264 OLD WEST SURREY 



Every sort of folly or absurdity is committed by these 

 poor people in this insane striving to be what they think is 

 ' fashionable.' A lamentable example was shown me lately. 

 It was a photograph of a wedding party of the labouring 

 class. The bride had a veil and orange blossoms, a shower 

 bouquet, and pages ! The bridegroom wore one of the cheap 

 suits aforesaid, and had a billycock hat pushed back from 

 his poor, anxious, excited face that glistened with sweat. 

 In his buttonhole was a large bouquet, and on his hands 

 white cutton gloves ! No more pitiful exhibition could well 

 be imagined. 



Have these poor people so utterly lost the sense of the 

 dignity of their own position that they can derive gratifica- 

 tion from the performance of such an absurd burlesque ? 

 Such wedding parties do not walk to church : the bride's 

 party, at least, hires the closed village fly, which for the 

 occasion is called ' the brougham.' 



A wise old woman remarked, ' When I was married we 

 walked to church ; and then walked home, and I cooked 

 two chops. And then we changed our clothes and went to 

 our work ! ' 



Gipsy folk and other wandering van people kept to 

 their picturesque red head-handkerchiefs and great gold 

 earrings to a comparatively late date : but the great wave 

 of ill-taste has engulfed them too, and of late years they 

 have worn ulsters with aprons outside, and battered hats 

 with broken, rusty ostrich feathers ! 



The ploughman and farm-labourer still wear the capital 

 white slop jacket in summer. They unconsciously regret 

 the knee-breeches of their ancestors, for they strap their 

 cord trousers round below the knee. 



