Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-08-24
GENUINE IDLENESS.
FEW PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO DO
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
For the Genuine Article Of Lazineas
the italian Can Give . Very
Fair Representa-
f50n

The Engli1hman, ] THINK scarcely
knows how to be really idle. You have
only to SEQ him appear at breakfast In
the morning to DO Surs that he has
some very definite scheme in view for
the day. His stockinged legs look any
thing but idle. There is an intent as
pect Of determination about them. says
a writer In London Queen.
They move Is II they were up to any
thing-from 20-nilS walk to Ave or six
hours on the links. The manner In
which he squares" his back suggests
fierce activity, and he attacks his food
with the air OF q person who must
stoke the engine for prodigious run at
high speed.
Breakfast over, and q cigar smoked,
he vanishes. He has gone to idle on q
bicycle. or on q golf links, or on an
Alpine peak, or by trout stream.
The Frenchman idles more thorough
~. He Ia quite willing to sit the long day
through In a cafe sheltered by an arbor,
or to crouch beside q river, holding .
line, and never moving except to lay
the line down and eat something nice
out of delicately arranged basket.
None Of your ham sandwich atrocities
for himl He respects himself too much
to permit himself to contain anything
so barbarous His meal may be small.
but 1t must be good.
II he catches no fish It doesn't matter.
But his meal is a matter Of intellectual
importance; his bottle Of wine Is I'M
corkei with an almost amorous precau-
ton, and his cup Of black coffes-he
fishes always within hail Of an auberge
Is enjoyed with ceremonious length
ness.
will not give an opinion on German
idleness, for / must confess to vast
ignorance Of Germany, and the idlness
OF the travelling German does not at
tract me. Let me come TO Italy. the
hallowed land Of idleness.
The italian Is generally delightful
idler, but II you want to know what
idleness really means you should see an
idle Italian taking holiday.
Suppose him to have hied him away
no, the expression is far too active!-
suppose him to have been conveyed to
some primitive summer resort OF Italy.
all pine woods, and rolling grass slopes,
and little wooden seats, and basket
carriages, and long. low hotels, and
funny little country cottages.
He arrives, he puts on white shoes
and a panama hat, and he settles down
to a couple of months Of real, genuine.
contented lounging.
The country cottages, the long. low
hotels, are all plump on the road; that
Is part OF the primitiVeness.
In the morning you-Italian-step
into the road, and you stand about
vaguely. Presently some one else steps
into the road. Then you can talk, and
you do so. Others step out into the
road, small groups are formed, and then
Il is time for dejeuner.
After dejeuner comes the siesta.
When that Is comfortably over you
step out again into the road. You look
vaguely round, and very soon you see
others stepping out from the neighbor-
ing houses. And so you talk till tea
II you drink tea.
After tea you once more take 70 the
road till dinner time. II you are very
energetic between tea and dinner you
walk to the post, 100 yards down the
road, get your letters, sit on the bench
outside to read them, and then, when
sufficiently rested, toddle back again
10 your hotel or your cottage.
BY this time basket chairs have ap-
peared in the road, where gutter would
be II there were a gutter. and you can
subside once more and have desultory
chat. Then comes dinner.
And after dinner? Well, then must
confess that poker sometimes takes
place, and sometimes musical chairs.
and sometimes dancing, and sometimes
q fragmentary singing Of light-minded
but perfectly respectable songs, with
light-minded but perfectly respectable
ehoruses.
Does It sound dull TO your II you are
English no doubt II does. And yet. do
you know, upon my word, there Is some
thing fascinating about the idle life in
the road. I have only just escaped
from 1t, and left 1t with difficulty.
The fact Is, Italians are delightful
companions. They enjoy standing
about In the road. They are not longing
for golf or painting after mountain
ascents. II does not seem odd or abb
Burd to them to be doing absolutely
Since left the road have heard wild
Fumors Of athletic sports, rally papers,
cotillions, and other vigorous delights
having set in among my friends. pre-
fer not to believe In these rumors.
prefer to think that everyone Is still
standing peacefully In the road.
Hard exercise Is blessed thing. and
excellent for the digestion. But Italians
hardly eat anything, and we eat far too
much.