"THE SIMPLE LIFE".

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11596, 28 June 1905, Page 4

"THE SIMPLE LIFE".

Two London City men, tired of the conventional life of their v kind, and the exactionß of landlords, tax collectors, and other evils of civilisation,- are .nonliving the "simple life" on a three-acre- p"lpt-'of' freehold land near Purfieet, in 'Essex. One of them is an insurance clerk, possessed- o£ 'small independent means ; the ' other ' stilt holds a responsible position in a* Londbii shipping office, and travels up' .to town daily. Their "estate" is situated- about ,*• mile from the nearest road, in the midst of pathless meadows. They entered into possession two years ago, and ; have livedthere ever since. Their diet -consists pritt- 1 cipally of vegetables- grb'Wfl' on their e£" tate, a sort of bran "damper" made.without salt or yeast, triscuit, coffee,' and" Swis9 milk. Two meals _a day of this; simple diet, are sufficient to keep them healthy. Their "house" is a low tent, and in this the ex-insurance man sleeps/ but : the City man's bedroom, winter and summer, is the lee-side of a little greenhouse which they have built, and his bod. a •r - ' waterproof sleeping-bag. The "house"contains a larder, a small library, a camp bedstead, and a very unambitious ward- 1 ; robe, and visitors — they ar« few and. f»* between — find seating accommodation on. a tree trunk handy to the threshold. Their idyllic existence is somewhat disturbed by ' the depredations of rats, mice, moles, and ~

"creeping things," and their kitchen gar? , den and orchard pay heavy tribute^ to "the ravenous birds of the air and /devouring beasts of the field. Tfie latter are especi-J ally obnoxious at night-time, but apparently both men are gradually getting • quite accustomed to finding a rat or two playing "touch" over their recumbent forms, or a field snake making itself comfortable on their bosoms. The other beauties "of the simple life" they. have, learned to appreciate thoroughly mohjtliji, ago. Apart from occasional trips to/towrf,V the ex-clerk spends his time in improving" the estate's productive capacities, and finds . he can enjoy life thoroughly on. about J625 a year, of which one-half goes in clothing. The City man, of course, has to pay for his season ticket, and requires more furnishing for the -outward man,' but even he does not spend more than ±'50 a year. , So far neither man. has had. a doctor's' bill to square since adopting, the Red Indian style,of life, and both appear to enjoy very, robust health indeed. . •,-"••