Life — August 5, 1897 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

*LIFE-: 113 clean, disinfected and thoroughly-safe peasantry, employed by the parish for the season as paupers; they accept alms with gratitude, and are not averse to small bottles and tips. The tone of Lenox is quiet, rural and English, and an occasional exiled Briton, in the States for his health and board, lends realism to the thing. The weddings at Lenox lack the noise and fuss of Grace Church; they are dignified and less expensive, and are not featured, with pictures of presents, in the newspapers. Wedding breakfasts and dancing on the lawn follow the church service, with deputations of retainers, and tears by the ancient family butler. One daring Chicago noblemar—they are scarce at Lenox—has added a mediwval flavor to things by ringing in a peasant foster-mother, * * * ERY good ruins are now being erected on estates, and skele- tons are being cachéd to dig up next season. An enterprising medium is around who offers gocd family apparitions at moderate figures, guaranteed not to make allusions to Pittsburg or Omaha; and this feature of old English family life will probably be in good running order next summer. The heir of a coal baron will reach his majority next spring, and it is hoped that a ‘coming of age” festival will be held on his ancestral estate. It is understood that the baron has an agent attending the ceremonies now going on in England at the Earl of Bankroped’s castle; he is authorized to make notes and purchase all the paraphernalia needed to give the Lenox festival a good send-off. The pastoral simplicity of Lenox, its natural beauty, its wealth, its purple blood, its halls and manors, its peasantry and retainers, add a much needed feature to the life of our kaleidoscopic aristocracy. Lenox only needs titles to give the final touch to its glory. There seems to be no gocd reason why a free, proud people like ours should go to Europe and pay good money for shabby, time-stained titles, when a syn- dicate of our own exclusive people can start a little MONUMENT TO THE FOUR HUNDRED AT LENOX. family ; and he loved to reflect, as he figured up his profits, that he could hire all the peasantry he wanted, civility and blue overalls thrown in, for a monthly stipend of twenty dollars and ‘* vittles.”” . * * HE farmers whose eye-teeth were cut, the good old sturdy Yankees who knew a dollar without an introduction, still remained ; they were tolerated and patronized, for they formed the sturdy yeomanry of Lenox. English noblemen of the old school sob on each other's shoulders when they first see Lenox. Lenox injects into bucolic life all the best and most ennobling features of the British rural drama. The horn of the hunter is heard and smelt on the hill; the trained fox leads dogs and red-coated riders afield, skillfully choosing open fields with nov AN AUTOORKE: jumps; he fraternizes with the dogs at evening, when the hunt S -GEMUAM EUDEROR IN ALESROWERFULAN iis. OWN is over. He enjoys the exercise, and scorns the anise-bag, ‘ his ancient rival. Lady Bountiful, becomingly garbed, visits 1E MUST BE, TO EXHIBIT HIS PICTURES WITHOUT PROTEST.” comicbooks.com