Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-26
a COMPLAINT AGAINST ENGLAND.
terelgn Visitors Unable to Keep Clean
in Its Atmosphere Of Smoke and SCOT.

writer in the Manchester Guardian
says that foreigners who visit English
cities and towns have a real grievanon
on the score of the dirty atmosphere.
1t is smoky and sCot-iaden; the streets
are dirty. and after a few hours sight,
seeing the foreigners think they have
found an adequate explanation of the
national devotion to the tub. The
writer proceeds to apportion the blame
Tor this state Of uncieaRliness:
For long one has been content to he
wall the smoky atmosphere Of English
industrial towns and to attribute Il
mainly to the belching stacks Of fac
tories and workshops. Yet recent
years nave seen much attention given
% .he worst offenders among the fac
tories and workshops, and a great i'm
| pio.e'heht III their furance appliances,
SO that in many towns there Is little
| s'oui'o Iof complaint. Nevertheless,
the smoke nuisance continues. and one
mas ohiy 10 climb to some commanding
position whence the town as a who'll.
can DC seen to discover that the hum
drcds Of domestic hearths are lareelv
responsible for the evil"
The domestic hearths on the iconti.
heht are free from blame in this res
poet, and the factory chimneys. al
though guilty of belching the blacklist
smoke, are generally gathered into one
quarter. He thus explains the better
behavior of continental domestic Chin
neys:
Two factors. think, account for
this-the first is that there is a great
zeal OF labor in regard to the prepara-
towns. Workmen, business and pro-
tessional men. all classes of society,
use the restaurant much more fire.
quently than we do in England. 1t Is
for them more than an eating house:
II has something of the function Of a
ciuo, ana. besides saving house labor,
II aHofos opportunities for social inter-
course which are highly valued,
If course there is IA great deal to h,
said for our English hon,elife with its
oiose-kil!t lies y hen that homelife is al
us best; put how often, from lack Of
the stimulus OF outside ideas, from the
narrowing especially Of the woman's
hothzon through her slavery TO the
lainliy needs, does out homelife tend
10 run III a narrow and straight groove,
dead to all that is outside the daily
round!"
The writer omits to mention. thoueh
lie doubtless realizes the fact that m
III Brit1sh restaurant keepers are con-
tent with something less than the cent
Per cent. profits which they now en-
edavor to squeeze out of their CUSTOM
ers. they will never become popular.
lie attributes the comparative cleanIi-
ness abroad to the use Of slow COM
QUESTION stoves in place OF the mediae
val open fireplace:
Not only is the atmosphere clean in
the towns through which we rambIe
btu Tie streets. too. are well kent and
nay. Ens'ahd is land OF great euyi-
heerihg enterprises; our great towns
orins Their water over many miles. and
pioVlie Il good and plentiful supply.
ret small towns in Belgium and Ger
many are much more prodigal of their
wafer III street cleansing than are great
English towns like Manchester ,nd
birmingham. II is commonplace
apparently. of continental hygiene
mat the streets not only need sweeping
out regular washing. In TO other way
'ah the noxious products Of city life he
cleared away"