THROUGH ENGLISH EYES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 562, 17 July 1909, Page 11

THROUGH ENGLISH EYES.

:•■'."! ;ganada;' ;..; " V -'V.'.;; .' ■ An - interesting■ sketch; of- : home life, in .Canada', 'as: viewed by : ah English visitor, is published in- the "Queen." A good deal of- it- rnight apply to/New'.Zealand. It is •well. to.understand, , ; now. we/ areV on the subject of. dress,' once and for all (says the writer),, that dress.is more thought of,, and on, ther'whole smarter,- in- Canadian-cities than in English;'; in Canadian' society' than in English of the same''standing.■- Toronto ;is the'last place where it _would be desirable to. wear out old clothes, or clp.thes of a bygone- fashion. TJp'couhtryj on a.farm or ranoh,":'andrer'en in, many of the:less.:.fashiona'blo summer.' resorts,lone"inight venturo,: but tipt : in Toronto, '.or in Winnipeg. .The Canadian ladies:, spend , time . and ..money .on dress;-and. certainly .will. not take, it as a compliment, '-if ■"',- their • English..' guests: .fail to ,put,;'their . .best- : foot.-. forempst.- In the'.■.■.••States''., lit", 'has '■'■-. not ; '• been.; the custom • tp . wear •. evening dress' so 'constantly as it.isVworn-.iri-Englandj'but panada, .is' willing to copy' luxuries from either side; : Cahada..has.a;lot'.of , .money to.;Speud, and,not so;-very many :,things to spend'it on. If?' is/easy. to dress;.well, given , the;.money to ..spend,''without, inucli..personal, service. There will certainly be plenty of grand evening dresses to bis -seen both in Toronto and in Winnipeg ;thisisummer.' ■• ....■■■-. ; '-v ■ '•: Dress is mor'o thought' of.{relatively. Perhaps it-is-nbt"; : .that dress (l is.thought.of more, ■but thatpthpr , . things;: are thought of-.less.' Indeed,, they are not there.to think ofi,-Tho thousand i and.'•'one calls; upon. .English..;income, and even upbn; ; an' Englishi dress allowance,; are /unheard of ■ on; the other-side of'tho water. . Nor) ar.e; there;': so 'many different, modes of life aa at homo—different modes; pi .'life that/call,- each', one■ of them, for. a'' separate outfit. . There ■ arp "'.'.'fewer games, played. There-.are• no' Old Country houseHparbes. Probably,: one secret is that in, Canada''not, so much. ■isVepent , : on hpnies, ■arid.'therefore.. more'■ margin,' is/left ;.to, adorn , the' owners; of; the homes. , ; If; would .be • impossible to.find- in England a, blacksmith's an honest'woman, ,too—who' would pay'six.'guineas.ior'.a/hat..;-.On'. ; tho further side' of the. American , continent .the ;'• story does-.npt: even sound I qxtrayagantly,'wild. ..So ■many persons'out- therb lot-of money to.'spend,and nothing very' pressing to' spend it on.\,A-;blacks'in'ith's'*.wifo here,'.'lohg'lbefore sho rose'to!that:pitch: of-grandeur.in.,p!othes, would!keep her; seryant' and drive:.'.her .carriage.,', ..Tho ','wearer ' of. ,the, six-giiiii'e'a , hat never,, so/much'-; as thought; of putting 'out h'or'','washing,;.'arid!:.as/'!for .'paying .another wornan to- do htr hpusqliold work,-both/she and/her husba'ml would-, consider, it .wickedly ■ '■'' :--'- : ,:^'W:

• j.S6 : it'may, , thaVa, Canadian hostess, ; whosev afternoon'-and : toil-! etfes..-put ;thps'e ; ' of..her 'giiest ..to shame,'will h'ay'jß' donoimost 'of hflr , - own.-work; .before afr raying -herself'so who.thipk's-.sho-'caun.ot afford'to- dress-really well,/will, yet.havq^alfo'rdcd,;'.as -\a .•'matter of■!-'course, ■■all', ,, her,;life: long tb'-p'ay- so, many servants wait)upon; her that, she'iis at aloss to know how to do the little bit of housohpld work that in any Transatlantic hold .'may. fall to .her share..:;-She; will have nobody,itp'unpack;for.her,;-lip bno':to.sefc'her. bedroom, tidy if she ''leaves it otherwise;. She is '• not'•-expected,■-,to,:ring 'her • bill : arid- ask for-help! in dressing'.; ■; it is,. indeed^ 5 possible that there .may,!-bo no .•bell'; to sring.: ; v If :she does not.imake'; her .'own' bed ; of:a ; morning— and she may find it!advisable..,to; do that,:at any rate"-in ; .the AYest—sW- must, set!:every-. thing to '.rights,. was-hing-stand so that'tho: maid .has no- moro;' to ,do- than just to !make the.bed! and ; carry away..,the slop water,. .She !will sometimes -find a , duster put 'ready—a,-broad hint,,'snrely,'. : that.-itvis ineant to be used!' No-housemaid will, come into;. Tier room "ofva; inorning to wake'the guost and bring her tea! and,set everything ready. One.'gcts oneself up'in the colonies, atid ono is expneted to, be "in time." Not but that colonial: hostesses are extremely land and ■ considerate, even ioxpecting, when they embark 'on .an ..English' visitor,- "to bo put:to a good deal :bf trouble that , to them seoras highly, But,- at the same time, jthey will naturally gauge 'the whole nation;by l tho,specimens they chance;to light travislling !in-a new country, it is, really more interesting, as-well as better manners,', to fall into, its ways. If one! wants to have, everything' exactly -as 'it. is; in Ensland, ■-,the Bensible":way, .and ,indeed: the' only way, would bo to stay,there. Whatever else one finds; in Canada, it will not be just like England,-nor will'it be what one expects. :