289 



A DAY IN LONDON 

 Advantages of suburbs— London life— Picture exhibitions. 



People who live in London, and those who live in the 

 depths of the country, are both equally inclined, for differ- 

 ent reasons, to laugh a little, and even sneer, over the ob- 

 vious disadvantages of suburban residences. By suburban 

 I mean more the character of the surroundings than the 

 actual distance from London or any other large town. The 

 more favoured a place is as regards soU and chmate, the 

 more thickly populated it becomes. But the near neigh- 

 bourhood of London has certainly immense advantages 

 under many conditions. For young couples, if a man is 

 strong and well, and has work to do in town, it is the very 

 poetry of life compared to London itself, and is a phase of 

 existence which a woman, if once she has had it, always 

 looks back upon with pleasure. She has her children and 

 her duties all day, and in the evening the man throws off his 

 bothers and worries and comes back to peace and happi- 

 ness, rest and pure air at home. When children get big, 

 and have tastes and talents of their own which must be 

 developed and educated, there is certainly much to be said 

 in favour of moving the home for some years to London. 

 When the parents are no longer young, and when, however 

 friendly they may be and proud of each other, they have 

 to pursue individually their own lives, and carry out that 

 partnership which is the only perfect form of middle- 

 aged married life, for the good of the children and the 



