DOI Heft:
January to June, 1850
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16605#0010
9
TRAPS AND RATTLE TRAPS.
There must be something quite Hindooish in the constitution of the
British female of our own day, for in spite of every warning she is
continually rushing to the alarming sacrifice. Directly a linen-draper
raises the alarm, and intimates to the public an extensive smash or
crash, the British female runs forward to be smashed or crashed, as the
case may be, and to implicate herself in the meshes of some ruinous and
tremendous failure. The Linendrapery Juggernaut has an uninterrupted
stream of female victims throwing themselves constantly beneath it,
and we can scarcely pity them, when, having voluntarily placed them-
selves in the power of the victimiser, they find their retreat rudely cut
off, and their escape impossible.
All sorts of
expedients are
now adopted to
prevent the de-
parture of a fair
captive, who has
" OUR WASHERWOMAN \ "
[The interests of society demand the insertion of the subjoined
letter].
"Oh, Mr. Punch!
" Talk of undertakers' charges ! Talk of butchers' and
bakers' bills! Well—Christmas is the time for making a to-do about
them, certainly. But of all the expense and ruination to families,
there's nothing comes near the wickedness there is in washing. Here,
I came up a month ago, next Wednesday, to keep house for Augustus,
who I hope and trust will succeed in his profession, and in his poor
Uncle's time, when he lived in the Cottage, having none of our own,
we considered him as such, and used to wash him in the country. I
know he '11 never forget his poor Aunt, and how nice his things used
to be sent him, without speck or spot, as white and as sweet as
lilies, without a rumple or a crease, and not a button off any of them.
So, when I got here, I took and looked over his linen, when lo, and
behold you, it was all shrids and fribbits, the pleats of the shirt-fronts
slit all up, the gussets unripped, the backs all in holes, and the rest as
once -been tempt- A-^jl^J^'n I j*^^. rotten as a pear; and his sheets the same, and his night-gowns, and
ed within the BfCR Q, A J W C |PL night-caps, and his doileys, fit for nothing but to make tinder of, and
cheap linen-dra- • •—-——I j~> i that is no use now they have those dangerous cqngreves. _ His best silk
pery establish- ^ £l"ltiy g off I lif handkerchiefs I bought myself, and gave five shillings a-piece for, worn
ment, to which j^^^=S=^=^^^| || ^^s. to rags, worse than old dusters; his drawers and under-waistcoats,
the cave of the l^^i^^^^^^^TllPL--^ ^^s. nne mermo, patched all over with calico, and his poor toes coming
forty thieves af- p| BAFi K InUFt^P^I' I !ITl?TlTirmT^>- through his socks. 'Gracious goodness! Augustus/ I said, 'how
fords a fit com- M\ C~m^T.- Sill ! I Uliil y°u have been wearing out vour things.' 'Well,' he says, 'Aunt, I
pamon. Steps fc^iiiy-K 31 SltS&llP\ don,t how {t is' ' WeU>' Said T' 'it;'s very stranSe-' But 1
are drawn across liinvil^^^iSss Willi 111 IllfllllflwP^IJr^s. soon found out the reason. Not more than twice had I sent my own
the door to bar fHi^WBH 1 I t' I WlMU I ? things to the wash, when home they came; my frills hat I had only
her egress, and itob^Sp'V I, ,,! IfMJjlI^ili* y.i i)u MM i / just made up myself; my capes and collars bran new; my shimmyzetts,
an unrestricted lifeE: liiHfl IKMMi\\lwmW^\l i and everything in jags and tatters. Shameful! Shocking ! Scandalous !
opening of the fiEKRE Ifi I 11 Ik f.fffi|H''W l II 'IWfllljP My linendraper's bill had just come in, five pounds ten and sixpence-
purse is the only ' mrpj I 1 I/I ifbHiipipr' ' halfpenny, if a farthing ; and all my nice things spoiled. Abominable!
OpenSesame" | 'K1 r |jl i^1. I LP filif You may suppose I gave our Washerwoman a pretty talking to; but
which will set JfcTT J11' 1 lU' 'tmC&JP WiW> what do vou think I found out? I said to her * * * \Weareunder
her again at lib- limn'/sL=.J' /l\> I Pi ^i^fnDTTr^fij ^ "JliW! W P^SV ' the necessity of slightly curtailing tJie conversation.— Ed.]
erty. We begin JI [|Q] /W ttffi^ . and she said * * * * and then says Jane * * * and so
to see the drift ^J! JJ/ ^==^1 J ' IWlifMj i.^f}.-W^^^~ And I pound it was all because they use Bleaching Powder !
of those remark- Plf^J^^k I IllMrJffJ^^17- Yes, Mr. Punch; that is what the nasty lazy old creatures do to
able contrivances <^Mj , \sW SilU'rui^^^- ' save trouble. They might as well steep things in vittril, or put them
lor shutting up /jj^d^^' \fsa I|J^ into the fire to be cleaned, as I have heard is done with clothes made
a shop entrance ^~~ out of ashbestis. This is how my beautiful aprons, every one, and all
by means of a " ^Jt^— Augustus's table-cloths, and each bit of under-clothing we have either
f ,of blind of us got, have all been ruined. Besides, the bleaching only whitens
iormed of iron bars, which, upon being let down, would at once convert the dirt—doesn't get it out, so it is nasty as well as destructive. I
ttle establishment into a trap, in which the customer remains caged have no patience with those good-for-nothing washerwomen that eat up
until the ransom is paid under the nominal guise of purchases. J our clothes, worse than moths, in this way; it is a sin. There is quite
We recommend the British female to avoid every puffing concern waste enough in every house without that. Do, pray, Mr. Funch, try
these prison-like arrangements are in use, or she may find her- ' your best to put down this wicked system of washing; and the save it
'« !f against her will until she submits- to be alarmingly j will be, and the distress you will remove, and the dreadful scenes of
sacnhced. ; passion and scolding that you will prevent, there is no saying. Do, Sir,
:---— and I am sure I shall ever be,
" Your thankful Reader,
THREE BUTCHERS' BRIDE " Sarah Trimmer."
A Lady, residing in Aldgate, writes a letter to the Times in defence
of the high charges of butchers, on the plea of the hardships endured
by that class of persons. "I have been," savs this good lady, "a
butcher's wife on and off for the last 26 years "—a piece of information
which she explains by stating :—
DEPOSITS FOR THE SINKING EUND.
We present Mr. Disraeli with the following small deposits for his
' I have had three hushands all butchers, and my last died only six months ago." \ Sinking-Eund-.
Nevertheless she asks Westminster Bridge, which looks in such a very weak state that we
\ , . ,. are sure it is gradually sinking.
How would my lady customers like their husbands to come to bed at 1 o'clock, , Thp yipw fnnnHp tn TWkine-ham Palacp which has sunk the remainder
smelling of beef or mutton suet, and other things too delicate to mention ? " ' - new facade to BUCKDlgflam r aiacewmcn nas sunK tne remainder
' of the building to the very lowest insignificance
Considering that the worthy widow has had a threefold experience
of such husbands, we must say she appears to have been singularly
wedded to butchers.
The Experiment of Lodging-Houses.
Punch hails with all his heart the opening of the lodging-house for
234 single men in Spitalfields. He sincerely hopes that the success of
the establishment, as regards the single, will lead to its wider appli-
cation to the married. He supposes it was tried on first with the
bachelors—whom certainly it has proved to fit—in accordance with the
maxim—" Fiat experimentum in corpore vili."
Our Sixpenn'orth of Meat.—Just to show how impartially we
can view either side of a question, we will say that in the case of Bull
versus^ Butcher, Mr. Bull is acting very like Sky lock-determined to
have his pound of flesh for his money. 1 tleman, said "that it cer'ainly was making hay in fine weather
Mr. Charles Phillips's Letter, which has been the means of sinking
him in the public estimation.
And lastly, Mr. Disraeli's speeches on agricultural questions, which
we are sure are heavy enough to sink anything.
The above are sufficient to start the famous Sinking Eund, for at
present it is a matter of such very little account that we doubt if there
is any foundation for it at all. We really believe the Eund in question
is nothing more than a mere Eund of Humour, upon which Mr.
Disraeli draws pretty freely as often as he wishes to nay off the poor
Protectionists.
Midwinter Harvest.
In the course of a suburban walk last Saturday, in company with an
acquaintance, we passed a horse-pond, out of which some confectioner's
men were loading a donkey-cart with ice. On our observing that this
was a wise, preparation for next summer, our companion, an Irish gen-
TRAPS AND RATTLE TRAPS.
There must be something quite Hindooish in the constitution of the
British female of our own day, for in spite of every warning she is
continually rushing to the alarming sacrifice. Directly a linen-draper
raises the alarm, and intimates to the public an extensive smash or
crash, the British female runs forward to be smashed or crashed, as the
case may be, and to implicate herself in the meshes of some ruinous and
tremendous failure. The Linendrapery Juggernaut has an uninterrupted
stream of female victims throwing themselves constantly beneath it,
and we can scarcely pity them, when, having voluntarily placed them-
selves in the power of the victimiser, they find their retreat rudely cut
off, and their escape impossible.
All sorts of
expedients are
now adopted to
prevent the de-
parture of a fair
captive, who has
" OUR WASHERWOMAN \ "
[The interests of society demand the insertion of the subjoined
letter].
"Oh, Mr. Punch!
" Talk of undertakers' charges ! Talk of butchers' and
bakers' bills! Well—Christmas is the time for making a to-do about
them, certainly. But of all the expense and ruination to families,
there's nothing comes near the wickedness there is in washing. Here,
I came up a month ago, next Wednesday, to keep house for Augustus,
who I hope and trust will succeed in his profession, and in his poor
Uncle's time, when he lived in the Cottage, having none of our own,
we considered him as such, and used to wash him in the country. I
know he '11 never forget his poor Aunt, and how nice his things used
to be sent him, without speck or spot, as white and as sweet as
lilies, without a rumple or a crease, and not a button off any of them.
So, when I got here, I took and looked over his linen, when lo, and
behold you, it was all shrids and fribbits, the pleats of the shirt-fronts
slit all up, the gussets unripped, the backs all in holes, and the rest as
once -been tempt- A-^jl^J^'n I j*^^. rotten as a pear; and his sheets the same, and his night-gowns, and
ed within the BfCR Q, A J W C |PL night-caps, and his doileys, fit for nothing but to make tinder of, and
cheap linen-dra- • •—-——I j~> i that is no use now they have those dangerous cqngreves. _ His best silk
pery establish- ^ £l"ltiy g off I lif handkerchiefs I bought myself, and gave five shillings a-piece for, worn
ment, to which j^^^=S=^=^^^| || ^^s. to rags, worse than old dusters; his drawers and under-waistcoats,
the cave of the l^^i^^^^^^^TllPL--^ ^^s. nne mermo, patched all over with calico, and his poor toes coming
forty thieves af- p| BAFi K InUFt^P^I' I !ITl?TlTirmT^>- through his socks. 'Gracious goodness! Augustus/ I said, 'how
fords a fit com- M\ C~m^T.- Sill ! I Uliil y°u have been wearing out vour things.' 'Well,' he says, 'Aunt, I
pamon. Steps fc^iiiy-K 31 SltS&llP\ don,t how {t is' ' WeU>' Said T' 'it;'s very stranSe-' But 1
are drawn across liinvil^^^iSss Willi 111 IllfllllflwP^IJr^s. soon found out the reason. Not more than twice had I sent my own
the door to bar fHi^WBH 1 I t' I WlMU I ? things to the wash, when home they came; my frills hat I had only
her egress, and itob^Sp'V I, ,,! IfMJjlI^ili* y.i i)u MM i / just made up myself; my capes and collars bran new; my shimmyzetts,
an unrestricted lifeE: liiHfl IKMMi\\lwmW^\l i and everything in jags and tatters. Shameful! Shocking ! Scandalous !
opening of the fiEKRE Ifi I 11 Ik f.fffi|H''W l II 'IWfllljP My linendraper's bill had just come in, five pounds ten and sixpence-
purse is the only ' mrpj I 1 I/I ifbHiipipr' ' halfpenny, if a farthing ; and all my nice things spoiled. Abominable!
OpenSesame" | 'K1 r |jl i^1. I LP filif You may suppose I gave our Washerwoman a pretty talking to; but
which will set JfcTT J11' 1 lU' 'tmC&JP WiW> what do vou think I found out? I said to her * * * \Weareunder
her again at lib- limn'/sL=.J' /l\> I Pi ^i^fnDTTr^fij ^ "JliW! W P^SV ' the necessity of slightly curtailing tJie conversation.— Ed.]
erty. We begin JI [|Q] /W ttffi^ . and she said * * * * and then says Jane * * * and so
to see the drift ^J! JJ/ ^==^1 J ' IWlifMj i.^f}.-W^^^~ And I pound it was all because they use Bleaching Powder !
of those remark- Plf^J^^k I IllMrJffJ^^17- Yes, Mr. Punch; that is what the nasty lazy old creatures do to
able contrivances <^Mj , \sW SilU'rui^^^- ' save trouble. They might as well steep things in vittril, or put them
lor shutting up /jj^d^^' \fsa I|J^ into the fire to be cleaned, as I have heard is done with clothes made
a shop entrance ^~~ out of ashbestis. This is how my beautiful aprons, every one, and all
by means of a " ^Jt^— Augustus's table-cloths, and each bit of under-clothing we have either
f ,of blind of us got, have all been ruined. Besides, the bleaching only whitens
iormed of iron bars, which, upon being let down, would at once convert the dirt—doesn't get it out, so it is nasty as well as destructive. I
ttle establishment into a trap, in which the customer remains caged have no patience with those good-for-nothing washerwomen that eat up
until the ransom is paid under the nominal guise of purchases. J our clothes, worse than moths, in this way; it is a sin. There is quite
We recommend the British female to avoid every puffing concern waste enough in every house without that. Do, pray, Mr. Funch, try
these prison-like arrangements are in use, or she may find her- ' your best to put down this wicked system of washing; and the save it
'« !f against her will until she submits- to be alarmingly j will be, and the distress you will remove, and the dreadful scenes of
sacnhced. ; passion and scolding that you will prevent, there is no saying. Do, Sir,
:---— and I am sure I shall ever be,
" Your thankful Reader,
THREE BUTCHERS' BRIDE " Sarah Trimmer."
A Lady, residing in Aldgate, writes a letter to the Times in defence
of the high charges of butchers, on the plea of the hardships endured
by that class of persons. "I have been," savs this good lady, "a
butcher's wife on and off for the last 26 years "—a piece of information
which she explains by stating :—
DEPOSITS FOR THE SINKING EUND.
We present Mr. Disraeli with the following small deposits for his
' I have had three hushands all butchers, and my last died only six months ago." \ Sinking-Eund-.
Nevertheless she asks Westminster Bridge, which looks in such a very weak state that we
\ , . ,. are sure it is gradually sinking.
How would my lady customers like their husbands to come to bed at 1 o'clock, , Thp yipw fnnnHp tn TWkine-ham Palacp which has sunk the remainder
smelling of beef or mutton suet, and other things too delicate to mention ? " ' - new facade to BUCKDlgflam r aiacewmcn nas sunK tne remainder
' of the building to the very lowest insignificance
Considering that the worthy widow has had a threefold experience
of such husbands, we must say she appears to have been singularly
wedded to butchers.
The Experiment of Lodging-Houses.
Punch hails with all his heart the opening of the lodging-house for
234 single men in Spitalfields. He sincerely hopes that the success of
the establishment, as regards the single, will lead to its wider appli-
cation to the married. He supposes it was tried on first with the
bachelors—whom certainly it has proved to fit—in accordance with the
maxim—" Fiat experimentum in corpore vili."
Our Sixpenn'orth of Meat.—Just to show how impartially we
can view either side of a question, we will say that in the case of Bull
versus^ Butcher, Mr. Bull is acting very like Sky lock-determined to
have his pound of flesh for his money. 1 tleman, said "that it cer'ainly was making hay in fine weather
Mr. Charles Phillips's Letter, which has been the means of sinking
him in the public estimation.
And lastly, Mr. Disraeli's speeches on agricultural questions, which
we are sure are heavy enough to sink anything.
The above are sufficient to start the famous Sinking Eund, for at
present it is a matter of such very little account that we doubt if there
is any foundation for it at all. We really believe the Eund in question
is nothing more than a mere Eund of Humour, upon which Mr.
Disraeli draws pretty freely as often as he wishes to nay off the poor
Protectionists.
Midwinter Harvest.
In the course of a suburban walk last Saturday, in company with an
acquaintance, we passed a horse-pond, out of which some confectioner's
men were loading a donkey-cart with ice. On our observing that this
was a wise, preparation for next summer, our companion, an Irish gen-