DOI Heft:
April 6, 1861
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16867#0145
April 6. 1S61.]
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
137
HOORAY—THE STREETS UP AGAIN!”
“ THE HEAD AND FRONT OF THEIR OFFENDING.”
The Musical World, talking of a new piece that has been brought
out at the Varietes, in Paris, says:—
“ The title of the piece, Les Jtamoneurs, will sound obscurely to most of our
readers. It alludes to the practice of certain persons who would conceal the fact
that old Time has been shaving their heads with his scythe, by drawing the still
flowing loco, which he as yet has only ‘ thinned,’ back over the denuded portion
of their craniums. A very bold subject, we should say, for even the flimsiest farce.”
Our harmonious contemporary, instead of “ bold,” might have said,
and probably did intend to say, “ bald.” For, the life of us, we cannot
see the great crop of fun that could have been reaped from the above
barren subject. We agree with our critical friend, that the notion is
decidedly, as a smart Frenchman would say, “ Un peu tire par les
chevevxOur Parisian farceurs may as well take all the human
infirmities, and turn them, one by one, into ridicule. Blindness has
been already operated upon in the form of Les Deux Aveugles. Deaf-
ness has also been treated farcically, whilst the gout has been handled
so roughly and frequently on the stage, that it almost fails now to
excite a laugh. However, we think, the Man With a Wooden Leg would
present a good handle for fun. The wife might in her jealousy take it
away from her husband so as to keep him at home-—or she might light
the fire with it, in order to cook her beloved Arthur's dinner, whilst her
one-legged partner sat writhing on a chair, incapable of moving a
peg; besides a thousand other little pleasantries that would be
sure to command public laughter: for no fun is so irresistible
as that which is based on the distress of another, more especially
(with Frenchmen) when that other [happens to be a husband. La
Dame qui porte une perruque would be another fruitful subject for
a hair-brained vaudevilliste to play humorously with. The denoument,
when her hypocrisy was laid bare, might be made almost tragic
in the very intensity of its fan,—the parting between the Sub-
lime and the Ridiculous being so extremely small, that it would
require a very clever coiffeur indeed to be able to draw the line
of demarcation precisely between the two. The Clairvilles of
the Parisian stage must be at a sad loss for heads of subjects to joke
upon, when they are compelled to cover the nakedness of their humour
with a lock of hair. The fire of French esprit must nearly be burnt
out, when it needs to be lighted afresh with a meche de clieveux.
Hence the necessity, perhaps, of sending for Les Liamoneurs to give it
a thorough good sweeping after so bad a fire.
SPIRITUAL BELL-RINGING.
The attention of the Editor of the Spiritual Magazine is invited to
the subjoined extract from the letter of a Correspondent in Notes and
Queries:—
“ Curious Coincidence.—On Wednesday night, or rather on Thursday morning,
at 3 o’clock, the inhabitants of the metropolis were roused by repeated strokes of
the new great bell at Westminster, and most persons supposed it was for a death in
the Royal Family. There might have been about 20 slow strokes, when it ceased.
It proved, however, to be due to some derangement of the clock, for at 4 and 5
o’clock 10 or 12 strokes were struck instead of the proper number. On mentioning
this in the morning to a friend, who is deep in London antiquities, he observed,
that there is an opinion in the city that anything the matter with St. Paul’s great
bell is an omen of ill to the Royal Family ; and he added, ‘ I hope the opinion
will not extend to the Westminster bell.’ ”
The mysterious phenomenon above described occurred some days
ago, when subsequent events sufficiently prove it to have been ominous.
There can be no doubt whatever that it was supernatural.
“ And the great bell has toll’d, unrung, untouch’d.”
It is very true that the kitchen clock of a writer in these columns
strikes all manner of hours, but even this is a spiritual fact, for that
individual’s habits are irregular, and the clock is deranged by the
influence of our untidy contributor. The rule in all cases of this kind
is to consider whether the marvellous occurrence can be accounted for
on supernatural principles, because, if it can, the truly philosophical
mind will reject the natural solution of the mystery, and adopt the
other.__
And Quite Right Too.
What makes Cavour cry out so loudly for Rome? Why, don’t
vou see, he has a double object, one for himself and one for Italy.
Rome is the centre of his thoughts, because he is anxious to make
“ political Capital ” out of it.
Vol. 40.
5—2
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
137
HOORAY—THE STREETS UP AGAIN!”
“ THE HEAD AND FRONT OF THEIR OFFENDING.”
The Musical World, talking of a new piece that has been brought
out at the Varietes, in Paris, says:—
“ The title of the piece, Les Jtamoneurs, will sound obscurely to most of our
readers. It alludes to the practice of certain persons who would conceal the fact
that old Time has been shaving their heads with his scythe, by drawing the still
flowing loco, which he as yet has only ‘ thinned,’ back over the denuded portion
of their craniums. A very bold subject, we should say, for even the flimsiest farce.”
Our harmonious contemporary, instead of “ bold,” might have said,
and probably did intend to say, “ bald.” For, the life of us, we cannot
see the great crop of fun that could have been reaped from the above
barren subject. We agree with our critical friend, that the notion is
decidedly, as a smart Frenchman would say, “ Un peu tire par les
chevevxOur Parisian farceurs may as well take all the human
infirmities, and turn them, one by one, into ridicule. Blindness has
been already operated upon in the form of Les Deux Aveugles. Deaf-
ness has also been treated farcically, whilst the gout has been handled
so roughly and frequently on the stage, that it almost fails now to
excite a laugh. However, we think, the Man With a Wooden Leg would
present a good handle for fun. The wife might in her jealousy take it
away from her husband so as to keep him at home-—or she might light
the fire with it, in order to cook her beloved Arthur's dinner, whilst her
one-legged partner sat writhing on a chair, incapable of moving a
peg; besides a thousand other little pleasantries that would be
sure to command public laughter: for no fun is so irresistible
as that which is based on the distress of another, more especially
(with Frenchmen) when that other [happens to be a husband. La
Dame qui porte une perruque would be another fruitful subject for
a hair-brained vaudevilliste to play humorously with. The denoument,
when her hypocrisy was laid bare, might be made almost tragic
in the very intensity of its fan,—the parting between the Sub-
lime and the Ridiculous being so extremely small, that it would
require a very clever coiffeur indeed to be able to draw the line
of demarcation precisely between the two. The Clairvilles of
the Parisian stage must be at a sad loss for heads of subjects to joke
upon, when they are compelled to cover the nakedness of their humour
with a lock of hair. The fire of French esprit must nearly be burnt
out, when it needs to be lighted afresh with a meche de clieveux.
Hence the necessity, perhaps, of sending for Les Liamoneurs to give it
a thorough good sweeping after so bad a fire.
SPIRITUAL BELL-RINGING.
The attention of the Editor of the Spiritual Magazine is invited to
the subjoined extract from the letter of a Correspondent in Notes and
Queries:—
“ Curious Coincidence.—On Wednesday night, or rather on Thursday morning,
at 3 o’clock, the inhabitants of the metropolis were roused by repeated strokes of
the new great bell at Westminster, and most persons supposed it was for a death in
the Royal Family. There might have been about 20 slow strokes, when it ceased.
It proved, however, to be due to some derangement of the clock, for at 4 and 5
o’clock 10 or 12 strokes were struck instead of the proper number. On mentioning
this in the morning to a friend, who is deep in London antiquities, he observed,
that there is an opinion in the city that anything the matter with St. Paul’s great
bell is an omen of ill to the Royal Family ; and he added, ‘ I hope the opinion
will not extend to the Westminster bell.’ ”
The mysterious phenomenon above described occurred some days
ago, when subsequent events sufficiently prove it to have been ominous.
There can be no doubt whatever that it was supernatural.
“ And the great bell has toll’d, unrung, untouch’d.”
It is very true that the kitchen clock of a writer in these columns
strikes all manner of hours, but even this is a spiritual fact, for that
individual’s habits are irregular, and the clock is deranged by the
influence of our untidy contributor. The rule in all cases of this kind
is to consider whether the marvellous occurrence can be accounted for
on supernatural principles, because, if it can, the truly philosophical
mind will reject the natural solution of the mystery, and adopt the
other.__
And Quite Right Too.
What makes Cavour cry out so loudly for Rome? Why, don’t
vou see, he has a double object, one for himself and one for Italy.
Rome is the centre of his thoughts, because he is anxious to make
“ political Capital ” out of it.
Vol. 40.
5—2