HOME GOSSIP

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2106, 4 October 1875, Page 4

HOME GOSSIP

1?OB THE EVENING STAR.

' London, July 2.8, 1875. ;> Gf course the season is over^ or supposed to be so. No dbMbt our patriotic premier was;ftilly con?ince^;that it ought to be whefibe sq ruthlessly endeavoured to consign the "IMeVcb'ant''Shfpping Bill" to limbo thgotjier evening, and raided, a burst of indignant denunciation from its enthusiastic supporter, Mr.Plimsoll \ very unusual in these ;d»ys of Dutch oven flatness, according tbrMr Dick Swiveller's simile. If the opera season is closed; if the Picture Galleries are about to-close, if-the Prince of /VYales is about to sail for India, if everyone else is going to ' Goodwood or elsewhere—l really forget whether the Prince is going to Goodwood before he goes to. India—then 5 why not the Premier be allowed to go somewhere ? Why is he to be kept in town for such a trivial consideration as a " Merchant Shipping Bill ?" Why is the probable loss of a few rotten ships, and some hundreds of common sailors more or less within the next year to keep the courtly author of " Lpthair," the graphic depietor : of gilded boudoirs, of gold-laden dinner tables, of toilets priceless with lace and jewels, from the scenes in which his soul delights?, IJow gracefully he expressed his intention of " postponing " the paltry measure, We need not say* The light and easy manner in which he proposed to shelve it was worthy of Mr Harold Skimpole. Unfortunately, no one else could be brought to see the thing in the same light. A ssuredly Mr Plimsoll could, not; and, although he proceeded to denounce the Premier and the Premier's proposal in language which could not be construed into " a parliamentary sense," and, indeed, in -his excitement, soon lost any sense at all, the whole of our generally unexcitable world is with him. In fact, even the few amongst vs — and" they are very few —who don't care for the Merchant Shipping Bill in itself, and did not' care much for Mr Plimsolls as originator and advocate of a measure for.the, protection of our "jolly tars," whose assumed carelessness of their own lives is such a charming thing for us to grow sentimental about when there is nothing more sensational afloat among us, care a great deal for him now on their own account. We are not quite so used up, so completely Dutch ovenish, but that we can appreciate enthusiasm or excitement when we are not called upon to be enthusiastic or excited ourselves. Indeed how else could it be that we encourage sensational novel-writing, and have shown a decided preference these last two seasons for a "roll call 1' for wounded soldiers, and our Infantry square, receiving Cavalry, over "first sermons" or first pairs of/shoes, or first coal scuttles, or anything else of ;like. nature among the pictures in our;;Arfc Exhibitions. We can't be at the-trouble of being very much 3&Earnest about anything. So be it; but let no one think that we have quite lost the.'sense that earnestness is a good thing. Not at all. We lite earnestness, but we like-to have it done for us ; and if any one c'onsidefS 1 "'this an unsatisfactory .state of feeling or conduct, let it be admitted that in nine cases out of ten it is better done than we could do it ourselves. Well just now Mr Plimsoll has done it for us. We have, been indignant—through Mr Plimsdli—that the lites of. our merchant seamen have been put into jeopardy, if not actually sacrificed to the carelessness or the cupidity of shipowners ; we have been excited and wrathful —through Mr Plimsoll —that the Prime Minister, that the ministry, any ministry, should coolly propose to postpone legislation for their better safety; we have—always through Mr Plimsoll—shaken our fists in ministers' fa es ; and called ministers generally, and members of Parliament generally, villians andsb'fofth ; and, generally denounced such a proposal as infamous aiad rascally; and we think ourselves, and we really are —through Mr Plimsoll—veryrfine fellows; and—we are reposing on our laurels, and de-erve to be allowed to be more Dutch ovenish than ever. Pray don't, move us again, thi*ough Mr Anybody! It does not seem likely; yet stay; we have one more terribly in earnest person among us; but really we could, even were we the very contrary of Dutch ovenish in our natures and proclivities, dispense with his earnestness. One Mr Jenkins, "ane reverend gentleman," and a vicar of the Church of England, has refused the sacrament of the Lord's "Supper to one Mr Cook, a parishioner, for what think you ? Atheism,; any of the isms, even rheumatism, which the old parish clerk of old times considered the worst of them all ? Not one of them. Mr Cook is a staunch believer in his God, and a staunch upholder of his God's religion; and not only that,,but he. is a staunch observer of liis God's commandments. Unfortunately, however, Mr" Cook will not give in his adhesion to the Devil. He will not believe in aiild Clootie, old Nick, old Harry, or whatever you may be disposed to call him. He has " historic doubts " concerning an individual, who, r to say the least, has been so very diversely represented by his historians that such doubts can scarcely be matter of surprise. Now Mr Cook, be it observed, does not deny that there may; be a certain evil spirit upen "the strength of whose temptations or suggestions we may comfortably throw all the evil we do, and all the good we leave undone. That indeed would be admitted by all orthodox people to be an unbelief quite sufficient to exclude him from any communion of saints. If we could-not throw our laziness, our. selfishness, our greediness, together with other coarser little propensities upon someone or something w^iere would we be ? There could, in fact, be, no such thing as a communion of saints, for there would be no saints to commune. But Mr Cook merely denies the'personality of Satan, which personality, as far as. we know anything about it, implies hoofs, horns, tail, claws,-etc M outwardly, and such a very; disagreeable internal economy as produced the reeking and squeaking and shrieking, the fizzling and hissing and mist of steam, the eye-balls of fire, and all the rest of it, when St. Nicholas administered a simple pint and a-.half of holy water. And surely, even on the authority of this , legend, Mr Cook might be forgiven his doubt, for did not the Abbot, albeit a most orthodox and pious prelate, fail to recognise his visitor, when under the disguise of;old Plantagenet's'daughter, until St. Nichoi*B applied the aforesaid holy water with , the aforesaid effects P Lei Mr Jenkins produce the holy water and

thereby show us " the terrible claws" and the " horrible snout,'' and eke administer tho "Icrriblc thwack" which sent his namesake back to his dominions with such celerity as to knock " Mammon the meaguo o'er pursy Belphegor, 'and Lucifer* into Beelzebub's lap," and then perhaps Mr Cook will give up his scepticism. In the meantime holy water is not so poweivi ful as it used to be, or Mr Jenkins has pot the gout which deprives/his h/oly f toe of tlto vigour possessed by that of{:St. Nicholas, for he is only "baring recourse to the very prosaic process of the law in order to —we can]t r say exorcise Mr Cook, we must really ,say \bs?dejril: him. The enthusiasm of Mr Jenkins, however, in the cause of the Devil, and jn the jponversion of his flock to that csiuse, Si not to be surpassed. Our season closes with the deaths of three memorable persons—Lady Franklin, Sir Francis Bond Head, and' Sir Charles Locock. Everybody knows of Lady Franklin's intense-devotion to her husband* and her intense enthusiasm in the cause for -which he sacrificed his life; but everybody perhaps does not know that she was from her youth passionately devoted to travelling herself; and had indeed travelled in many parts of the world, first with her father and then with her husband, itr which, at the time she visited them, female travellers were unknown. As an instance she was the first lady who made the overland journey from Melbourne to Sydney. She also travelled with her husband in the East previous to his being appointed Governor of Van Pieman's Land. Sir Francis Bond Head, born in 1793, entered the Eoyal Engineers in 1811. He fought at the battle of Waterloo, and had two horses shot under him. In 1835 while holding the appointment of Assistant Poor Law Commissioner in the County of Kent, he was, at a moment's, notice appointed Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada; and immediately found himself actively engaged in warfare again. With the aid of the Militia he succeeded in repressing the rebellion, and repulsing tho " sympathizers " from the United States, who, in lare bodies, invaded our American possessions : for which services he was in 1838 created a baronet. He was also a Knight of the Guelphic Order, and, ; of the Prussian Order of Merit. Asa well known author he received a pension of £100 in consideration of the usefulness of his contributions to literature. Of Sir Charles Locock's exploits if we cannot say thpy were as brilliant, who who can presume to say they were not as useful, and as interesting; for did he not introduce to the world every interesting little stranger which Her Gracious Majesty has given her people — from Princess Royal, mother of so many little interesting strangers on her own account, to Princess Beatrice, whom we loyally hope may be the mother of as many more. As no one can have any reasonable doubt that he was royally rewarded for his interesting and loyal services, gossip may leave his financial circumstances alone, and pass on to some talk on the financial success of a worthy and also memorable couple among us who are not dead, but—married. Some months ago Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Hall celebrated their golden wedding, and presented to each one of the visitors on that interesting occasion, a photograph, of themselves, with a copy of verses written by Mr. Hall in horioiir of his fifty years' wife. Very pretty the verses were, and very excellent the photograph, we make no doubt; and far be it from any one to apply to the gift or gifts the proverbial expression touching sprats and mackerel: indeed, it would not be appropriate, seeing that tho sprat—as represented by the photograph and verses in this case, if anyone could be so ill-mannered as to thus represent them—;has caught, not a mackerel, but a whale. The golden .wedding, and the gilded reception, and the photographs, and the verses, have produced a subscription which has produced £1500, which is to produce an. annuity for the venerable couple so goldenly married in their old age. May St. Nicholas apply his holy toe to all getters-up of testimonials from henceforth, for evermore, amen. Whocan blame Mr. and Mrs. S.C. Hall for acceptingthe £1500 offered to them ? No one. Neither, assuredly, can anyone say that Mr. and Mrs S. C; Hall do not deserve the esteem and affection of their numerous friends, as well as -tbe respect of society in general. We have few writers among us whose own lives as well as their works are more worthy of admiration and love than theirs; but why, in the name of common decency, not to say common sense; "a testimonial?" Why put them on the begging list? and why have this sort of begging list at all ? Why not subscribe a little sum, generous public, for the young author or artist beginning his career, to give him heart and hope for his, work, and preserve him from the dreary hack-writing or pot-boiler pointing, which pursued for some time must crush all genius outof him P Or why not give a testimonial to the old author or artist who has worked, and not badly neither, yet has never been successful, chiefly, perhaps, because the genius was rSO crushed out of him ? Mr and Mrs S. C. Hall, as everyone knows who knows their style if living, and has seen "their elegant and luxurious home, are spending, and are able to spend, their latter days in affluence and comfort.' It is "bad taste, be assured, admiring friends—the bad taste of the age, perhaps, not of yourselves individually, which measures friendship by the sum subscribed for a testimonial; and the sooner it is exploded the better.

St. Swithin, thank his saintship, seems inclined to let. us off with less than the forty days. Monday was altogether fair, and there have been slight showers since ; the floods in the county we hear are abating; and the harvest having been rather backward, owing to the want of rain during April and May, it is hoped that the damage will not be so great as was at first anticipated.