New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-09-12
TODAY AND YESTERDAY.
Stories of English Politics and
Society.

SEEING; AND HEARING. By George W: E. Rus
sell. l2no. pp. 395- E. P Dutton & Co.
A POCKETFUL OF SIXPENCES. By George "
E Russell 12mo pp. 344. 4 P Dutton d Co.
Mr. Russell is not a stranger to American
readers. They have tasted in an earlier volume
the agreeable quality of his gossip lie mas
known in the past forty years the most inter
esting persouages in England; he has been
mart Of the social life from which he has drawn
these admirable collections Of anecdote and
comment He writes with the easy good hurnor
Of :. man of the world, sometimes with playful
satire now and then in a strain Of serious criu-
cisTn In every mood he is entertaining; and
the social historian of the future may perhaps
be grateful for his records.
Changes in manners and customs since the
DAYS Of the authors youth are the occasion OF
many genial pages. Writing OF the LONDON
season he notes that it has lost its former
sharply defined limits, that people no" return 10
+o1vn-and moreover find much enjoyment there
at times when OF old they could not permit
themselves to be so questionable 1t Is the
ro..arins ot incomes with the decline OF asri-
I-,,-a that often forces the modern English
wan n let his country house and live in his
To7don house for the greater part OF the year.
For the same reason there are not SO many
halls as there used to be; and as for dlnners
though there as many as ever they 3'o
made as Mr. Russell mournfully declares an
ci1la1-v to Bridge" If young gentleman OF tue
dav cannot afford to lose e 80 in an evening De
will not be asked to dine ar house WHICH REX
ons itself as belonging 70 the Mode or II lol
old acquaintance sake he is allowed TO mo q
place at the dinner table. he is compelled 10 SIT
All the evening by the least attractive daughter
Of the house. or TO listen TO some fogy' TOO
fossilized for Bridge. discoursing on the iniqui-
ties Of Mr.. BirreTs bill Tobacco, said Lord
E3eanonsheld SIS the Tomb OF Love- If he were
nil, us now he would pronounce that Bridge IS
,,7A Fcxting1isher Of Hospitality" Our author Is
never so severe as when he approaches this
modern taste for cards. Even impecunioslty'
he saws. does not always protect the mex
perienced'
lady who had lived for some years in the
country returned TO LONDON moi long Se had
observed. she said: People seem TO marry on It
was perhaps a too hasty generalization, but an
instance in point Immediately REQUIRED TO my
no other means Of subsistence than smartness
good looks and pleasant d1rS houses of their
fnnnmerable friends. they settled down at WooI-
curry and the reason. when at length IT came 70
light was highly characteristic OF the age, 1 II
appeared that these kind young people us e9 10
give nice little evening parties. invite tne rem
Ike them play cards for money. The device Of
seffing up housekeeping the pocket money or
o,,r decadence EInuIous DISSEMINATION makes every
one want more money than he has and at the
Ssme time drugs all scrupes of conscience as 20
TIE method OF obtaining IL
stateliness, It appears has gone out Of fash
,o,, in English society. Mr.. Russell illustrating
this opinion by mentioning the present rarity of
q really well turned out carriage with a L.
v-igged coachman and two footmen sheddiag
ambrosiaI clouds OF powder. He quotes the cid
T1owager Duchess OF Cleveland as once saying
a. hin, in a tone Of horror, II have been told
that Lord Salisbury goes about London In
hrouzl,su." and he adds companion anecdote
Of 2 late Tory peer who. finding his bride pok-
ing the IRE. took the poker from her hand and
ssis With MAJESTIC pain" MY dear. viii you