CRUSHED AGAIN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1686, 14 January 1888, Page 4

CRUSHED AGAIN.

We hare become (says the Petit Moniteur) the prey of the English the German, the Yankee, the Spaniard, ihe Italian, and tutti quanti Most of all, however, it appears that the British yoke is pressing French society. To wit: “A brutal shake-hand (!) has replaced our former elegant way of kissing a lady’s rosy fingerS; The quadrille, so convenient for the exchange of spirited talk, is replaced by boorish Boston, a sort of dance more suitable ? for Kangaroos than for our graceful Parisian ladies. If we look at our dress and our language we find the same state of things. Before long our great boulevardes will be nothing but atrocious caricatures of Regent Street or of Fifth Avenue. Look at these young men. Are they Frenchmen, or are they not rather stable-lads in their Sunday garments ? And where are they going ? To the five o’clock tea of a society lady. The five o’clock tea has existed at all times, only formerly it was called le gouter, and pretty women used to fly at it with fruits or light pastry. . Now England has quickly put her heavy' paw on the graceful custom, and at these orgies of English tea, ham sandwiches, raoffin (!), pudding, gengember (!), etc,, are swallowed down, and pur Bordeaux has given way to chemical compositions known as cocktail (!) and sherry gobler (!). We have no longer any cafes; they have become taverns:, bars, and musik (!) halls.”