SOME IMPRESSIONS OF ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 89

SOME IMPRESSIONS OF ENGLAND.

We have been permitted to publish the following extract from an interesting tetter from Mrs W. A. Chappie, who is travelling in England while her daughters are at school there : — " Uur impression of the loveliness of the south-east coast of England was one never to- be forgotten, when from the deck ot our steamer sailing up the Channel, for once as calm as a, mill-pond, we caw its park-like beauty broken by its haughty but not forbidding white clifts, passing by us as in a panorama. " The continuous and ever-present loveliness of England's rural soen«ry is a constant charm. Soft, undulating, gr^en downs (we jvoulu scorn to call tlnem nills in our -country), cfiarining, old fashioned ho jises and old-world gardens, quaint wandmills, neatly aarajiged farmhouses, and, above all, the lovely lanes and hedges, the wealth ot wild flowers and the vast fields of scarlet poppie-s stir one's senses anct nil toe with am overwhelming joy that Natuie ha. been so lavish in showering such bounteous gifts on the dear Homeland. After a few years' absence we are underf oing a process of enlightement, for compa-risons constantly intrude, .nd we are struck with many differences in hnglish and New Zealand ways. The intea-e love ot 1 flowers is very marked in England. The favoured and wealthy have, wonderful g-arde>ns of ra.e and beautiful plants, no expense being spared in their upkeep and in tho production o; new and extraordinary specimens and loveiiy garden designs. Tho pride- of the railway gardeners ir beautifying ugly places, the decoration of towns I and villages with trees and beds that blossom weekly with different varieties and colouisi the ohairming window boxes attended by some magic hand, the caressing affection that all rich, a-nd poor alike bestow upon flowers, poor ragged working- women and girls a-dc-mod with fading flowers and secretly revelling in their precious poseessioj, ail speak of a love of flowers that suggests a larger love of Nature and teach us a lesson. The intense love for animals, too, is very obvious. Horses and stock are ! the hobby, amusement, and. enjoyment ot j the favoured few, and the preference ot the jnany whom landlordism denies, whil« ! dogs are bha outlet of a vast amount of affection. Their number and variety, toe i luxury and completeness of their care, the i self-sacriiice of their possessors in order , that tbay may have exercise and fresh air are remarkable, and represent a virtue run to vice. I have read of dogs, £150 each in value, whose silken ..embroidered covers and dOwny beds fill pne with epvy, and we have an elegant neighbour whose only evideneo of interest " in Kfe^ besides cigarette smoking, is the exercising three times a' day of tin-ec diminutive, delicate, and wholly unattractive little poodles. She has three lovel'v littie girls who live a life almost quite apart in a "nursery. This also teaches us a lesson. Then, the Englishwoman's pride ' and. interest in her furs are sc overpowering To be asked what you do with your furs in summer and be cxpe u&d to tell how you sprinkle them with pepper and wrap them up carefully in brov n paper, when you know quite well ! that the only fur you have got is a black cat which would most certainly resent such treatment, requires a great amount of diplomacy and of coolness of head which are not altogether wanting amongst English women in such an emergency. And to be askca by your dressmaker for youx i real 1 cc that your new evening frock i may be your triumph and the envy ot jour friends is apt to reduce you to a state of quivering helplessness unless you can, with great selfpossession, assure her that your trunks hxve not arrived or aae unpacked " The woman's franchise movement is causing no small stir, and is amply fulfilling die doaire of the originators of this aggressive phase of the movement. Between the women who saj'S all suffragettes should b» sent to Siberia and who tiiinks that while she may be capable of thinking and acting wisely, most certainly her neighbour is not," and the gentle selfsacrificing, cultured leaders of tho cave there- is a distance as wide as the Poles. Suffice it to cay thet women have been eiruggling for years 'in a quiet way' (oh, the magic and charm of these words) to help the cause of humanity, morality, and temperance by asking that women may have equal voting privileges with imn. Xow they realise that nothing but explosive demands will disturb the calm serenity and self-satisfaction and the pride in existing and inherited privilege of his majesty John Bull, and an organised endeavour to heckle and harry and disturb continually has been so successful th&t what was an unknown question not worthy of a moment's consideration has become j one of the most prominent topics of discussion in the public newppapsrs, on th:> public platform, and in private life. '" Meanwhile the struggle for existence lias become a mighty ono, and 20 years have developed a great change. With an everpresent love of pleasure, diversion, and , emotional excitement, the increasing craze for tearing across country in motor cans, a love of sport so strongly developed that it seems to be a moral obligation that every cricket match should receive personal attention, and every girls' school ! has a Held on which an enthusia-.tic and agile eleven expert in receiving knocks and blows with a smile heroically sacrifice their gentleness and womanliness to the advancement of the age. " Don't be surprised at the length of my letter. Every Englishwoman is a wonderful letter-writer, and receives large budgets three and four times a day, under j the most perfect postal system in the | world, and I am striving hard to adjust j myself to. new conditions, and effervescing thoughts must find an outlet." y I

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