He Always Engrossed All Conversation, And One Got
Tired Of Listening.
Mr. Winthrop greatly enjoyed the coming of age of
Lord Cranbourne, at Hatfield, to which he was invited, and
He thinks
Lord Salisbury's speaking more interesting than Gladstone's, - that the
House of Lords might make some compromise about the Redistribution Bill,
and that it would be an immense pity for England to lose the three
estates of the realm, and the Established church. "We don't want you to
become a Republic, but keep up the standard of good government for the
rest of the world." Afterwards we went to Mr. Augustus Lowell's, and
there we found all vehement for _Blaine_! I did not agree with
their arguments, but listened to all very meekly and attentively! They
also urged us, as every one else, _not_ to give in to the idea of
universal suffrage, which is the _bane_, they say, of politics in
this country, and causes all their difficulties. After tea we drove home
five miles in Mr. Winthrop's carriage; I like her very much, and she has
more _softness_ of manner, being a Southerner, than the Americans
sometimes have. Wednesday we met Mrs. Pickering at the station, and
after a short railway journey, drove to the beautiful grounds of
_Wellesley College_, founded by a rich American, Mr. Durrant, for
girls over sixteen. Three separate buildings, and a pretty lake, and a
very interesting President, Miss Freeman, about thirty. After seeing the
perfect and numerous arrangements made for the education of the young
women, chemistry-rooms, libraries, statuary, &c., &c., and making
acquaintance with some of the lady professors, we had luncheon with
hundreds of girls; some of these pay less, (the regular payment is
forty-five dollars or pounds, I forget which, a year), and have some
light work to do, _wait_ on us, &c. I can't say the luncheon was
good! the beef hard, and I had only bread and jam! I thought "unless
they have a really good breakfast and dinner, these young women will not
be able to bear the strain on their mental and bodily powers." After
this innocent meal, six young girls, dressed in blue serge and white
costumes, with hats of the shape of undergraduate's, rowed us in two
boats, one painted blue with light oars, the other white, and the girls
rowing it also in white costumes; our blue captain was a very pretty
bright girl, just the type one reads of in novels as the American girl,
(but not a _lady_ in the American view, or our own,) and she
chatted away, and led the others in some pretty songs, while they rested
on their oars, and then we were obliged to hurry away. One of the
professors told me now clever the _captain_ was, and another asked
me to send six copies of Hedley's Memoirs for the Sunday Lending Library
here, with my name, "which they should value so much." We returned to
Cambridge, and kind Mrs. Pickering, who is very good looking and
energetic, took us to Harvard College, and we saw the Memorial Hall, and
interesting Gymnasium, where the young men were practising all kinds of
wonderful exercises. We got home very tired, and at seven o'clock dined
with Mr. and Mrs. Perkins. Mrs. Perkins, like her mother, Mrs. Bruen,
has had great experiences in Spiritualism, and believes it is _not
good_.
_Thursday, 30th_. - At Mrs. Pruyn's, _Albany_. - We left Boston
about eleven o'clock, and found her carriage and cart waiting for us at
station, and received a most kind welcome. She is a rather stout woman,
of about forty, who has been very pretty, and has two daughters of
sixteen and eleven, and a stepson who is very delicate. Mrs. Pruyn is
very rich, (everything having been left to her as usual here), and the
house is filled with beautiful gold and silver-plate, and china and
books, and curiosities of all sorts. She seems very energetic and good
in all relations of life. Some people dined, - her father, Judge Parker,
Mr. and Mrs. Kidd, Mr. Ledgard, of old Dutch extraction, which is very
common here and in the States generally, and lives in the country
_Canzenovia_, on the shores of a lake. His family have been there
for generations.
_Friday, 31st_. - We all went to see the Capitol, an enormous and
handsome building not yet completed, but what I cared for much more, we
saw the President, or rather I should say, the _candidate_,
Governor Cleveland. He talked with us some minutes, and seemed a simple,
honest kind of man, without vulgarity, but not of society manners or
attractiveness. I wished him success, for which he thanked me cordially.
The poor man is hunted to death by men and meetings of all sorts. So we
did not stay long. I caught cold in this hot place, (they do burn such
fearful _furnaces_ in the houses here), and I could not go out
again.
_Saturday_. - Remained in bed till four o'clock to-day, and then
got up to tea, Mrs. Pruyn's sister, Mrs. Corney, such a nice cheerful
woman, with a face something like Lisa's, and Mrs. Evans, with a
handsome niece, came to lunch yesterday, Miss Pruyn drove Hedley in a
nice pony carriage. At dinner we had General and Mrs. Mirvan, another
sister, and Dr. Holms, Librarian in the Capitol. This afternoon two
presents of flowers came for me; they all went to church in the morning,
being All Saints' day. The Evans asked us all to dine, but Mrs. Pruyn
had company at home. Mr. Palmer, son of the man who sculptured "Faith,"
so often photographed, and the clergyman of St. Peter's, Dr.
Battershall, who was very pleasant, and talked nicely of Mr. Rainsford,
son of Mr. Rainsford of Halkin street, who has done wonders in New York,
at St. George's. The American religious people are far less narrow
minded and censorious than _we_ are; one sect or party _can_
see that a great deal of good and successful work is done by another!
Mrs. Pruyn is decidedly ritualistic, but she is quite sorry I shall not
be here next week, to hear Moody and Sankey, who are to hold meetings.
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