Punch (59.1870)

November 26, 1870.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

219

VOTE FOR THE LADIES.

ote for the Three
Ladies who offer
themselves in dif-
ferent districts, as
candidates for elec-
tion to the Metro-
politan School
Board: Miss Gar-
rett, M.D., Mrs.
Grey, and Miss
Davies.

Of course you all
know that the Lon-
don School Board
is to consist of
forty-nine mem-
bers, and that its
duties will be to
report on all exist-
ing schools in the
Metropolitan dis-
tricts, and to esta-
blish new schools,
where the Board
thinks it necessary.
It is to settle the
amount of school
fees, and when
necessary, to com-
pel parents to send
to school all chil-
dren between five
and thirteen.

Does not this seem exactly the sort of superintendence which should he shared by
ladies, who are not only really interested in education (that is a good thing, but not
enough), but who are acquainted with the humbler classes, and know their habits, preju-
dices, and difficulties ?

Mr. Punch thinks that this is woman's work, and he hopes that the three ladies will be
elected for Marylebone, Chelsea, and Greenwich respectively. As for Miss Garrett,
who, to her long practical acquaintance with the above things, add* sound medical
knowledge, and can advise on all sanatory questions connected with schools, she will be
an invaluable acquisition to the Board; and Marylebone should be proud that the
richest and most educated of the districts can send to that Council one who will
render such services. Miss Garrett and the other ladies profess no " strong-minded
women's " doctrines, but those which all rational men would teach.

•There are some very good men in the candidature, but they are well known, and
can speak for themselves. Mr. Punch, only wishes to point out that three ladies desire
to do Woman's Work, and he hopes that they wili be accredited to the Board. He
seldom condescends to treat of mere political elections, but these Educational Elections
are important, and wise men had better look to them.

NEW POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS.

Which, beinq rather less puzzling than the latest issued
from the G, JP. 0., are strongly recommended to
official consideration :—

1. That the Halfpenny Cards shall not be charged
with a penny stamp, under certain penalties made
and provided.

2. That the charge by book-post shall be one
halfpenny for every book not exceeding a certain
weight at the discretion of the authorities. The
weight to vary from time to time.

3. Any writing or printing on or in the packet
going by book-post to be considered as a letter and
charged accordingly.

4. Any writing in or on a newspaper will
cause the paper to be charged as a letter.

5. Any writing on or in a packet going by
Sample Post if in the nature of a Letter or a Com-
munication to be charged according to the penalties
to be enforced for attempted evasions of the Act

in question.__

~ —**

SHAKSPEARE IN COMFORT.

Mr. Punch complained two weeks ago that he
couldn't find a comfortable seat in a theatre.
Having been round the theatrical world, he settled
himself at last at The Globe. Here he had an elegant
and capacious stall, plenty of room for his hat and
his legs. Here he sat and saw Shakspeare's
eccentric farce of Taming the Shrew, with Christopher
Sly out, which is, to his* thinking, a pity. Mr.
Punch, on his word of gallantry, is of opinion that
the Katherine of the Globe is too gentle throughout;
but he really was so comfortable that he was quite
annoyed when a stall-keeper, in the most civil
manner possible, pointed out to him that they were
covering up the boxes, and that he was the last
person in the house. So he woke up and left;
but it was entirely owing to the luxurious seat
that he did not see the dance of the Colonna, Ex-
Princess of the Alhambra, a terpsichorean exhibi-
tion pronounced by the press and the police to
be the most decorous they have seen for years.

' Off With His Head ! "—Richard III

A Board, from every parish in Mogg,
Rules all London under the Hogg !

BEARS AT THE BAR.

Sir,—My husband's a Barrister, but as he only laughs when I ask
him to explain legal matters to me, I refer to you.

That he should laugh I look upon as a part of the rudeness of
Lawyers generally, and fully bears out the very points I had asked him
about.

Isn't it the height of ill-breeding to get up and go away when anyone's
speaking to you ?
Yes.

And yet Sir (as I said to my husband) what do we read perpetually
in the Law reports ? why this sort of thing,

" Counsel was proceeding to consider the effect of the Canons of 1603, when
the Court adjourned."

Isn't this rude? If I'd been the Counsel I'd have followed them
out and given them a bit of my mind. If this is the effect of a " legal
education " no child of mine shall go to such a school.

Then again :—

" The learned Serjeant was in the middle of his argument, when the Court
rose."

It's positively indecent. But it's just -what my husband does when
I'm in the middle of an argument. Now I know where he picks up
such manners. Juries are nearly as bad. Eor instance a Judge the
other day had kindly " reserved a point to go to the Jury "—wonderful
politeness on his part—and what did the Jury do ? Why look here,

" The jury retired, and have not yet returned."

" Not yet!" and this was days ago ! !

It served the Judge right, I've no doubt, if he himself had been in
the habit of rising and going away when a Counsel was talking.
Two words more on the slyness of Magistrates, and I've done.

The Middlesex Magistrates meet to discuss various matters. Their
work is tedious, but they must get through it. Naturally they are
hungry, and if so, why not say, " Gentlemen, the public will excuse us
for an hour : let us go to lunch." But, no ! they can't be outspoken :
but they allow a report to appear in the paper, which says—

" The members of the Court then retired to the Magistrates' private rooms,
to consider, as was believed, the more important items of the proposed esti-
mate, and the Court adjourned."

The italics are mine. "As was believed," that is, " as they gave out."
I know the sort of thing. Just as my husband telegraphs to me to say
that business detains him at Chambers, and, a few days after, one of his
boon companions comes here and lets out what a jolly dinner they'd
had at the Club on that very night. Of course, these members of the
Court retired to lunch in the Magistrates' private room, and were
" believed" by the credulous public to be engaged in its own interest.

Ah ! when will women be in power!

I am, Sir, yours sincerely,

Martha Btjzziton.

Proceeds of Peter's Pence.

Cardinal Antonelli has published a protest against the appro-
priation, by the Italian Government, of the Quirinal Palace. This
palace he maintains to be not State property but the Pope's own,
being one of a certain number of palaces which, with their contents,
belong to the Roman Pontiffs personally, having been constructed,
furnished, decorated, and kept up by successive Popes, at expenses
defrayed out of their privy purses. The Popes have been men of
property. The successors of St. Peter have succeeded to rather
more than St. Peter left behind him. Apostolic poverty is no heir-
loom to the Apostolic See.