article by George W. l.. Russell.
Smart people in London generally go
away from Saturday till Monday, and
in the country houses where they
spend their "week-ends," Sunday is
completely secularized The keener
spirits play bridge in the garden and
in the evening billiards and cards have
effectually displaced those ivory let
ters which were the extreme limit of
the gayety permitted by our fathers.
For servants, on the other hand, Sun
day is day of unending la bor Old
fashioned people used to have cold dim
ner on Sunday, in order to diminish
the pressure on the kitchen; or, IL
nature revolted against that regimen,
the hot meal was cut down to its
smallest dimensions. Today whatever
of Sunday is not occupied with eXer-
else, is given to meals. The early cup
of tea, not without accompaniments, is
followed by breakfast which in
quantity and quality resembles din
ner and is served any time from 10 to
II. A good many people breakfast in
their own rooms and do themselves"
as the phrase is, uncommonly we'll
there. Luncheon has long been a din
ner, excepting only soup. The menu
Is printed in white and gold, and cOf-
fee and liquors are prolonged till with
in measurable distance of tea. Tea is
tea and a great deal besides-cakes,
sandwiches. potted meat, poached
eggS-and | have seen, in its season, "A
bleeding woOdcock. A little jaded by
these astronomical exertions, and on
ly partially RECRUITED by it's CurfeW
game of tennis, society puts off its
dinner till Q, and then sits down with
an APPETITE which has gained keeness by
delay. Drinks of all descriptions cir
culate in the smoking room and the
billiard room. and Monday morning is
well advanced before the last servant
gets TO bed.
Church going is of course a depart
| ment of the observance of Sunday,
and it has pretty nearly gone with the
rest. The leaders of fashion, as far as
| l can observe, do not go to church
at all. Either they think it all so
| silly" as the wife of statesman said
| to the Archbishop of Canterbury about
| the service in chapel which proceeds
| dinner al Lambeth Palace, or they are
| too much fatigued by the social labors
of the proceeding week, or they want
| to look through their housekeeping
books or their betting books, or they
| can't spare the time from bridge. 1t
| is currently said that some very great
| ladies. wishing to combine their own
| freedom with "A proper example to the
| lower orders, always carry prayer
books when they walk in the park be-
| fore luncheon on Sunday. 1t looks
we'll and it imposes no burden.
| nf q
| have thus completely delivered them
selves from the tyranny of church
going. the led still carry some links
Of the broken chain. Very smart wo-
men can struggle to an 1880 service
where the music is good and the per-
formance does not last more than an
hour and the reign of the popular
preacher is not yet quite at an end
But it does not do for the preacher to
| strain his authority, An incumbent OF
a proprietary chapel in Mayfair ven-
tured to ask single woman who was
the richest member of his congrega
tion whether she could not manage
with fewer than three footmen under
her butler and give the cost of the dis
carded John to a fund for the sick anC
poor. Disdaining to submit to priest.
craft in any form the good woman IRE
moved her hassock' and discontinued
her subscriptions. The incumbent, nC
longer able to meet the expenses OF the
chapel was forced to resign, and is
now meditating on the dangerous con-
sequences OF allowing religion to in
wade the sphere of private life,