THE COUNTRY TEMPER.
[To THZ EDITOR 01 TH1 "SPECTATOR."] Sin,—I have read Miss Loane's article in this week's Spectator with much astonishment and great regret. Miss Loane's previous articles and her books had given me the impression that she was a woman of much experience and great common sense. I am therefore all the more distressed to find her name below an article containing the most unkind and drastic criticism of the whole of rural England. Miss Loane makes no exception in her statements; she speaks of the country generally. I know nothing of southern rural England, and it is possible, though, I think, hardly probable, that her state- ments may be representative of the people of that part of the country; but I was bred and born in the northern part of rural England, and all I can say is that her statements are untrue ; they have no application regarding northern England. Of course, there are many queer people in the country as there are in the town, but there is no difference between the general character of the people here, whether they live in town or country. The spirit of revenge which she describes as the unmistakable mark of the country temper simply does not exist. All that she says about farmers and their wives will be a source of amusement in every farmhouse in Yorkshire where it is read. If Miss Loane will come north this summer I shall be glad to inttoduce her to farmers and country people of every grade who, by the uprightness of their lives, by their warm kindness, courtesy, and good manners, will convince her of the libel she has written about them. I can take her to people who live more than two miles from a shop and four from a railway station who would be the last to impute a bad motive to her in what she said of them. I can take her to farms where the wife knows as much about the farm work as the husband, and invariably goes to market. If what Miss Loane writes is true of any part of rural England it is greatly to be deplored; that it is absolutely untrue of the north of England I can well testify. If Miss Loane's article is based on isolated cases of meanness and trickery, she owes some apology to the rest of rural England.—I am, Sir, &c., [Our correspondent is confusing the writer of the article on "The Country Temper," Miss A. E. Loans, with Miss M. Loans, the author of "The Queen's Poor" and half a dozen -other books of astonishing depth and insight.—En. Spectator.]
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