New-York tribune., 1902-06-28
AN AMUSING BOOK.
Mr.. G. ". E RUSSELL ON THE WAYS
OF THE WORLD.

Of COLLECTIONS and Recollections. Octave, PIP
vi. SA Harper & Bros.
The author of the newspaper articles collected
IN this volume does not place his name upon the
title page but it is an open secret that he is
Mr. G. W. E Russell, youngest son Of Lord
Charles Russell He has had much experience
of public affairs, has long been familiar With
LONDON society. and possesses genuine feeling
for literature. He il was who edited Matthew
Arnold's Letters. He is a man with the cour-
age CT his convictions and il is presumably not
without certain satisfaction that he quotes on
his title page e passage from letter of Sydney
Smiths. Another popularity of the Russells
wrote the famous wit, to Archdeacon Singleton,
"is that they never alter their opinion; they are
an excellent race, but they must be trepanned
before they can be convinced" This book Is
full of opinions, and they may well be firmly
held, for they based on sound judgment If
in the consideration Of some things he looks
with contentment upon the Past and with dis
approval upon the Present, there is little, If
nny prejudice disclosed in his remarks.
He knows the bad as well the good side of
earlier days. He does not ignore the brutalities
In which Londoners found pleasure hundred
years ago. He cites debate in the House OF
Commons. held in 1900. In which bull hating
was glorifed as a national, humane, and popu-
lar sport. conducive to innocent merriment. ehd
Improving 10 the breed of dogs" From news
paper of that time he draws account of a
prize fight in which one of the combatants
''vomited great deal Of blood at almost every
round and was taken for dead from the stage.
But he protests that stateliness was, on the
whole, the note of 1SoG. while. in his opinion
free-and-easiness was the note of 1900 a hun
dred wears ago a called his father 'olr
To-day, lanaents Mr.. Russell, he calls him
dad" The Dowager Duchess of Cleveland,
who was born in 1892 and died in 1885, pre-
serving to the last unshakable fidelity to
the old times once told him that she believed
LORD Salisbury had no carriage On Mr.. Rus
sells expressing surprise at this remark, she
replied, 'I have been told that Lord Salisbury
goes about London in a BROUGHAM." and,
adds the author, "-her tone could not have ex-
pressed a more lively horror if the vehicle had
been a coster's barrow" The Dowager Duchess
of Beaufort who died in 1889, used 10 thank
heaven that she had never driven in hack
coach nor sat in the pit at the play-by which
derogatory synonymes she indicated cabs and
stalls OF course one must smile at these
quaint revivals OF ancient prejudice. Mr. Rus
sell himself is Well aware of the unconscious
hunnor in them. But we can sympathize With
him in his appreciation of even such obsolete
traditions for, however absurd they may seem
TO our modern eyes. they at least contributed
toward the conservation Of a certain tone which
might proftably be reintroduced in the world
of to-day The reader making the proper de-
ductions which are tacitly assumed by Mr.
Russell. cannot but admit the soundness OF the
following remarks:
To our grandparents dancing was an ordered
pomp of steps and figures. Even the newly
imported waltz was slow and cereInon1ous.
To-day their descendants riot in the kitchen
hair rrr along
exhflarating measure Of the washington
Post" Then royalty, if il ever quilted its own
circle made stately progresses from Hatfield
TO Woburn and from Holkham to Belvoir Now
il rattles off to spend its weekend amid the
meretricious splendors Of the stockbrokers
suburban paradise.
Probably in all ages Of history have
liked money, but a hundred years ago they did
not talk about II in society. The only credltaote
form of wealth rent. The prohts or buSl-
ness were regarded as indecent. When imam
cier was ennobled q reward for having lent
money to influential persons. IL was an m
dispensable condition that he sold out Of bust
ness and invested his money in land Sanuei
Rogers indeed, was VIGOROUSLY banker, but
~ his friends wished to remain on speaking
terms with him :hey must needs pretend TO
believe that he lived in affluence on the profits
of his poetry. Not thirty years ago gehtle-
man of the old school expressed in my hearing
fne most indignant establishment because an
artist whom he had employed sent him a
photograph at Christmas Are al my trades
people going TO send their pictures To-Day a
dukes viii pull a sample OF kanptul1con
ous Of his pocket and beg his hostess to re-
member him when she recovers the kltchen
: floor or will send her husband a speculative
Ahottle OF peach brandy, with the compliments
Eof his arrn-
Among Mr.. RusseIrs most interesting chap
ters are those in which he glances at the his
tory of monarchy in England from lf60 down
10 1901 These abound in amusing anecdotes
of the court a few of them illustrating. it must
be confessed something very different from
4he stateliness which the author justly asso-
eiates with much of the life of other days in
England He quotes Lord Aherdeen's remark
that George " certainly could be the most
rclished OF gentlemen. ''or the exact opposite,
znd of the exact opposite he gives a piquant
illustration:
Lord Charles Russell dS07-1S9il had just re
cefyed his first commission IN the blues anu
was commanded, with the rest OF ms regimen
.o fun dress bali al Carlton House. IN
1ucxily for his peace of mind, the young SUP
aItern dressed at his fathers house, ana not
{,eing used 10 the splendid paraphernalla OF the
Rlues' uniform. he omitted TO put on MS
.-sfprillette" Arrived at the palace, the guests,
before they could enter the ballroom, had to ad-
vance IN single file along a corridor In when
the old King. bewigged and nestarreu, was
seated on a sofa. When the hapess youth VINO
lacked the aiguillette approached the presence
he heard very high voice exclalrf no Is
fhss ID fellow" Retreat was lrnposslple'
and there was nothing for it but to shuff1e on
.rs try to pass the King without further re-
n,,ke Not a bit of IL AS he neared the soIa
,re Kfnp exclaimed, Good evening, sir; sup
nose Won are the regimental doctor dor non
e-nhs-ants do not wear aiguillettes); and the
smperfectly accoutred youth wished that the
eartn would open and swallow him up awe 1et
she victim of this royal outrage slMdys Ge
.la-e6 that +he perpetrator OF 1t, When ne
chose was ''every inch a king; and that he
had only to show his face or any public occa-
xso1 to he greeted with tumults of applause,
al 6ria n