Year: 1872

The greatest revolution of the eight
eenth century took place on the day
when Jonas Hanway walked down Fleet
street with an umbrella. The dress, the
social tone, the very architecture of the
West were modified in moment. There
was no longer any necessity for the heavy
porticos which sheltered visitor from
the rain. Men flung off their cumbrous
Z bats and watchmen's capes, which had
been their only protection against a
shower. Even the shaggy beaver gradu-
ally disappeared, and the silk hat wealth
cred storms which, at an earlier age in
the worlds history, would have reduced
1t to shapeless mass in twenty minutes.
The mere sense that rain was at last beat
en-, that it was no longer necessary to
watch the clouds and tap the barometer
before starting for walk across the
fields, gave new sense of freedom and
exhilaration to mankind. Child as 1t is of
the East, the umbrella only found its true
realization when it ventured into Jonas
Hanway's fist in Fleet street. The 'lord
of hundred umbrellas" is really only
the master of as many parasols. The UNI
brella of the Assyrian King or of the By
zantine Caesar was mere appendage of
royal pomp. The Papal umbrella of the
present day is the last relic of time
when state had absorbed what was meant
for mankind. So long, in fact, as the um.
brella lived only in lands of the sun, it
missed its vocation; and even now, when
the peasant of the Riviera appears with
an umbrella, it is with something
utterly undeserving of the name.
Rain is phenomenon, and he
constructs a phenomenon to shelter
him against tired, vast and formless.
1t is hard to believe that the gigantic
erection has any kindred with the ex-
quisite little implement which bangles
from every loungers finger in Pail Mall.
In the civilized umbrella, however, the
practical plays only a subordinate part.
1t is far more than a mere protection
against passing shower; it is the SYM
Dol of a life, the companion of leisure
hours, the index to character. 1t is i'm
possible to dissociate her umbrella from
Mrs. Camp. There is something in the very
bulginess of its vast circuit which marks
the monthly nurse. A recent Archbishop
of Canterbury used to be famous for
walking across Westminster Bridge to
the opening of Parliament with cotton
umbrella, and we at once recognize the
temper and theology of the man. 1t
is from sense of this that an ingenious
tradesmen has just patented Clerical
Umbrella" whose stout ebony handle
and serviceable alpaca mark at glance
the decorous, hardworking parson. But
mere glance at an umbrella stand is
enough to show the wonderful diversities
of character which can be expressed in
this way. We see the dapper little dGr-
ling with its curious monogram on the
top, and know we shall hear all the
scandal of town as soon as we enter the
drawing-room. The rough horn of
another tells US that our solicitor is fuss.
ing for US in the study. Its neighbor,
unkempt but lovely in its negligence, is
the sign of an artist friend whose pic
lures find no favor with the Academy
The square, short umbrella leaning against
the wall means "a little bill" When
Mr.. Sampson Brass is recalling the
memories of the departed Quilp he does
not miss the one great symbol of his
character-'His wit and humor, his
pathos and his umbrella, all come before
me as visions of my youth" But if ii
is this to the world without, it is more
than this to its owner. There are few
things so ocompanionable as an umbrella. A
stick is shade too light. A dog is a
shade too troublesome. A friend walks
either too fast or too slow. But an um.
brella is just heavy enough to give one
the feeling of having something with one
1t never bothers and it always goes ones
own pace. 1t is prop in the moment OF
languor when one is forced to make talk
in front of Lady Dawdle's garden chair
1t is a toy with which one plays as one
fiirts with her daughter. 1t has its peculi
arities, its history, its stories of flights
and returns, its memories of pleasant
little tete-G-tetes with charming beings who
found shelter in it from showers. There
is something human about it which en-
dears it to us. We talk of it to oul
friends, we discuss its stick and its color
we make grievance of it, and write tc
the Times about the harpies who rob u:
of 1t at the Academy. There are few
hours of loneliness and desertion when 6
man cannot console himself with his
umbrella.


1t is owing perhaps to their late intro
duction into Europe that men have as yet
hardly recognized any distinct or sepa
rate property in umbrellas. Like game
they belong to the class of terg ndtuTGe
A faint trace of Communism fingers ovel
the stand in the hall. Nobody feels very
guilty at taking "stray" umbrella if il
happens to be raining as he leaves his
club, or at finding himself walking home
with new umbrella when he was con
scious of having left it with an old one
1t is amusing to notice the unconcerneC
curiosity with which the new owner, al
he puts his spoil by with his hat and coat
guesses who on earth such a pretty little
thing could have belonged to. In com
mon thought the umbrella e gifted witt
a certain vague personality which is sup
posed to explain its constant tendency tt
get astray. A kind of gypsy-lke and va
grant nature is assumed to belong to it
1t is credited with a volition of its own
and is supposed to be in some way itsel
responsible for its presence in any mani
hand but the man who bought it. 1t
own will brought it to us, and if it hap
pens to be a new one, we generally leavt
1t to its own will to take it back again
There are, we believe, persons eccentric
enough to return umbrellas, but thl
instances are rare. And in tht
same way there are eccentric people wht
make fuss about getting back their um
brellas. DR.. Buckland, for instance, afte
the loss OF good many, boldly carved oI
the handle OF new one, 'Stolen from
DIR. Buckland," and found that his friend
We're only too eager to return it to hin
whenever 1t took its walks abroad. Blu





ways frowned down invidious attempt
of this kind to contradict large and al
most universal human instinct If w
recognize our watch in friends watch
pocket, it needs very warm friendship
indeed TO reclaim it without serious ex
planation. But if we fix an eye of wei
come recognition on long-lost umbrella
which happens to be dangling between
friends thumb and forehnger, neithe
party feels the least embarrassment. Tn
owner cries, with start of pleasant SUI
prise, "By Jove | isn't that my umbrel
la ?" and the felon surrenders il with


discreet :" Is it, really ?" but without an,
attempt TO cover or explain his felony
Our feeling on the subject reflects itsel
indeed in common language. An um
brel is never supposed to have beer
Stolen" but always to have been lost
and TO lose an umbrella is simply TO be


man. The accurate person who "neve
lost any thing in his life" is careful TO ex
cept his umbrella. There are limits to tn
oredulity even Of the most credulous, an