DOI Heft:
December 16, 1865
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16876#0247
December 16, 1865.] PUNCH OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 235
MIDDLE-CLASS EDUCATION.
MR. SWINDLE’S ONLY METHOD OP PREPARATION FOR THE CHRISTMAS EXAMINATION.
STRANGE CONDUCT OE SIR A. COCKBURN.
A Recent trial has disclosed the fact, that when you buy silver plate,
if you wish that it, should be all silver, you must see that it has the
London Hall Mark upon it, with the Leopard’s Head, and not the
Sheffield Hall Mark, in which is also a Crown. Eor London will stamp
nothing that is not solid, whereas Sheffield allows the manufacturer to
fill up the inside of his articles with sand, solder, Mr. Hadeield’s
lead, Mr. Roebuck’s brass, or anything he pleases.
That, however, is a mere case of caveat emptor, to which Mr. Punch,
as President of the Customers’ Protection Society, incidentally calls
attention, himself expecting many presents this Christmas. But what
he chiefly desires to note was the extraordinary and unlawyerlike
conduct, of the Lord Chief Justice in the trial alluded to. After much
wrangling and mystification, Sir Alexander actually proposed—
“ That one of the articles, a candlestick, about which question was raised, should
be broken, in order to see what the substance really was.”
A shudder went, through the Court. What ? Take the obvious
and direct way of ascertaining the truth, by the evidence of the senses !
Get at a fact in a straightforward fashion! The very rafters of the
Court must have groaned, like the enchanted tree in the story. So
monstrous a proposal we never heard of. If such innovations are
permitted, what next? We shall actually have a cold-blooded suggestion
for abolishing the rules that at present happily prevent a question from
being put to the only person who can know anything about the matter
of which he is accused. Eortunately the Judge was checked in his
unrighteous attempt to get at the truth, “objections” being raised.
But we really think that the matter must not stop here. Lord Chiee
Justice Cockburn is clearly not inspired with the spirit of law, and
we must insist on his taking his coronet and retiring from the headship
of a system not intended for such impatient investigators.
TO A CORRESPONDENT WHO WRITES FROM HALLAMSHIRE.
You are right about the “ Statute of Anne,” but wrong in supposing
that the “ Pilgrimage of Grace ” was undertaken by a young lady of
the middle ages, with the Christian name you say you prefer.
OUR RAILWAY TYRANTS.
In the case of an assault by the Director of a Railway upon one of
its clerks, the Secretary of the Company the other day put forth his
“ solemn opinion ” that—
“ A railway servant was bound to obey an individual Director in regard to any act
be might direct, even to the extent of compelling him to stop a train.”
If this be so, poor Jones, who lives a score of miles from London,
and daily travels by quick trains, is at the mercy of Directors who
happen by ill chance to have their houses on the line between himself
and town. How jolly it must be for Jones, when coming hungry home
to dinner, to have his fast train stopped to set down a Director at some
paltry by-way station, where no one else gets out! No doubt, also, a
j contrary command will be obeyed, and a Director may direct an engine-
driver not to stop, although a stoppage be distinctly announced in the
time-bills. Supposing a Director live a dozen miles from town, and be
rather late for dinner, perhaps he will desire the driver not to stop
} until that distance be accomplished. We think that if this privilege be
j generally acted on, the time-bills should announce that they may be
depended on, “ provided no Director give a contrary command.” In-
deed, people would do well, before paying for their ticket, to ask if a
Director be travelling by the train; and if so, they would do wisely to
defer their journey until the next day.
A Caution in Black and White.
To be on our guard let’s agree,
Against all that may help turn the cry
Of Justice on Eyre, with an e,
To Injustice in Ire, with an i.
A CERTAIN CURE FOR INDIGESTION will be found iu
Punch’s Almanack: which also removes freckles, eradicates ill humours, and
will prove a most effective remedy for baldness, when twisted line a foolscap and
placed upon the head. Moreover, besides being an antidote to nervousness aud
neuralgia, it will be found to put one up to many hundreds of new wrinkles, and to
produce the various old ones that with mirth and laughter come.
MIDDLE-CLASS EDUCATION.
MR. SWINDLE’S ONLY METHOD OP PREPARATION FOR THE CHRISTMAS EXAMINATION.
STRANGE CONDUCT OE SIR A. COCKBURN.
A Recent trial has disclosed the fact, that when you buy silver plate,
if you wish that it, should be all silver, you must see that it has the
London Hall Mark upon it, with the Leopard’s Head, and not the
Sheffield Hall Mark, in which is also a Crown. Eor London will stamp
nothing that is not solid, whereas Sheffield allows the manufacturer to
fill up the inside of his articles with sand, solder, Mr. Hadeield’s
lead, Mr. Roebuck’s brass, or anything he pleases.
That, however, is a mere case of caveat emptor, to which Mr. Punch,
as President of the Customers’ Protection Society, incidentally calls
attention, himself expecting many presents this Christmas. But what
he chiefly desires to note was the extraordinary and unlawyerlike
conduct, of the Lord Chief Justice in the trial alluded to. After much
wrangling and mystification, Sir Alexander actually proposed—
“ That one of the articles, a candlestick, about which question was raised, should
be broken, in order to see what the substance really was.”
A shudder went, through the Court. What ? Take the obvious
and direct way of ascertaining the truth, by the evidence of the senses !
Get at a fact in a straightforward fashion! The very rafters of the
Court must have groaned, like the enchanted tree in the story. So
monstrous a proposal we never heard of. If such innovations are
permitted, what next? We shall actually have a cold-blooded suggestion
for abolishing the rules that at present happily prevent a question from
being put to the only person who can know anything about the matter
of which he is accused. Eortunately the Judge was checked in his
unrighteous attempt to get at the truth, “objections” being raised.
But we really think that the matter must not stop here. Lord Chiee
Justice Cockburn is clearly not inspired with the spirit of law, and
we must insist on his taking his coronet and retiring from the headship
of a system not intended for such impatient investigators.
TO A CORRESPONDENT WHO WRITES FROM HALLAMSHIRE.
You are right about the “ Statute of Anne,” but wrong in supposing
that the “ Pilgrimage of Grace ” was undertaken by a young lady of
the middle ages, with the Christian name you say you prefer.
OUR RAILWAY TYRANTS.
In the case of an assault by the Director of a Railway upon one of
its clerks, the Secretary of the Company the other day put forth his
“ solemn opinion ” that—
“ A railway servant was bound to obey an individual Director in regard to any act
be might direct, even to the extent of compelling him to stop a train.”
If this be so, poor Jones, who lives a score of miles from London,
and daily travels by quick trains, is at the mercy of Directors who
happen by ill chance to have their houses on the line between himself
and town. How jolly it must be for Jones, when coming hungry home
to dinner, to have his fast train stopped to set down a Director at some
paltry by-way station, where no one else gets out! No doubt, also, a
j contrary command will be obeyed, and a Director may direct an engine-
driver not to stop, although a stoppage be distinctly announced in the
time-bills. Supposing a Director live a dozen miles from town, and be
rather late for dinner, perhaps he will desire the driver not to stop
} until that distance be accomplished. We think that if this privilege be
j generally acted on, the time-bills should announce that they may be
depended on, “ provided no Director give a contrary command.” In-
deed, people would do well, before paying for their ticket, to ask if a
Director be travelling by the train; and if so, they would do wisely to
defer their journey until the next day.
A Caution in Black and White.
To be on our guard let’s agree,
Against all that may help turn the cry
Of Justice on Eyre, with an e,
To Injustice in Ire, with an i.
A CERTAIN CURE FOR INDIGESTION will be found iu
Punch’s Almanack: which also removes freckles, eradicates ill humours, and
will prove a most effective remedy for baldness, when twisted line a foolscap and
placed upon the head. Moreover, besides being an antidote to nervousness aud
neuralgia, it will be found to put one up to many hundreds of new wrinkles, and to
produce the various old ones that with mirth and laughter come.