The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-05-22
lkansas City Times.l

'NdISdS NltN llTicS.)
The island of Britain has long term
cd itself Merry England-although
coal strikes and old age pensions and
other things rather detract from its
mcrriment today. But looking back
at English history YOU sec that this all
i'm pprtant isle has taken its merriment
periodically. like a man who celebrates
only when his wife is out of town. And
when England has chosen to he merry,
II has been about the mcrriest little
land ever.
One IF these periods of rejoicing
came at the time when good Queen
Anne ruled the land in the carly years
of the eighteenth century. Queen
Anne was an affahle woman. but not
much of d disciplinarian. and in CON-
sequence the country kicked NY its
heels and drank a great deal more
than was good for it and gamhlcd, and
was VERA. vera naughty. it was d
sort of a reaction, perhaps. from the
enforced piety of CromWells times,
though might have supposed Eng
that under the guidance of Charles II.
Whatever its excuse may have been.
however. Merry England behaved in Il
Very unlad!like way.
Young. men seem to have been the
chief OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES men, that
is. Generally they We're educated in
France and their education encom-
rassed singing. dancing. playing on
the guitar. painting on glass. and
swearing pretty little parlor oaths, like
"Odshodikins." blister me-" or En-
feeble me- though goodness knows
the last request Was unnecessary. as
they were feeble enough without any
assistance.
The next time YOU see d group of
Young things in fuzzy hats and flat
heclcd shoes and %retreating foreheads.
do not judge them TO" harshly. At
least they do not kiss one another
when they meet, as the young bloods
of Queen Anne's time did. Nobody
who made any %pretensions to being a
sport in those days eve got up much
friend or two and they loafed around,
perhaps went on a shopping expedi-
ton. the chief object of which, accord
ing to an old chronicler. was to ogle
the shop girls. and after dinner in
the evening went to the theater. BY
this time they were generally drunk,
and would stand up in their seats and
shout. "Damme. this a damned play
This was considered great repartee
in those days. and all around would
slap their legs and laugh until the
powder sifted out of their wigs and
down on their coat collars. If those
"bcaux' did not succeed in inducing
heiresses to marry them they were
generally carted away to the debtors
prison before they were 80, and there
remained the rest of their lives.
No disgrace whatever seems to have
attached to getting drunk-indeed a
recent paragraph in the London
Chronicle declares that A Squire
I-. ~ Ill -,a~ ,.-- -As,I
able to ride to the hounds was the
envy Of the countryside for his health,
unless he had long been its scorn for
his sobriety." But there was etiquette
even in the matter of getting drunk.
and anybody who got drunk in the
morning or in business hours was ne
gentleman.
The Taller. a publication OF the
time. complains of certain traders on
the Royal Exchange who were in the
habit of getting half seas Owe before
the exchange opened in the morning
and in that condition buying and SELL
ing stocks and securities. Naturally
enough this unsettled business and d
notice was issued %forbidding these
morning topers to do business on the
exchange.
But after business hours Of course,
it was all right to drink. There were
various sorts of drinks and many i'm
ported wines. but Richard Steele re.
marks that "A bottle or two of good
solid Eddifying Port. at homes,
threw off Reserve. But this plagny
French Claret will not only cost us
more money, but do us less good"
An enterprising merchant advcrtis.
ed in the Spectator hat essence OF
prunes prevents any liquor from in
%toxicating the brain" The notice
doesn't say anything about the legs, 50
it is presumed that the drinker OF
prune juice could wabble just as much
az those who took their alcohol
straight. Anyhow. there wouldn't be
! much cheer about going on q de.
bauch on essence OF prunes.