Punch (68.1875)

46 PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. (January 30, 1875.

“OMNE IGNOTUW1 PRO MAGNIFICO!”

(A fascinating young Irish Lady, with a lovely brogue, is warbling characteristic popular ditties in the Neapolitan dialect, encouraged thereto
by the consciousness that her enraptured audience doesn't know a word of even ordinary Italian.)

Enthusiastic Youth. “How awf’ly beautaf'ly your Sister sings, Mr. 0 Dowd ! How awf’ly vividly she recalls to one’s
MIND THE—A—THE—THE CHIAJA, YOU KNOW,—AND VESUVIUS—AND—THE DEEP BLUE ITALIAN SKY I”

Mr. O'Dowd. “Ah! thin doesn’t she, Sor ! Ye’ve been in Italy, Sor?”

Enthusiastic Youth. “A—a—a—n—n—no ! ”

Mr. O’Dowd. “No more have Oi !—No more has me Sistor !”

FOLLOW MY LEADER.

We have found the missing Liberal Leader, whom the National
Education League, the Liberationist Society, and the Nonconformist
Extreme Left are in quest of.

It can only he Messrs. Maskelyne and Cooke’s PSYCHO!

“Psycho,” says their advertisement “ is a dynamic mystery;”
that is, “ a mystery of power.” What “mystery of power”
can be like the position of a leader expected to combine the power
of his place with the absolute submission which the Liberal Left
wing insist upon ?

The advertisement goes on to describe “ the seat” of this mys-
terious automaton, which is said “ to isolate it from the stage and
all visible connections.” Just the seat wanted for the Leader of
these Leader-leaders. One that isolates him, to all appearance, from
the stage or platform of his nominators. He must not be visibly in
connection with Educational Leagues or Liberation Societies or
Permissive Bills, or other organisations of the nature of strings or
wires to set or keep him moving. And yet he must be as com-
pletely under the control of these forces, as little Psycho is really
under those of his clever wire-pullers.

“ Although purely mechanical,” continues the advertisement,
“ Psycho obeys the command of the audience.”

Could there be a better description of that combination of apparent
independence and freedom of will with absolute submission to the
directing powers, which these Leader-makers insist on in their
partisan Chief ?

Bead the resolutions of the late Nonconformist meetings, and
Mr. Dale’s letter, and you will see what an essential to their
notion of leadership is this abject submission, and how independence
is indicated as the most fatal disqualification for the post.

Yet though purely mechanical, and obeying the commands of
the audience, “the powers” of this wonderful puppet, we are
assured in the same sentence “ are unlimited.” Exactly the ap-
parently impossible combination wanted in a Liberal Leader, as
indicated in the Resolutions and Correspondence already referred
to. The party is quite ready to yield the most loyal obedience to^
any chief who will begin by absolute obedience to it.

Lastly, we are informed that “ Psycho’s movements are caused
by a secret intelligent force.” So must be those of the required
Leader. Secresy is the very soul of the force that claims to control
him. To lay bare its springs, and thereby give the opportunity ot
gauging them, would be to destroy them.

If the Force is intelligent, as well as secret, so much the better ;
but intelligence is an accident, and hardly even a likely accident,
as the last few days have taught us. Altogether we fa.il to find a
candidate for the Leadership, according to the requirements oi
Messrs. Dixon, Chamberlain, Dale and Co., with anything like
the claims of “ Psycho.”

To Mr. Arthur Chappell.

(On his incomparable Monday Popular Concerts.)

I think, as the Hall of St. James’ I enter,

Were there many such Chapels, I’d turn a Dissenter.

“ SYNONYME SEPTENNAIRE.”

The Parisian Correspondent of the Times maintains that the
Due de Broglie, and not Marshal Macmahon, is virtually ruler.
No wonder the Septennate is rapidly becoming an Im-Broglie-o.