DOI issue:
January to June, 1853
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16611#0041
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 33
THE ACTOR'S ORTHOGRAPHY.
WE have heard that there
THE NESTOR OE THE NAYY.
Oh, the days when I was young !
is a sort of enchant- j In George the Third's old precious time,
ment in the profession When, all his jolly dogs among,
of the actor, but whether ; The Prince op Wales was in his prime,
there is or no, we are j I recollect Ddndas and Pitt,
quite sure that there is How Pox was famous for his tongue,
a peculiar spell about And Sheridan renowned for wit,
All in the days when I was young.
the stage, which is only
to be met with in the
pronunciation of those
who appear before a
theatrical audience. We
his name is iden-
tified ?
We would ask why the letter t can't be followed in the same word by the letter r without
Oh, the days when I was young!
I oft saw Mrs. Jordan play,
And rogues and vagabonds were hiiuc.
wusawiuai uuweiice. vv e j ° n gfoaW every dav
should hke to ask- Th * £ dd ^ th f ^ th
and would ask if there ^ then th war ^ F ^
were any chance of our And then did I first go to sea,
getting a satisfactory M ^ th d £ j w '
answer—why it is that j jo
the orthography of real Oh, the days when I was young !
life is abandoned on the Beneath old Howe's and Vincent's flag
other side of the foot- I often to the topmast clung —
bghts, which seems to A thing of which I needn't brag,
be the boundary of a And under Collingwood I served,
region where Mavor is Long ere this leg was swathed and slum
unknown, and where And my promotion I deserved,
Carpenter _ exists m All in the days when I was young,
his mechanical form
alone, without any of Oh, the days when I was young !
those lexicographical I helped Lord Nelson to the Nile,
attributes with which | Whilst Dibdin's songs our seamen sung ;
And now I am a grey old file !
I also fought at Trafalgar,
Then down my arms in honour flung ;
the intrusion of an impertinent vowel to disturb the union ? Why, in fact, is " retribution" Since then I've seen no more of war
always "rete-ribution" in the mouth of the tragedian? and why cannot he utter the word J^one, smce the days when 1 was young,
"truth" without putting into it so many eeee's as to make it a matter of much difficulty, and ^ d when I was young
no ease at all to follow him ? The letter r altogether seems to be marked out for persecution nV Q+ Q_+ QT1(q „„;™no nm,ij i
on toe stage, as even at the beginning or the end ot a word it is not allowed to have its *+ iaoo+ _ij i^tt- ^-nii- Wno-
natural force, without an attempt to tack something extraneous on to it Por example That rateg aboye a Seventy.pour-
revenge is sure to become a-a-revenge m the ordinary actor s moutn, ana terror j j >m appointed to command
is amplified into " terror-a" by the lips of the " leading man" at a melo-dramatic establishment, j M batt£ed shattered, and unstrung ;
lhe treatment ot the vowels is oiten no less cruel than that ot the consonants, and a i „ou^y f00t j 0h snakv hand!
system of substitution is practised with no other apparent motive than to make speaking; ^d ou the davs wken'l was youn°-'
on the stage as unlike speaking anywhere else as possible. The " pestilence ' of Mayor ' ' °
becomes " pest-a-lence, when mentioned by an actor in his part- the "clear sky" is —
deprived of all its clearness, by being tortured into "skeyie;" and tne " transparent blue "
is hardly to be seen through from the intensity of the "biee-you" that is thrown into it. ENGLAND'S BEST DEFENCES.
"Terrible ' is converted into " terra-bul;' a "crime" is rendered far more atrocious
by being extended into a " cer-r-r-r-ime : " and the actor generally makes an injudicious tue Y\.e .9 oi the coast were defended
display of his love of letters, by dragging as many letters as he can into every syllable he W a g°od line of railway with trains running at
utters. We hear occasionally of youth having been driven to the theatre by certain aspirations, a^ kowcs, and garrisoned with an efficient corps
and, indeed, those aspirations have often been manifest to the audience; though they have °* signalmen and guardsmen, picked from our
been sadly misplaced, for what can justify the aspiration which converts " action " into worst-managed Ptadway Companies, we are con-
" haction,'" and treats "every hope of earthly happiness " as nothing better than "hevery ndent that Lotis Napoleon would at once
ope of hearthly appiness." We should be very glad to break the disenchantment of the sort abandon all ambitions idea of invading England
of spell that hovers about the atmosphere of the stage ; and, if we have spoken plainly, it is t°r to ]ana &n army 011 the coast in the teeth ot
only with the hope that the actors may attempt to follow the example, by trying to speak for such strong defences would be only to expose it
the future as plainly as we have done. to certam death. Once set the trams running,
and not a I renchman would be tound to tace
the fearful danger, more especially, if a set of
TALK OP THE WEATHER. ' time-tables were published, " by Authority" at
A learned discussion has lately been going on with reference to the causes of rain: and, *e same V^iod The, 9^ J^te'i^S
ready, after the very wet weather we have lad during so many months, it is refreshing to ^Sr^J^'l^^SS
get hold of a thoroughly dry subject. We shad be delighted if the gentlemen who Gave °J Committee-man of our numerous railway
kindly taken the cause of rain in hand will effectuady clear it up, to the satisfaction of all companies we. should confer the proud honour
parties. One learned writer attributes it to the "rapid union of two or more volumes of of \e1^ *PP<™ted Commande r-m-Cbef of these
air;" and considering the rapidity with which several volumes of airy nothings are con- most ™Portant fortrficationsAlli claims how-
tinuadv issuing from fhe Presi wl cannot be snxprised at the dampneJof the atmosphere. Z^\^^Mo^%&£
Stne^ Lme. UnSer its *g3Zr'£££SX£
puffing. Another authority insists that "vapour condenses into rain;" and we ourselves 9f touted, may be safely pronounced to be
can testify that there is a great deal of mere vapouring, which, when condensed into ™fhegXstructive powers 0f railway engines
its due proportions, talis to the ground with amazing rapidity. i u Su i^^A pIi'u™
With every respect for the elaborate inquiry into the subject of where the rain has come ^^^^w tL+^W^n;FKSS
p Se it. x«_-l •( 1 n j_ ;) ■ J • j_ i » -i and it is time now tnat tliose same engmes oi
from we must confess that where it has aU gone to" is a point on which we are quite as destn;ctiSon shovdd be tumed a Uttle against our
mucn puzzled. _ foes> We the damages of the next rail-
way accident, if, with such defences on our coast
Windfalls for the Church. to receive an mvading army, a man of it leaves
The Morning Post states that 291 Clergymen have died during the past year, causing the | the island alive !
transference of ecclesiastical revenues to the amount of £101,449; but as several of them -
were plurabsts with two, three, or four appointments, the distinct benefices may be reckoned
at about 350; by winch computation the Church has gained more in hvings than it has lost Maxim eor the Admiralty.—You may take
in deaths. i a ship to the water, but you can't make it swim.
Vol. 24.
2
THE ACTOR'S ORTHOGRAPHY.
WE have heard that there
THE NESTOR OE THE NAYY.
Oh, the days when I was young !
is a sort of enchant- j In George the Third's old precious time,
ment in the profession When, all his jolly dogs among,
of the actor, but whether ; The Prince op Wales was in his prime,
there is or no, we are j I recollect Ddndas and Pitt,
quite sure that there is How Pox was famous for his tongue,
a peculiar spell about And Sheridan renowned for wit,
All in the days when I was young.
the stage, which is only
to be met with in the
pronunciation of those
who appear before a
theatrical audience. We
his name is iden-
tified ?
We would ask why the letter t can't be followed in the same word by the letter r without
Oh, the days when I was young!
I oft saw Mrs. Jordan play,
And rogues and vagabonds were hiiuc.
wusawiuai uuweiice. vv e j ° n gfoaW every dav
should hke to ask- Th * £ dd ^ th f ^ th
and would ask if there ^ then th war ^ F ^
were any chance of our And then did I first go to sea,
getting a satisfactory M ^ th d £ j w '
answer—why it is that j jo
the orthography of real Oh, the days when I was young !
life is abandoned on the Beneath old Howe's and Vincent's flag
other side of the foot- I often to the topmast clung —
bghts, which seems to A thing of which I needn't brag,
be the boundary of a And under Collingwood I served,
region where Mavor is Long ere this leg was swathed and slum
unknown, and where And my promotion I deserved,
Carpenter _ exists m All in the days when I was young,
his mechanical form
alone, without any of Oh, the days when I was young !
those lexicographical I helped Lord Nelson to the Nile,
attributes with which | Whilst Dibdin's songs our seamen sung ;
And now I am a grey old file !
I also fought at Trafalgar,
Then down my arms in honour flung ;
the intrusion of an impertinent vowel to disturb the union ? Why, in fact, is " retribution" Since then I've seen no more of war
always "rete-ribution" in the mouth of the tragedian? and why cannot he utter the word J^one, smce the days when 1 was young,
"truth" without putting into it so many eeee's as to make it a matter of much difficulty, and ^ d when I was young
no ease at all to follow him ? The letter r altogether seems to be marked out for persecution nV Q+ Q_+ QT1(q „„;™no nm,ij i
on toe stage, as even at the beginning or the end ot a word it is not allowed to have its *+ iaoo+ _ij i^tt- ^-nii- Wno-
natural force, without an attempt to tack something extraneous on to it Por example That rateg aboye a Seventy.pour-
revenge is sure to become a-a-revenge m the ordinary actor s moutn, ana terror j j >m appointed to command
is amplified into " terror-a" by the lips of the " leading man" at a melo-dramatic establishment, j M batt£ed shattered, and unstrung ;
lhe treatment ot the vowels is oiten no less cruel than that ot the consonants, and a i „ou^y f00t j 0h snakv hand!
system of substitution is practised with no other apparent motive than to make speaking; ^d ou the davs wken'l was youn°-'
on the stage as unlike speaking anywhere else as possible. The " pestilence ' of Mayor ' ' °
becomes " pest-a-lence, when mentioned by an actor in his part- the "clear sky" is —
deprived of all its clearness, by being tortured into "skeyie;" and tne " transparent blue "
is hardly to be seen through from the intensity of the "biee-you" that is thrown into it. ENGLAND'S BEST DEFENCES.
"Terrible ' is converted into " terra-bul;' a "crime" is rendered far more atrocious
by being extended into a " cer-r-r-r-ime : " and the actor generally makes an injudicious tue Y\.e .9 oi the coast were defended
display of his love of letters, by dragging as many letters as he can into every syllable he W a g°od line of railway with trains running at
utters. We hear occasionally of youth having been driven to the theatre by certain aspirations, a^ kowcs, and garrisoned with an efficient corps
and, indeed, those aspirations have often been manifest to the audience; though they have °* signalmen and guardsmen, picked from our
been sadly misplaced, for what can justify the aspiration which converts " action " into worst-managed Ptadway Companies, we are con-
" haction,'" and treats "every hope of earthly happiness " as nothing better than "hevery ndent that Lotis Napoleon would at once
ope of hearthly appiness." We should be very glad to break the disenchantment of the sort abandon all ambitions idea of invading England
of spell that hovers about the atmosphere of the stage ; and, if we have spoken plainly, it is t°r to ]ana &n army 011 the coast in the teeth ot
only with the hope that the actors may attempt to follow the example, by trying to speak for such strong defences would be only to expose it
the future as plainly as we have done. to certam death. Once set the trams running,
and not a I renchman would be tound to tace
the fearful danger, more especially, if a set of
TALK OP THE WEATHER. ' time-tables were published, " by Authority" at
A learned discussion has lately been going on with reference to the causes of rain: and, *e same V^iod The, 9^ J^te'i^S
ready, after the very wet weather we have lad during so many months, it is refreshing to ^Sr^J^'l^^SS
get hold of a thoroughly dry subject. We shad be delighted if the gentlemen who Gave °J Committee-man of our numerous railway
kindly taken the cause of rain in hand will effectuady clear it up, to the satisfaction of all companies we. should confer the proud honour
parties. One learned writer attributes it to the "rapid union of two or more volumes of of \e1^ *PP<™ted Commande r-m-Cbef of these
air;" and considering the rapidity with which several volumes of airy nothings are con- most ™Portant fortrficationsAlli claims how-
tinuadv issuing from fhe Presi wl cannot be snxprised at the dampneJof the atmosphere. Z^\^^Mo^%&£
Stne^ Lme. UnSer its *g3Zr'£££SX£
puffing. Another authority insists that "vapour condenses into rain;" and we ourselves 9f touted, may be safely pronounced to be
can testify that there is a great deal of mere vapouring, which, when condensed into ™fhegXstructive powers 0f railway engines
its due proportions, talis to the ground with amazing rapidity. i u Su i^^A pIi'u™
With every respect for the elaborate inquiry into the subject of where the rain has come ^^^^w tL+^W^n;FKSS
p Se it. x«_-l •( 1 n j_ ;) ■ J • j_ i » -i and it is time now tnat tliose same engmes oi
from we must confess that where it has aU gone to" is a point on which we are quite as destn;ctiSon shovdd be tumed a Uttle against our
mucn puzzled. _ foes> We the damages of the next rail-
way accident, if, with such defences on our coast
Windfalls for the Church. to receive an mvading army, a man of it leaves
The Morning Post states that 291 Clergymen have died during the past year, causing the | the island alive !
transference of ecclesiastical revenues to the amount of £101,449; but as several of them -
were plurabsts with two, three, or four appointments, the distinct benefices may be reckoned
at about 350; by winch computation the Church has gained more in hvings than it has lost Maxim eor the Admiralty.—You may take
in deaths. i a ship to the water, but you can't make it swim.
Vol. 24.
2