HOME LIFE IN VIRGINIA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 280, 7 August 1909, Page 11

HOME LIFE IN VIRGINIA.

;.' SOME- CURIOUS WAYS: .Tea ,_at 'ss. a : pound, dinner at' half past three in the afternoon,, and no tea-rooms— these are some of the'things that an .Australian lady found it hard to get used to when she paid- a visit to family friends in Virginia.' She writes .amusingly about her experiences, in an, Australian paper:—. . "j ■ : Virginians ;(she' says), .pride,.themselves on: thcirold_wbrld oustoms.'.tb which they everywhere cling. For instance', with the exception.of breakfast .hour,- their time for .meals;' which they .say;have: been the. same a's : far-.iback as anyone./ knows anything about, aro to our ideas,strange.- ißre'akfast,: as'with'USj.is.somowhere about 8-or 9.- Din- , nor., i-.the • second, meal .in the day;is served' aty3'.3o:or4 p.m. The .third, meal, supper, J invthe nature of;.a high tea, is at 8.30 or' 9 ; p.m.'. Business is' almost suspended during '

the, dinner .'hour—in the middle-of" the afternoon—but there,men stay at their office's r or .place's of business till. 7.30 or 8 o'clock at 3 night 1 ., y ' "'■ .-■' :, -;-'- / -.-■■ .■'..- i ca " practically unknown. It'is neither ' eklf? d .. noE ,.- e -W ot^.,, b y ladies when paying | ..My visit to a Virginian'town was to'rela- . tives; and'upon'the, day of my arrival I was .' hot.". As it was .'.going i on;.for-three in the afternoon when I reached' I tliq'.houso/I not unnaturally looked forward , ™ .' te a,. instead of jwhich,'about .half-past ; three, there was, dinner. - I. tried "to possess , my soul in patience/ and 'with a/toriguo that clove-to the roof of my mouth' did'my best to,shine, to favourably impress' the newly- - met relative's. ,Xate in the- afternoon' i-cla- , tives, relatives came-to make my acquaintancc. .But .no. tea appeared. It grew dark , Tgrew'faintVv.Thoh'iollowed the nine o'clock i supper, ,at which almost, every, dainty that | the heart of woman could desire—except tea ! —was served.';.:.''' ?<■■■ ■•!.■■.. .'-. ■' ;.. Long-•before"seven" nest '.morning■ I was ■■ ? wake read y'and 'waiting for an early morh- - wg. oup:-7r-:liad yet .'to learn, that tea in bed . ' s .n^' custoni. .Then thero .breakfast-breakfast ..preceded' 'by a fruitmeal, 'at .which' reck melons figured' largely ' IheyMvere .'green' flesh.' .i-ock'. melons, and. chopped up..ice .'.was'placed'.in their insides. where the seeds bad been,; and the relatives ate. them with pepper and salt. ■ Thore wero.' several v sorts of.. bread, too—iyaffles / and buckwheat cakes, etc. There wero 1 eggs and tumblers to cat them from-in tho Virginian fashion;'and there/was ' ' fried'' chicken and .other delights; 'but'there was' no tea." A cup of coffee was poured' out and ■handed|-'to'-'mo,'■' and' 1 took ;-';it',' /meekly and trie-r to think, of my blessings."'■"" ~'' - V .Neither was there'' 11 o'clock tea, .and in the middle , of- the after-' neon, just'"when my ' hopes 'again began: to' revive, down tboy sat to . a hot dinner. I seemed to',.'; have/been offered', since' .'my : arrival more .kinds.of fpbd'thah'l bad' ever '-/heard' of,' but J' would, •', .cheerfully have " dpno without 'tnem',. all for,.a'cup of tea. iate. that 'day tho craving got'.the- better 'of- my mariners. I could be ladylike no longer. I asked right but for tea t Delighted that I' shoulu % express a want, .the re-' rang the bell,' and' told the black, servant who answered'ij ,to go to the refrigeratorancir get . out some tea., I. politely explained ;.•;■■ that 1

didn't, care for tea' "refrigerated," but liked it-hot.■•'The'rela-tives;,'ris well as tho old "mammy," looked incredulous. To. want to drink anything hot in/hot weather, was , past belief. : The " mamniy," however, was told to make if hot; But tea .played so small a part in her philosophy—it,is ss. a pound in the south—. that.it never occurredto her to make a fresh supply. Wha,t she-, did was to go to the refrigerator, take from it the. jug of sweetened tea,. which she partially, heated and then served lukewarm. Those only who take no sugar in their tea and like it piping hot. can 'fully enter into my feelings. To an Australian Virginian prices seem astounding.: Ladies' walking shoes that hero would cost 255. to 305., aro to be had thero for ,125.;. whereas to buy gloves in Virginia spells ruin. .They, aro; as dear, as, tho foot-' wear is cheap; .15si, it. is : said, is an ordinary, price for a kid .pair' that here would cost -55.,'..0r 7s. 6d. "at most. Silk gloves are' Bs. .and■cotton 65.. apair. Tail gloves and shoes are left as entirely .'to the negroes there as ; the. ,whito people-in South Africa leave thein. to the. -Kaffirs, .Virginians .pay for woollens more than : double what they, cost;h'ej ; e.. For a suit of clothes; that could be bought for £5 in Melbourne; a man in Virginia, -it was found, would have to pay over. £12. ..-.-, , , Respect'for • relatives. ■ and elders is. a marked trait in tho Virginia character., A small boy would not call: his, much older brother by.his. Christian' name. • He would address him as'"brother:" It -would beinpre respectful.,.'- There,, too, as in other days,: a .'hoy or young man: still addresses tlie woman at all older than himsplf .as "Ma'am';"'! It is as invariable'as the "Sir," when speaking to an older man. - . i