Lippincotts Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 22. October, 1878 | Page 2

the corporation for distribution among the poor of the town,
and besides the old grammar-school founded by Henry VIII., with a
yearly exhibition to each of the universities, and open to all boys, rich
and poor, of the town, there are five other public schools and forty
almshouses. The old generous, helpful spirit survives, in spite of new
economic theories, in these English country towns, and landlords and
merchants have not yet given up the old-fashioned belief that where
they make their money they are bound to spend it to the best advantage
of their poorer and less fortunate neighbors. Many local magnates,
however, have departed from this rule. Country gentlemen no longer
have houses in the county-town, but flock to London for the purposes
of social and fashionable life. They have decidedly lost in dignity by
this rush to the capital, and it is doubtful how far they have gained in
pleasure, though the few whose means still compel them to stay at
home, or only go to town once or twice in a lifetime for a court
presentation, would gladly take the risk for the sake of the experiment.
The feeling which made the Rohans adopt as a motto, "Roy ne
puis--Prince ne veux--Rohan je suis," is one which is theoretically
strong among the country squires of England, the possessors of the
bluest blood and longest deeds of hereditary lands; but the
snobbishness of the nineteenth century is practically apt to taint the
younger branches when they read of garden-parties given by the royal
princes or balls where duchesses and cabinet ministers are as plentiful
as blackberries. Their great-grandmothers, it is true, were sometimes
troubled with the same longings, for among the many proclamations
against the residence in London of country gentlemen in unofficial
positions is one of James I., noticing "those swarms of gentry, who,
through the instigation of their wives, do neglect their country
hospitality and cumber the city, a general nuisance to the kingdom;"
and the royal Solomon elsewhere observes that "gentlemen resident on
their estates are like ships in port--their value and magnitude are felt
and acknowledged; but when at a distance, as their size seemeth
insignificant, so their worth and importance are not duly estimated."
There is a weak point in this simile, however; so, to cover it with a
better and more unpretentious argument, I will quote a few lines from

an old poem of Sir Richard Fanshawe on the subject of one of these
proclamations:
Nor let the gentry grudge to go Into those places whence they grew,
But think them blest they may do so. Who would pursue The smoky
glories of the town That may go till his native earth, And by the shining
fire sit down On his own hearth?
* * * * *
Believe me, ladies, you will find In that sweet life more solid joys,
More true contentment to the mind, Than all town toys.
[Illustration: PORCH WITH BOW-WINDOW UNDER, OUTSIDE
WARWICK GATES.]
The solemn county balls, to which access was as difficult as it is now to
a court festivity, have dwindled to public affairs with paid subscriptions,
yet even in their changed conditions they are somewhat of an event in
the winter life of a neighborhood. Everybody has the entrée who can
command the price of a ticket, though, as a rule, different classes form
coteries and dance among themselves. The country-houses for ten or
twelve miles around contribute their Christmas and New Year guests,
often a large party in two or three carriages. Political popularity is not
lost sight of, and civilities to the wives and daughters of the tradesmen
and voters often secure more support in the next election than strict
principle warrants; but though the men thus mingle with the majority of
the dancers, it is seldom the ladies leave the upper end of the hall,
where the local aristocracy holds a sort of court. In places where there
is a garrison the military are a great reinforcement to the body of
dancers and flirts. The society proper of a county-town is mostly cut up
into a small clique of clerical and professional men, with a few
spinsters of gentle eccentricity and limited means, the sisters and aunts
of country gentlemen, and a larger body of well-to-do tradesmen and
their families, including the ministers of the dissenting chapels and
their families. One of the latter may be possibly a preacher of local
renown, and one of the Anglican clergy will almost invariably be an
antiquary of real merit. The mayor and corporation belong, as a rule, to

the larger set, but the lawyers and doctors hold a neutral position and
are welcomed everywhere, partly for the sake of gossip, partly for their
own individual merits. Warwick has the additional advantage over
many