WHO IS MRS GRUNDY?

Shannon News, 29 April 1924, Page 4

WHO IS MRS GRUNDY?

I —_— - - ! the LAW WHICH “KEEPS' US | IX PLACE. j No 011(3 has ever seen the ancient I female or heard her authoritative ( voice, and yet ive cannot say she does I not exist. She rules' and reiigns to-driy: I What different beings we should be; j how we should’enjoy ourselves - in our ! own way, if it were not for this im./ I pervious; invisible old dariic'who keeps, us within the bounds* Of propriety, and' I compels us to obey ' her unwritten orders! The old Romans were a wish people in many ways.’ They had, among other goad things, an official “Mrs Grundy” (relates a writer in the He (for it was a man in tnose old-world days) was called the censor morura. He certainly was unlike, our “Mrs Grundy” in that. 1 he was visible to the naked eye. His work was to look after the morals of the 1 omans—and they needed loak- ; ing'after! The definite coming into recognition ,of the identical “Mrs. Grundy” was', however, only about a century ago. Thomas Morton, was a popular play-’ writer in the latter parti of the 18th. and the beginning of the 19th. centuries. In the year 1800’ he wrote a play called “Speed the Plough,” iri which the following passages occur: —The scene is a farmhouse. The farmer is enjoying his pipe and his mug of ale, when in; edmes his wife, Dame- Ashfield. She has been out riding, and enters the house holding up her riding* dross on One arm and her market basket on the other. "Well; dame, welcome home!” says Farmer Ashfieldl "What; news does’ thee bring from | .market?" ‘What 1 alius told thee,” replied the dame, “thait Farmer Grundy’s wheat brought f\Vc’ |shillings a quarter more than ours did.” “All the better for he!” says the ' farmer:; “And I assure you. Dame ;j Grundy’s butter was quite’ the crack (it’ the market.” “Be quiet, wool thee ? Alius ding, dinging Dame Grundy into, my i ears. What will- Mrs; ’ Grundy say? s Canst thee not be quiet,- let ur alone, . and- behave thyzel, pretty ?”. , ■ But Mrs. Ashfield faih£ to Comply ’• with her husbanu's commands, and l continues to quOte what Mrs. Grundy . does and says, until 1 ' her rhrisb&nd cries [ out angrily—“l do verily believe' that - when thee goest to t’othOii world the: ! vurst question thce’U-ax’ Will be-if MtS > Grundy’s there!' So, for the past f2O years “Propriety”that"which ‘is “proper,” that which “society” per- ■ mits and which she; fro was; Upon’, the unwritten law which' keeps iis “in our s place,” and obliges ■ us,, to act arid l speak and dress according; to rule—is called by the nariie of the chai-acter i ; in Thomas Morton’s play.