Umbrellas and Their History

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, New Age, History, Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book Umbrellas and Their History by William Sangster, Library of Alexandria
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William Sangster ISBN: 9781465530660
Publisher: Library of Alexandria Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint: Language: English
Author: William Sangster
ISBN: 9781465530660
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint:
Language: English
Can it be possibly believed, by the present eminently practical generation, that a busy people like the English, whose diversified occupations so continually expose them to the chances and changes of a proverbially fickle sky, had ever been ignorant of the blessings bestowed on them by that dearest and truest friend in need and in deed, the UMBRELLA? Can you, gentle reader, for instance, realise to yourself the idea of a man not possessing such a convenience for rainy weather? Why so much unmerited ridicule should be poured upon the head (or handle) of the devoted Umbrella, it is hard to say. What is there comic in an Umbrella? Plain, useful, and unpretending, if any of man’s inventions ever deserved sincere regard, the Umbrella is, we maintain, that invention. Only a few years back those who carried Umbrellas were held to be legitimate butts. They were old fogies, careful of their health, and so on; but now-a-days we are wiser. Everybody has his Umbrella. It is both cheaper and better made than of old; who, then, so poor he cannot afford one? To see a man going out in the rain umbrella-less excites as much mirth as ever did the sight of those who first—wiser than their generation—availed themselves of this now universal shelter. Yet still a touch of the amusing clings to the “Gamp,” as it is sarcastically called. ‘What says Douglas Jerrold on the subject? “There are three things that no man but a fool lends, or, having lent, is not in the most helpless state of mental crassitude if he ever hopes to get back again. These three things, my son, are—BOOKS, UMBRELLAS, and MONEY! I believe a certain fiction of the law assumes a remedy to the borrower; but I know of no case in which any man, being sufficiently dastard to gibbet his reputation as plaintiff in such a suit, ever fairly succeeded against the wholesome prejudices of society. Umbrellas may be ‘hedged about’ by cobweb statutes; I will not swear it is not so; there may exist laws that make such things property; but sure I am that the hissing contempt, the loud-mouthed indignation of all civilised society, ‘would sibilate and roar at the bloodless poltroon who should engage law on his side to obtain for him the restitution of a—lent Umbrella!” Strange to say, it is a fact, melancholy enough, but for all that too true, that our forefathers, scarce seventy years agone, meekly endured the pelting of the pitiless storm without that protection vouchsafed to their descendants by a kind fate and talented inventors. The fact is, the Umbrella forms one of the numerous conveniences of life which seem indispensable to the present generation, because just so long a time has passed since their introduction, that the contrivances which, in some certain degree, previously supplied their place, have passed into oblivion. We feel the convenience we possess, without being always aware of the gradations which intervened between it and the complete inconvenience of being continually unsheltered from the rain, without any kind friend from whom to seek the protection so ardently desired
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Can it be possibly believed, by the present eminently practical generation, that a busy people like the English, whose diversified occupations so continually expose them to the chances and changes of a proverbially fickle sky, had ever been ignorant of the blessings bestowed on them by that dearest and truest friend in need and in deed, the UMBRELLA? Can you, gentle reader, for instance, realise to yourself the idea of a man not possessing such a convenience for rainy weather? Why so much unmerited ridicule should be poured upon the head (or handle) of the devoted Umbrella, it is hard to say. What is there comic in an Umbrella? Plain, useful, and unpretending, if any of man’s inventions ever deserved sincere regard, the Umbrella is, we maintain, that invention. Only a few years back those who carried Umbrellas were held to be legitimate butts. They were old fogies, careful of their health, and so on; but now-a-days we are wiser. Everybody has his Umbrella. It is both cheaper and better made than of old; who, then, so poor he cannot afford one? To see a man going out in the rain umbrella-less excites as much mirth as ever did the sight of those who first—wiser than their generation—availed themselves of this now universal shelter. Yet still a touch of the amusing clings to the “Gamp,” as it is sarcastically called. ‘What says Douglas Jerrold on the subject? “There are three things that no man but a fool lends, or, having lent, is not in the most helpless state of mental crassitude if he ever hopes to get back again. These three things, my son, are—BOOKS, UMBRELLAS, and MONEY! I believe a certain fiction of the law assumes a remedy to the borrower; but I know of no case in which any man, being sufficiently dastard to gibbet his reputation as plaintiff in such a suit, ever fairly succeeded against the wholesome prejudices of society. Umbrellas may be ‘hedged about’ by cobweb statutes; I will not swear it is not so; there may exist laws that make such things property; but sure I am that the hissing contempt, the loud-mouthed indignation of all civilised society, ‘would sibilate and roar at the bloodless poltroon who should engage law on his side to obtain for him the restitution of a—lent Umbrella!” Strange to say, it is a fact, melancholy enough, but for all that too true, that our forefathers, scarce seventy years agone, meekly endured the pelting of the pitiless storm without that protection vouchsafed to their descendants by a kind fate and talented inventors. The fact is, the Umbrella forms one of the numerous conveniences of life which seem indispensable to the present generation, because just so long a time has passed since their introduction, that the contrivances which, in some certain degree, previously supplied their place, have passed into oblivion. We feel the convenience we possess, without being always aware of the gradations which intervened between it and the complete inconvenience of being continually unsheltered from the rain, without any kind friend from whom to seek the protection so ardently desired

More books from Library of Alexandria

Cover of the book War Dogs of the World War by William Sangster
Cover of the book The Queen Pedauque by William Sangster
Cover of the book Merry Muses of Caledonia: A Collection of Favourite Scots Songs, Ancient and Modern by William Sangster
Cover of the book Runnymede and Lincoln Fair: A Story of the Great Charter by William Sangster
Cover of the book Doctrina Christiana: The First Book Printed in The Philippines, Manila, 1593 by William Sangster
Cover of the book A Versailles Christmas-Tide by William Sangster
Cover of the book Martyria or Andersonville Prison by William Sangster
Cover of the book Complete Mitteilungen Aus Den Memoiren Des Satan by William Sangster
Cover of the book Life in London Or, the Pitfalls of a Great City by William Sangster
Cover of the book The Pearl: A Monthly Journal of Facetiæ and Voluptuous Reading (Complete) by William Sangster
Cover of the book Visit to Iceland and The Scandinavian North by William Sangster
Cover of the book Irish Fairy Tales by William Sangster
Cover of the book The Story of a Cannoneer Under Stonewall Jackson In Which is Told the Part Taken by the Rockbridge Artillery in the Army of Northern Virginia by William Sangster
Cover of the book The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination (Complete) by William Sangster
Cover of the book Songs of the Russian People by William Sangster
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy