PROFESSOR BLACKIE ON BAZAARS AND BEGGING.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3168, 15 April 1879, Page 1

PROFESSOR BLACKIE ON BAZAARS AND BEGGING.

! The Edinburgh University Students' Club Bazaar was' opened on Saturday by Dean Montgomery. Profesßdrßlackie I was also present, and delivered an ad? dress. He. declared the bazaar ,irM no| open for business till hit speech was 'delivered. (Laughter.) He dia not, however want to make a speech, as there was too much random talking in the present jtime, for which reason, being rattier too muoh accustomed to public speaking— idoud laughter)—and being dragged into all kinds of companies—except investment {companies, with which he had no connection—he had pertinaciously and perjsistently refused to have anything to do with opening battars. He did hot to get ithe reputation of being the promoter of jevery man's scheme—(laughter)—and it was a bad reputation to get, and if one ;was always talking, they would be sure to jsay something wrong, which would be reported in the newspapers, and he would be called a general cracker of jokes and a consummate intellectual fool. (Laughter.) jThey must, therefore, understand that on the present occasion he exercised a great ! ;deal of self-denial, and this was positively" the last time. (Loud laughter.); People, should not always be talking;" Ho' jthought Gladstone had hurt himself by that, but he (Professor Blackie) was not a politician, only a professor, and he could say what he pleased, and ididn't care a snuff for? either jiWhigs^ jor Tories,; 'Established or ,any v other* jChurchman. (Laughter*;) 1 Some people 'had a very peculiar kind of conscience 'that was Hke a too susceptible eyeV which jcould not bear the light, and 'tl|B||rendered its possessor as blind ashlar that was sightless. They did not think it was proper to have bazaars* As for himself he considered it was the proper tatog: to !spoil the Egyptians on all occasions. I (Laughter;) 'No better thing couM be jdone taking money out; of people's jpockets for a good object. He himself was perhaps the most expert beggar, exceptirig,' perhaps, the", Freje r f^Hjrch beggars — (loud laughter)—the' 'most expert and successful beggar had appeared., in thji part of the world, actually doing a kind of half thief—(re- !? e«r^J5 akUter)---doing thjnw HjkjL^ld Jacob, adopting all kinds of shifts-which a person with a very tender conscience would not adopt, in ? order to conjure money out of the pockets of'fellow*, who would rather not give it. He, thought that women should do somethinsjin the way of opening bazaars and expounding their philosophy now-a-days when they were 'getting so masculine as to have M.U. after their name—(lnnghter)-^but he stipposed they spoke more gently' ajid in a m»re insinuating way at tilieir own |table», not .only with their mouths, but j with their eyes, aye," with^heifAngerfft with a gentle touch. , (Laughtpr,^ He believed the ladies'..were^ywe m their generation. He could noii' however, 4 be' called upon to. speak of a bazaar, with the objects of which he more thoroughly - sympathised. (Applause.)' Scotch students were hard working ftlldw* he | knew,, although, no rdpubt,- especially in I the- Greek class/ there were always a 1 certain number of- boys who had pre- [ maturely,) left ;>the nursery and jtheir ; mother's strings, land also a number of ' medical: students, young, men, perhaps t ■ 21 years of age, stroking their whisker* > ana : marching, about l»ke" a major of ; draßoons, knocking at eterybody's door \ untU.thelcgreat procession terminated in, ; the police office. But those people were mo9t aWays in-'-a (Applause.) Scotch students "worked-too much alone. The} had ik)o little eUprit rftf/do^aiuong them. r'They did not evefl• know ntheir fellows in the same class; aye, sometimes they ; wouldn't know them—;tbose fine Edinburgh gentlemen belonging to aristo* cratic society, 8ons; of my lord this >or that; who considered; themselves ■■ defiled by T touching a dirty -stupid Highlander. Sotnetimos this might be excused becausd they were dirty fellows, and by historical reputation the Scotch were dirty animals. (Sehsatibni) f; These fine peop'el forgot they were only half redeemed fromithe unreasoning beast—oh! fie for sHame-rf (laughter) - they sat at meat*/by t themselves,* which was a sign of th« savage animal which* retired to a hole"iod:>de« vbured; itsbbnebyitself.' .(Lbttd laughter). Eating together was a sign of'the human beinj*' intellfectuaK He didn't>thinki'be gpuid his beefsteak if it w*renot for his wife and sisters-in-law and th« 'btbe'r'/ fWbmen; and ; they;: ip^nb's threequarters of an hour over a sim^flimeak Gqmin(T^6wh;fron) the dais on«*ttotr he wis' moantedi the" Profeipsbr sWd'fcnow: thai; iM Professor Blnckie's speeobJ ?" !