Punch: Punch (60.1871)

February 11, 1871.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

59

Or has the spirit of the Saint

In our hearts lost its place,
Its flame sunk to a flicker faint

That warms nor hand nor face ?
With Gain's alloy and Greed's attaint,

Has England's gold grown base ?

t

If so, in mockery he shows

Upon our coin once more:
Our money-makers are his foes,

His friends the fools of yore
Who in Life's game ne'er counted blows,

So honours they could score.

" Wild dreamer ! lend thy ass's ears

And learn," Bob Lowe replies—
" Saint George on sovereigns re-appears

To wondering British eyes,
Not to preach trust in swords and spears,

But to use up the old dies."

But Vhonnne propose et Dieu dispose ;

Most, when 'tis Saint to Snob :
And John Bull may take part—who knows ?—

With Sovereign against Bob,
And prove his Saint's return he owes

To more than a Mint-job.

Honour with money 'gins to strive,

Here on Tom Tiddler's ground ;
The Saint in John Bull's soul's alive

Though long in coma bound ;
Not for Lowe ends will he revive,

Nor but on gold be found.

But, step sedate, and soul elate,

Will face the tight once more,
As when John Bull twelve foemen's fate

On each twelve arrows bore;
When prouder soul, if poorer state,

Abroad, at home, he wore ;

Will prove, where'er the Right's at stake,

Even on the battle-plain,
Honour our Captain we can make,

Though greed call out '' Refrain !
Bow the head, and the buffet take,

And pocket wrong with gain."

TOLERATION FOR THE POPE !

Nor a few Protestants, whose discretion does not exceed their zeal,
have been alarmed by Mr. Gladstone's letter to Mr. Dease, ex-
pressing the opinion that Her Majesty's Government would legiti-
mately exercise any influence it might have to secure the spiritual
independence of the Pope. At a meeting of Presbyterian Ministers
at Liverpool, lately, convened to protest against that letter, two of
their number, says the Tablet, " startled the assembly from its pro-
priety by their opposition to its object." One of these reverend
gentlemen—

" The Rev. A. Rentool, rose and said, he believed that the intention of
Mr. Gladstone was to protect this country from the machinations of petty
States, under whose power the Pope might be brought at any time. For
example, it was possible that the King of Italy might get the Pope under
his thumb, and then 8,000,000 of our fellow-countrymen would no longer be
under the power of the Pope, but in the power of the King of Italy, or
some other petty sovereign."

The Tablet quotes these remarks with gratification which is in-
telligible, and approbation in which, for once at least, it will have
the concurrence of most rational persons. But one wonders that a
leading Roman Catholic organ failed to point out, for the instruc-
tion or readers who might possibly need it, that, desirable as the
Pope's spiritual independence is, it is to be desired on other grounds
than the reason assigned by Mr. Rentoul. An Infallible Head of
the Church cannot possibly be compelled to misdirect his spiritual
subjects by any the severest amount of pressure which he may be
liable to experience under the thumb of any earthly sovereign.

One More Experiment.

France, it is said, will have to choose between three forms of
Government, Imperialism, Monarchy, or Republicanism. There
remains, however? a fourth conceivable regime under which she
might, and should if possible, place herself—the rule of Psychological
Medicine. That, duly enforced, might keep a noble nation, if not
quiet, harmless.

SHODDY AND SHOES.

uch excitement has
been recently created
among the minor
mercantile inhabit-
ants of Southwark,
Lambeth, and the
adjacent riverain
territory, by a para-
graph in the Echo
du Nord, of which
some English papers
have circulated a
translation. By ac-
count thereof:—

" The Procureur de
la Republique of Lille
has arrested and lodged
in the House of Deten-
tion, M. Casper, shoe-
maker and army fur-
nisher. This person, of
English origin, has sup-
plied the intendance of
the Third Division with
15,000 pairs of shoes,
the soles of which are
of pasteboard."

It is indignantly
denied, by the South

London commercial gentlemen in a limited way of business, that
any army furnisher capable of supplying troops with shoes having
pasteboard soles, could possibly be of English origin. But they
say that, aware of the prejudices with which the minds of foreigners
have probably been imbued by certain calumnious police reports,
they cannot help feeling somewhat seriously alarmed by the
concluding part of the foregoing announcement relative to M.
Casper :—

" He was arrested at the railway station just as he was about to proceed to
Calais by express train. He is also the contractor for large quantities of shoes
for the Government of Bordeaux. The acts of which M. Casper is accused
are crimes provided against by penalties under Articles 77, 430, and 433 of the
penal code."

What are those penalties ? Are they limited to fine and simple
imprisonment, or is the imprisonment aggravated by hard labour ?
Can it be that such an offence as that of falsifying shoes for soldiers
renders, in France, a delinquent liable to any corporal punishment
of an afflictive and shameful character ; for instance, to a whipping ?
Is it even possible that, under some one or other of those articles of
the penal code, a frandulent army contractor may subject himself
to be shot ? These questions disquiet, indeed, not only the retail
dealers on the Surrey side of the Thames, but also some extensive
manufacturers and men of business in other parts of London, and in
many large towns and centres of industry besides. They know that
to give a dog a bad name is to hang him, and that to call a
man accused of cheating in commodities an Englishman, is on the
Continent, in effect, to give him a bad name. Not but that M.
Casper might be hanged for aught they care ; but they feel that
if he were, a new stain would be cast upon the honour of their
country; inasmuch as he is said to be " of English origin." They
are also decidedly of opinion that such severity, exercised on a man
convicted of a fraud essentially no worse than working up shoddy,
adulterating food, or using false weights and measures, would con-
stitute an example which might be followed by a deplorably retro-
grade movement in civilisation.

A SLIGHT CONFUSION.

When London journals detail proceedings under the Education Act,
they should at least show a regard for the rudiments of grammar,
and not set at nought all the traditions about genders. In the
papers of Friday, February the third, in a notice of the election of the
Bath School Board, we read that '' the following were the eleven
gentlemen chosen :—Rev. Prebendary Kemble, Rev. Canon Ber-
nard, Mr. T. W. Gibbs, Mr. J. W. Morris, the Rev. A. Douglas,
Mr. R. King, Rev. Dr. Sweeney, Miss Shum, Miss Ashavorth,
Rev. David Wassell, Rev. W. Sargeant."

Will the ladies consider this a compliment or not ?

Paradox : to a Physician.

You have a practice, Doctor, to be sure—
It is extensive, but a sinecure.