Social Transformations of the Victorian Age: A Survey of Court and CountryEscott, T. H. S. (Thomas Hay Sweet)
History
Social Transformations of the Victorian Age: A Survey of Court and Country
Escott, T. H. S. (Thomas Hay Sweet)
Great Britain -- Civilization -- 19th century; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Other instances, more picturesque, or at least more suggestive, of the
naturalization of continental examples, at English holiday resorts may be
given. Eastbourne is indebted for the full development of its natural
attractions and for the addition of its beauties of art to the Duke of
Devonshire. Amongst other buildings with which the place has been enriched
is a town hall of graceful proportions and artistic aspect. This building
is crowned by a clock tower so exquisitely shaped and standing out in such
classic profile against the dark South Downs in the background as to
justify the local vaunt that had it been in Florence sightseers from all
parts of the world would have flocked to see it; and guide books would
long since have commemorated the glories of, a new Campanile added to the
historic list of fair structures. While the Eastbourne clock tower is
awaiting the architectural canonization it deserves, the town itself has
still more closely approached to southern exemplars by starting a carnival
of its own.[45] The slovenly and bedraggled mummeries into which the
Italian saturnalia have degenerated have not prevented the enterprising
authorities of the Sussex watering place from mimicking the battles of
flowers and confetti that are still supposed to relieve the approach of
Lent in the City of the Popes, but which as a fact have during late years
only formed another feature in Roman vulgarity. One advantage over its
more Southern original the Sussex shore imitation possesses. Real confetti
are not employed. Pellets of tissue paper are missiles at once less costly
and less dangerous than sugar plums. In other respects the continental
type has been reproduced rather too faithfully. Whether on the Corso, the
King's Road, Brighton, the Esplanade or Terminus Road, Eastbourne, the
whole pageant, as to the costume, the humours, and the hand artillery of
the mummers, resembles equally the scenes on the return from the Derby by
road to be witnessed between Clapham Common and Hyde Park Corner.
It was, perhaps, the foreign imitations in the social scheme of English
life increasingly visible during his later years to Matthew Arnold which
inspired that close observer with the advice to his countrymen to organize
the theatre. To some extent, indeed, the counsel had long been
anticipated. The organization of the stage into a wholesome agency of
popular amusement and teaching began with Macready, the earliest of that
line of considerable actors who have served their generation during the
Victorian epoch. But the prejudice against the play prevailing among other
than the austerer classes long survived the work of this great reformer of
the English stage. The company which fills a theatre to-day in respect of
ethics and behaviour is not inferior to the fashionable occupants of an
opera box on a subscription night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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