288 CENTURY OF ENGLISH FOX-HUNTING 



began to be regarded in a favourable light, or, at all 

 events, without disfavour, I should mention 1837, the 

 year of Her Majesty's accession to the throne, and 

 the year which witnessed a refining revolution in the 

 7norale of English society. The truth rather appears 

 to be that at the beginning of the century women 

 were reared and educated like hothouse plants, so 

 that they cared little for outdoor exercise of any 

 sort. It is absurd to think that the beauties of the 

 Court of George the Fourth would have troubled 

 themselves about the opinion of the Mrs. Grundy 

 of the day ; but I think that it is obvious that if a 

 lady during childhood and girlhood neglects outdoor 

 exercise, and is not even taught to ride a pony, her 

 nervous system will not allow her to ride to hounds 

 when she is a woman, though she may have learnt 

 the art of horsemanship, and be able to sit her horse 

 over any reasonable jump. For a lady to become 

 a good woman to hounds it is essential that her 

 nervous system should have been educated during 

 girlhood. Of course, the same dictum applies to 

 men, but boys, especially boys who have been 

 educated at a public school, have been taught that 

 courage is a virtue and cowardice is a crime, while 

 girls, unless they have brothers, are rather dis- 

 couraged than encouraged in acquiring pluck and 

 self-reliance. Even now, amongst a certain class 

 of elderly spinsters, the term " tomboy " is a term 

 of reproach, used in reference to girls who prefer 

 healthy outdoor exercise to the stifling atmosphere 



