Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-04-15
ENGLISH NOTES.
[py REV. sydney 5. Booth.l

it did not rain at all on two days. But in
spite OF the rain on the other days, it is a
remarkable fact about the English weather
that there is never single day in the
whole year when one cannot get out.
wonder of what other country one could
say the same!
Thanks to the loan Of bicycle, have
| enjoyed some good rides on the really re-
markable English roads. Wherever one
goes they are the same-perfect surface
and all carefully oiled. 1t is good thing
they are in such condition, for some of
the hills in this neighborhood are ire
mendous, not only in gradient but in
| length.
l have not told you about the street
cars; or ''trams" as they are called here,
though it is permissible to compromise
and speak OF them as the cars. They are
| rather short and are all s.double- deckersn.
| One is allowed to smoke up above, for it is
usually open to the weather unless the
weather happens to be bad, when tsrpaulin
are spread over, or, il SO fitted, the win
dows can be closed.
Standing at the entrance as you get
aboard is a grim-lookina German guards
man. At least he looks like one. Any
way, he transixes you with a steely eye,
and you shake in your shoes wondering
what crime you have committed. You
take your seat in fear and trembling
| which is greatly increased as you see the
! "guardsman" advancing towards you with
bright, nickeled weapon. You cover!
But weak voice murmurs at you, 'Fares,
please" and you pull yourself together
and discover that the great parsonage is
holding out his hand. You pay him
penney and he punches ticket with the
nickeled weapon, and hands it to you with
a very polite, eThank you, SIR"
| Everyone who does anything for you
says "thank you", not once, but several
| times. bought newspaper this MORN
ing and the young woman thanked me
three times-once when 1 asked for it,
once when she handed it to me, and once
| when she took the money. The waiter or
waitress in restaurant or hotel thanks you
repeatedly, even when you feel that you
ought rather to thank them. You hand
| the waiter your hat and coat, "thank you,
SIR" you give your order, ''thank you,
sir" your order is placed before you with
speed, too), "thank you, SIR" you finish
your meal and ask for your hat and coat.
'thank you, SIR" the door is held open
| for you to go out, "thank you, SIR" and
you leave wondering what he is saying as
he finds your tip under the plate.
England is an extremely conventional
| country. You mustn't do this or you
can't do that. You ask why, and are told
"because it isn't done". That is all -
simply, it isn't done. And because it isn't
done you want to do it all the more.
However, you don't do it; and if you ask
me why, l must answer, "because it isn't
DONE" Even so, l find much greater
freedom apparent than when [ was here
| five years ago. / fancy motor cars, with
their unconventional dress for men and
women, have lot to do with it. Women's
suffrage may have lot to do with it, too;
| but cannot answer for that; but l do
know that the women seem to be much
more free and equal with the men than
they were. So remarkable is this fact
that, except for the different information
of speech, l see but little difference on
either side of the Atlantic.
But one great difference do notice be-
tween the two countries. The emerald
green fields with their wonderful hedges,
reminding one of an irregular checker
board, have no parallel in America. 1t
was Byron, think, who described Eng
lands beauty as domestic and tame",
and it is good description. Many centu-
ries have thoroughly domesticated and
tanned the English landscape, until Eng
land looks like polished gem set in the
midst of the ocean. Naturally, she ap-
| peals, but it would be unfair to set up any
| odious comparisons between her and, say,
Maine. Maine has wonderful beauty all
her own which also appeals because of her
half. wild, half-tame condition. long for
the smell OF the pine woods and for the
sight of the wild coastline Of Maine; but
also love this ordered, settled beauty of
| Old England.
As look from my window Through the
| steadily falling rain) can see across the
bar, at the mouth Of the river Exc, which
| flows less than quarter Of mile away,
out to the ocean where fishing boats with
brown sails sail backwards and forwards.
h Immediately beneath my window l can see
old walls covered with moss and lchen, a
hs.t-used matched rick, some matched
barns, some flower beds bright with
daffodjIs, pansies, hyacinths and other
flowers, hedges that are getting visibly
green, buds on the giant elms and oaks,
and on the -uit trees in the orchard; and
everyw here tine greenest of grass.
Between the orchard and the river runs
the railroad, and every few minutes a
passenger train PUSHES past at anything up
to seventy miles an hour; the track is per-
fectly level and wonderfully constructed.
The locomotives are tiny things COM
pared with our America 4 locomotives, but
the enormous power of )them takes away
ones breath. Occasionally local or a