Punch (61.1871)

122

[September 23, 1871.

STUDY" ON THE USE OF PRINTING.

orasmuch as last
year, about this
time, we were a
good deal bothered
with battles and
sieges, and all that
. sort of thing, the
newspapers were
choked up with
the details of in-
cidents in foreign
lands, and affairs
that did not go
home to the hearts
of the households.
This year, happily,
nothing of the kind
excludes domestic
news from the co-
lumns of the press,
and there is oppor-
tunity for giving
interesting narra-
tives of another
kind. When we
recollect that man-
kind in the dark
ages lived without
printing, it is mar-
vellous that people could enjoy themselves, as there is reason to believe that
they did, to a certain extent, without having their pleasures chronicled. It is
matter of thankfulness that the splendid machinery of the press can now be
made available for the record of the harmless amusement obtained by humble
but respectable persons.

A weekly contemporary informs us, in about half a column, which unhappily
we are obliged to condense, that " early in the morning" of a recent Wednesday,
twenty-three pawnbrokers, male and female—stay—let us use the more elevated
language of our contemporary :—

" A considerable portion of the members of the Bradford Pawnbrokers' Association, with
their ladies, took train for llipon, to spend the day at Studley Royal and neighbourhood,
the seat of the Marquis of Rifon, travelling in a saloon carriage, which was placed at
their service by the Midland Company."

The neighbourhood of Studley Royal is, of course, the seat of the Marquis
of Ripon, who was travelling in a saloon carriage. Why the Midland Company
should place his Lordship's carriage at the service of our Uncles and Aunts, is
not explained.

Now, you naturally wish to know what our Uncles and Aunts ate and drank,
and when, and how they liked it. Well, you shall hear :—

" Breakfast had been prepared at the Unicorn Hotel, Ripon, at nine o'clock. The party,
numbering twenty-three, sat down to an excellent repast, which, after the morning's ride,
was much enjoyed by the whole company."

Is not that a pleasant hearing ? They went to llipon in compliment to the
Marquis, of course, and they could hardly do less after riding in his carriage.
They sat down at Nine, but we have heard, confidentially, that there was nearly
a quarter of an hour's delay, in consequence of the broiled ham not being ready.
We are also informed that they did not then pay for their breakfast, as they
intimated that they were coming back to tea, and the obvious respectability of
the party removed from the landlord's mind any fear lest the twenty-three
breakfasts should not be settled for. Now let History resume her stately
march.

"After breakfast the party were conveyed, in a couple of waggonettes, to Studley and
Fountains Abbey. A few hours were spent in visiting the most notable portions of these
really beautiful grounds, after which the excursionists continued their drive to Hackfall."

The grounds are beautiful. Some books say that they are among the finest in
England, and that they enshrine the most magnificent ruins we have. But our
Uncles and Aunts are people of regular habits, and they began to grow peckish.
The reporter has nothing to say of the splendour of Fountains Abbey, but it is
to the credit of the party that they did not dance, to a fiddle, in the nave of the
church, after the manner of some 'scursionists. They harmlessly

-"alighted at the Hackfall Hotel, where dinner had been ordered for three o'clock.

After doing justice to the viands prepared by 'mine host,' every one again sallied out to
spend the remainder of the afternoon in the Hackfall Woods, the romantic and picturesque
scenery of which was much admired."

Again we find the interesting party satisfactorily refreshed. Then every one
" sallied out," but neither our Uncles nor our Aunts thought of Aunt Sally, or
other frivolity. They were good enough much to admire Hackfall Woods,
which must have murmured thanks for the compliment. Still, the open air
conduces to appetite, and—

" In the evening the party returned to Ripon, where they had tea, and, as night crept on,
turned their faces towards home, Bradford being reached about eleven o'clock."

Nobly they redeemed their pledges (we beg pardon), fulfilled their promises,
and eame back to the hotel at Ripon. We have every reason to believe that

not only was the bill honourably paid, but that it was
remembered that the waiters had served a duplicate (we
beg pardon), a second "spread," as no doubt it was
called, and that they were also remembered. " Night"
has a way of " creeping " in Yorkshire; in other counties
it only grows dark. But creeping night did not
frighten our spirited relatives, and they went forth
into it, like the three riders in Browning's famous
poem. We do not know how they all turned their faces
home as they went to Bradford, as, if they had the
Marquis's saloon carriage, some must have sat with their
backs to the engine, and some sideways; but History
does not take account of trifies. Gladly let us read that

"The weather was fine and hot, and contributed much to the
pleasure of the day's out, which was unmarred by any accident
or untoward circumstance whatever, and was greatly enjoyed by
every one."

The word " out" should be Out—a pretty playfulness
about the pawnbrokers' pleasure—and the reporter, not
ungracefully, becomes familiar, but by no means vulgar,
as he makes an advance (we beg pardon), proceeds to
his climax. It is delightful to know that none of our
Uncles or Aunts "fell out by the way," either literally
or metaphorically, and that they all—the whole batch
of Twenty-Three—spent as happy a day as they could
have had at Rosherviile.

How agreeable it is to find newspapers filled with
this kind of inoffensive and kindly detail, and how grate-
ful we ought to be to the inventors of printing, for
machinery that enables such records to be presented to
the public, and conserved for the delectation of posterity '.

\YORKMEN IN THE EIGHT WAY.

There is something to be said for the Strike at New-
castle, and it was very well said the other Saturday
evening by several speakers at a workmen's meeting on
Blackheath, and creditably distinguished by argumenta-
tive and temperate language. The workmen met for the
purpose, quite legitimate, and perfectly fair, if sought
in fairness, " of considering the nine hours' movement,
and the best means of preventing employers from obtain-
ing workmen to supplant those now on strike at New-
castle for the reduction of the hours of labour, as also to
raise subscriptions for their support." The means pro-
posed to this end were no other in their kind than those
by which the informal professional Unions of lawyers
and doctors combine to maintain their fees. In a spirit
which at least commands sympathy and attention:—

" Mr. Motteshead said he hoped that there was no working-
man in that assembly who would degrade himself by going to
Newcastle to replace men who were on strike for the nine hours'
movement. He denied the argument of a portion of the press
which said that the effect of granting the diminution in the
hours of labour would be to reduce the productive powers of
the country, as well as to reduce the social status of the working-
men themselves. Just the opposite was the fact. If a man had
a fair amount of time apportioned to him for labour, he usually
did his work well, but over-tax him and the produce of his
labour would be sure to be of inferior quality {hear, hear) ; and
as to his social condition, since the engineers' and carpenters'
societies had succeeded in lessening the hours of labour, they
had become the finest trade societies in the country, whilst the
weavers and other trades of that stamp, to which he (Mr.
Motthshead) himself belonged, in which they were compelled
to work sixteen and eighteen hours per day, were the most
miserable in existence."

This just and sensible kind of appeal is every bit as
forcible as the utterance of violent ana abusive language.
That is to say it tells on the Public in favour of those
who use it with just the same force as the opposite tells
the other way. The disgust and contempt excited by
"rattening," "picketing," waylaying, besetting, and
bullying "non-unionists," and "knobsticks," and by
petty arbitrary regulations for the creation of needless
work, are just equalled by the respect and approval con-
ciliated by action within moral bounds, _ and by such
reasonable pleading as that of which a specimen is above
gladly quoted.

Dangerous Adulteration.—Work up any admixture
you like, if you are a rogue, with other stuffs ; but what-
ever you do, don't put shoddy into gun-cotton.