MRS. CROMPTON DESCRIBES THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 212, 23 September 1937, Page 11

MRS. CROMPTON DESCRIBES THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE

Huge bowls of brightest pink peaeh blossom were a lovely decoration in the lounge of the Hastings Women's Coramunity Club for the meeting of the literary circle yesterday afternoon. Mrs W. J. White, the circle leader, expressed pleasure in having as the speaker for the afternoon one of the club mi*iibers, Mrs K. E. Crompton, who had chosen to speak about the English countryside which she knotvs so wcll, having lived in England for many years. Mrs Crompton said that aftcr lcaviug England she spent two years in New Zeaiand and then weut home again tor a trip. Bhe Avas interested to seo what impressed her most after her aDsence and deeided that it was the wonderful trees with their luxuriant and graceful growth. It was alsp a great pleasure to see again the beautiful old meilowed colours of the cottages and houses as she drove through the villages just after her arrival. These old buildings seemed to blend so well with the land-, scape. "Everywhero the old is giving place to the new and the face of the country is being rapidly altered, ' ' said the speaker. 1 ' The towns are eating up the country and the methods of our foref athers are too leisurely for this age. The people who formerly lived in lovely old homes in the towns have now moved into the country and the cities are used only as workshops. Trains crowded with workers pour into the cities every morning and in the cvening take the workers into the country again. All who work in the cities long to have a country cottage with fresh air to breathe and a sky unclouded with smoke. "The inagic 9f the homeland holds the heart of those who go to live in other lands, but it is the country aud not the cities which they love. The country has the imprint of the English folk aud not the cities where foreigners have brought new ideas. " When talking about the beauty which is gained by age Mrs Crompion told the story of the American traveller who visited the cottages and asked the gardener how to grow such lovely lawns. The gardener replied that'it was necessary to plant the seed, then roll and mow the lawns for 400 years. "Rural England is very attractive to the returned traveller because everytliing llts into its setting so naturally," contmued Mrs Crompton. "When the old buildings were erected every dis- | trict was self-supporting. As a result of this^ building materia'ls at hand were usually used, stone cottages where stone was abundant and where tiniber was plentiful wooden houses were built. The English counties differ a good dcal but oue is not more beautiful than another because each has its specially beautiful eorners. As we travel through tbe land we can compare it with a well-cut diamond with many facets, each of which seems more beautiful than the last." Mrs Crompton said that the attractive places which the traveller likes were many and varied, but that it wae only possible to mention fragments of the countryside. She said that oue of the special characteristics of England was its network of rivers and this necessitated innumerable small bridges, some over the smallest streams .to link up villages, others over large rivers to joiil the cities. Originally there were fords by which to cross the streams and these were later replaced by ferries and still later by bridges. The speaker told that in olden days bridges were often erected through thii efforts of the parish priest or by some publie benefactor aud prayers wero ollered up for the souls of such persons. Beauty as well as utility was considored when building these bridges. "The villago green is also characteristic of all England," continued Mrs Crompton, ' ' and these varied considerably in size, sometimcs being in the middle of the village and sometimes behind the houses. Usually round the green could be found the church, the school, the vicarage and inn and perhaps the drive to the squire's house would be nearby. Dotted around were picturesquo village houses with gav gardens. The village well and pump were also usually on the green, the former also often being a gift from some public benefactor. "The village inn was the recreation ground "for the village," said the speaker, "and here the people met for faivs and saints' day celebrations. The green was the centrc and background of English village life where the people met for dancing and frivolity or for serious discussions. ' ' Mrs Crompton also described the ficlds, especially those on the English hillsides separated with hedges. Theso fields wero usually given quaint namcs takcn from the use to which they wero pufc for stock or ci'ops or from the building which they adjoined. Boforo concluding Mrs Crompton handcd round quitc a numbcr oti paintings of thc countryside which she had mentioned aud these were scon with much interest. Other members had been invited to b»iug word pietures bearing on Mrs Crompton 's subject and several of these wero read. Miss II. Ford read a short extract from "A Holiday On the Thames" describing the country near Oxford, Mrs H. Gilbertson read "Home Thoughta from Abroad," by Robert Brownuig, aud Mrs J. Milson read two sliort extracls. oue about thc moors writtcn by Riley and oue about English primroscs by Miss Miti'ord. Mrs II. Lovcll-Smith proposed a vote of thanks to Mrs Crompton, who had given much pleasure to her listeners. Afternoon tea was then enjoyed before the meeting coneluded. ■ Among those present were: Mrs "W. J. , White, Mrs H. M. Bishop and Mrs R. .Cashmere Jiosteesee), Mrs M»

Lovell-Smith, Mrs H. Gilbertson, Mrs A. M. Brodie, Mrs J. Miller, Mrs Moorhouse, Mrs George Davies, Mrs E. M. Marshall, Mrs N. Beamish, Mrs Hawlev, Miss Lewis, Miss. H. Ford, Mrs J. Wilson, Mrs A. Oliver, Mrs Rees Davies, Mrs D. Scannell, Miss A. Seal, Mrs McNeill and Dr. Gcrda Eichbaum.