TifF4 TIDINESS OF RURAL ENGLAND
[TO TER EDITOR OP THZ " spacrAvoa."] Sin,—In the Spectator of August 14th there appeared an interesting article on "The Tidiness of Rural England." No Englishman can take exception to the closing sentence of that article, where the writer says "that rural England is the best and sweetest of our national possessions." But what about our towns, not only the hideous " hell-holes " described by Matthew Arnold, but all our large English cities, including Manchester and Liverpool? Their ugliness we cannot deny ; but is it not greatly increased by their untidiness ? The scavenging of our English towns is notoriously bad, and our City Fathers, while making praiseworthy efforts in many cities (viz., Liverpool) to beautify our churchyards, and plant flowers and shrubs in many of our thoroughfares, are paying no more attention to the actual scavenging of our streets than they did twenty years ago. Is not the ugliness of English cities accentuated by the masses of dirty paper and rubbish allowed to lie for hours in our streets, waiting to be carted away, and on windy days blown about, to the great annoyance of householders and pedestrians ? To keep any town, small or large, in good condition is no easy task, and should be confided to competent officials. A thoroughly well- scavenged city, despite inherent ugliness, is calculated to give rise to feelings of patriotic devotion, but it is difficult to rouse civic enthusiasm while urban districts are left in their present condition, and rural England monopolises tidiness and that absolute appearance of finished cultivation which American and other visitors so rightly admire.—I am, Sir, &c.,
LYDIA A. BOOTH, President Liverpool Ladies' Sanitary Association. St, Luc, Switzerland, August 23rd.
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