Punch (67.1874)

July 11, 1874.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 13

of his Bill to make School-Boards and School attendance com-
pulsory.

Mr. Talbot and Mr. Scourfleld were against compulsory School
attendance.

Mr. Forster, Sir John Lubbock, and Professor Fawcett were
for compulsory School attendance, but against compulsory School-
Boards.

The Government, by the mouth of Lord Sandon, pronounced
against compulsory School-Boards, and against more compulsory
School attendance than the law at present provides for, till they
saw their way to the machinery for making it effective. There is
the water; hut as to making the asses drink, by more stringent
measures than are already in force, Mr. Punch agrees with the
Government. What more is to be said ?

Thursday.—The Home-Rule Debate—no, the Home-Rule talk—
ended in a division of 458 to 61.

And now the sooner our good friend Pat gets that big humble-
bee out of his caubeen, and sets to steady work, using the means
of self-improvement which Parliament and Providence have put
into his hands, the better.

Friday.—Irish School-masters and Working Men’s Dwellings

occupied the Lords, till Lord Derby, in answer to Lord Denbigh,
explained what we were going to do at Brussels.

We have decided, after due consideration, to send a representative
to the Czar’s Congress on the Laws of War, but with his hands tied.
He is not to discuss any of the general rules of International Law
that affect belligerents, nor to commit us to any new engagements
involving general principles (one for Lord Granville’s nob),
and there is to he no extension of the Conference to naval war-
fare. In a word, we are not going to fall into any of the blunders
of the Washington Conference. Without a clear promise on these
points _we send no representative. Even with them, our represen-
tative is only to sit, listen, discuss, and report home for instructions.
It will be uncommonly hard for him to commit himself or us, under
such restrictions. If any harm comes of the Conference—or good
either—with all Lord Derby’s precautions, we shall he astonished.

In the Commons, Mr. C. Lewis, with pluck deserving of a better
fate, fought his Anti-Income-tax Resolution to a defeat by 38 to 139.
His charges against the tax were met by counter-charges against
the Motion—for Mr. Lewis had to stand no fewer than four Counts
— though unsuccessful ones—during the evening. So that his
Indictment of the Income-tax deserves to be remembered as an
Indictment with four Counts.

i

A PATTERN TO HER SEX.


attention, young Ladies, to the exemplary
achievement of—

“A Female Pedestrian.—A young girl
named Richards, who is called the Champion
Walker, last evening concluded, at Stapleton,
near Bristol, the extraordinary feat of walking
1000 miles in 1000 consecutive hours. She finished in quite fresh condition. An en-
deavour was made, when she began her task, on May 18th, to obtain magisterial inter-
ference, but this was unsuccessful, on the ground that she was a free agent, although she
undertook the task in order that her father might win a wager of £50.”

Miss Richards has shown you to what an extent girls can walk if they
please. Permit the remark that some of you need to be shown, ailing as
you are for want of proper exercise. Not that it is to be expected that the
generality of you should go the length of walking a thousand miles in a thou-
sand hours. Yet more of you are able to accomplish the feat, perhaps, than
people think. The foregoing paragraph is copied from the Morning Post.
That journal records many a grand ball in fashionable life. At entertainments
of that kind it is common for many of you to dance, with few interruptions,
from ten at night until past four in the morning. Footing it at this rate
is not very unequal to the feat of Miss Richards : only being performed in
heated rooms, full of the products of breathing and combustion, it is much less
healthful. The endeavour “ to obtain magisterial interference ” with your
excessive dancing would be rather more reasonable than that which was made

to prevent Miss Richards’ performance, although it
would still be the act of a very great donkey, a gross
attempt to infringe the rights of Woman, in many
instances, to deprive her of the only exercise she will
consent to take.

A RAAL IRISH GRIEVANCE.

In high historical debate
At midnight’s solemn hour,

O’Brien charmed a listening House
With words of magic power;

But see revealed the following day
The Saxon’s base design ;

There’s scarce a print through all the town
Reports one single line.

Whereas in Erin, well we know,

The papers one and all

Reported Power’s able speech,

Who never spoke at all!

O ! cursed Saxon, base and mean,

O ! brutal British Lion;

Ye Sons of Freedom, rise and strike
For Erin and O’Brien !

A Serious Complaint.

“ In answer to Lord Monteagle, it was stated by the
Duke of Richmond that short sight did not prevail amongst
the pupils in elementary schools.”

We were glad to read this statement in the summary
in the Daily Telegraph, but could not help wishing there
was no shortsightedness on the part of those who have
the control of Education in this country. When a few
more years’ mischief has been done, Education will be
made compulsory, with a general, but unavailing, regret
that this was not accomplished long ago.

DEEDS OF A DAY.

The Lion of Northumberland,
Familiar to the eye,

Above the Mansion in the Strand
Relieved against the sky,

We saw—first step to do away
With Percy’s Palace fair—
Degraded, whilst, on that same day,
Grant opened Leicester Square.

O noble and ignoble act!

O credit and O shame!

O this and that contrasted fact;

Mean end with generous aim !

O man and men, as discrepant

As Christian matched with Turks !
Hip, hip, hooray for Albert Grant !
Yah, London Board of Works!