DOI issue:
October 25, 1884
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17757#0200
October 25, 1884.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI, 193
THE HOUSE OF LORDS ALL HARCOURTS; OR, 'ARCOURT'S 'ALL.
{From a Design by Lord E. Churchill.) ^
“ Good gracious, Gentlemen, picture to yourselves for one moment a House of Lords composed of nothing else but fac-similes of Sir William IIarcourt ! ”
From Lord E. C.'s Speech at Birmingham.
THE FLAME ONCE KENDAL'D.
The last words of one of the Oxford Reformers to his fellow suf-
ferer were to the effect that ‘ * they had on that day kindled such a
fire in England as would never be extinguished,” and so we may be
permitted to say, as our last words on the subject, pro tem., to a
certain Lady, who is ‘‘ only an Actress in her husband’s theatre,” that
she has Kendal’d such a fire as will take a considerable time to put
out. In her hitting-all-round Brummagem speech,—“written at
: the request of Sir Richard Temple,”—a gentleman henceforth to be
; known as the Temple of the Drama,—this Lady reprobated all adver-
tisement, and yet in this month’s Theatre, which contains a just and
temperate, though far from exhaustive article, by Mr. Clement
Scott, on the aforesaid Brummagem speech, we find a fly-page of
advertisements slipped in, with this among them :—
Crown 24:mo, limp parchment, Is,
The Drama.
By Mrs. Kendal. A Paper read at the Congress of the National Associa-
tion for the Promotion of Social Science, Birmingham, 1884. With a Portrait
and Autograph.
The modesty of the title, “ The Drama ” / And then “ With a
Portrait and AutographThat the pamphlet might have been pub-
lished without being any more an advertisement for its author than the
reported speech of any other celebrity, we admit; but why the photo-
graph and autograph ? Why ? To assist the sale, of course, which
otherwise might have been somewhat limited ; and so, incidentally,
as no one knows better than Mrs. Kendal, who is laughing at us all
in her sleeve—bless her ! and may she long live to laugh !—this illus-
tration and sub-scription become a reclame for the talented Actress.
Now, be it understood, we don’t object to autographs and photo-
graphs, far from it, for as the song says, “ We all do it! ” and this sort
of thing in the present age is fair in every kind of business ; but as
Mrs. Kendal has publicly set her face, so to speak, against photo-
graphs, and, for the matter of that, against all forms of advertising,
why isn’t she consistent ?
We know that there is a considerable difference between theory and
practice; only, when the distinction is made so palpable in oneinstance,
it is natural and logical to question the consistency of the lecturer in
every other respect. If Cardinal Manning, inculcating total absti-
nence as a duty, were detected in drinking one glass of wine, all the
influence of hi3 preaching on this subject would be gone for ever.
His power lies, as the power of every enthusiast must lie, in his
sauaring his practice with his teaching. If an Actress preaches
I self-effacement, in the matter of advertisements, as a professional
' duty, let her forthwith set the example herself. Perhaps Miss
Mary Anderson will follow suit, and suppress those classic studies
of the female form divine between which and those of the Lotties
and the Totties of our extravaganzas and pantomimes we see
very little distinction, except what there is in the name of the Actress.
For, let it be once known far and wide that a lovely woman, exhibiting
in classic drapery the exquisite gifts of Nature touched up for Stage
purposes by theatrical Art, is in her private life a model of all the
virtues, and this will serve as an attractive advertisement to many
goody-goody people who might otherwise have avoided what would
have appeared to them, when forming their opinion of the piece and
Actress from the photographs, to be merely the assumption of a certain
character on account of the opportunity afforded by it for suggestive
display. Then let it be bruited about that she has refused offers of
marriage from a Lord Chancellor, a Lord Chief Justice, two or three
Dukes, an Archbishop, and half-a-score or so of Lordlings, and all
the best parts of the theatre will he crowded for weeks. Nay, raised
prices wouldn’t keep out the distinguished and respectable Public,
including the Clergy who have hitherto been contented with the
excellent drawing-room theatricals at the Entertainment associated,
with the blameless name of Mr. and Mrs. German Reed.
The strictest virtue, cleverly advertised, is a greater attraction
than the most notorious reputation for profligacy. The latter will
attract some: the former all. And so, nowhere more than on the
Stage, is Virtue its own reward.
But, to return to the pamphlet which served for the text of these
remarks; our marvellous letter-writing, travelling, stump-orating
Premier might find it worth his while to take a hint from Mrs. Ken-
dal, and give us a little publication in tract form, entitled. Five
{Minutes for Refreshment; or. Model Platform Addresses delivered
from the Windows of Hallway Carriages, by the Right Eton.
W. E. Gladstone. With Instantaneous Photographs, and Auto-
graphs written in the Train and thrown out in passing. ~We com-
mend this to speculative publishers, and only request that on the
title-page they will not omit to mention the suggestion as coming
from us.
“Music eor the People.”—Yes, by all means; but the class
which the mild busybodies, who have to invent novelties from day to
day' to give their idle hands something to do, call “ The People,” will
never come to concerts where they are ostentatiously patronised and
educated. ‘ ‘ The People ” are quite sharp enough to see through this.
Let the music for the People come from the People. The proof of an
entertainment’s popularity is its “paying well.” Give “The People ” j
what they don’t want, and all the bribes in the world won’t induce j
them to take it. Find out what they do want, sell them that at a
reasonable price, and they ’ll ‘ ‘ ask for more.”
THE HOUSE OF LORDS ALL HARCOURTS; OR, 'ARCOURT'S 'ALL.
{From a Design by Lord E. Churchill.) ^
“ Good gracious, Gentlemen, picture to yourselves for one moment a House of Lords composed of nothing else but fac-similes of Sir William IIarcourt ! ”
From Lord E. C.'s Speech at Birmingham.
THE FLAME ONCE KENDAL'D.
The last words of one of the Oxford Reformers to his fellow suf-
ferer were to the effect that ‘ * they had on that day kindled such a
fire in England as would never be extinguished,” and so we may be
permitted to say, as our last words on the subject, pro tem., to a
certain Lady, who is ‘‘ only an Actress in her husband’s theatre,” that
she has Kendal’d such a fire as will take a considerable time to put
out. In her hitting-all-round Brummagem speech,—“written at
: the request of Sir Richard Temple,”—a gentleman henceforth to be
; known as the Temple of the Drama,—this Lady reprobated all adver-
tisement, and yet in this month’s Theatre, which contains a just and
temperate, though far from exhaustive article, by Mr. Clement
Scott, on the aforesaid Brummagem speech, we find a fly-page of
advertisements slipped in, with this among them :—
Crown 24:mo, limp parchment, Is,
The Drama.
By Mrs. Kendal. A Paper read at the Congress of the National Associa-
tion for the Promotion of Social Science, Birmingham, 1884. With a Portrait
and Autograph.
The modesty of the title, “ The Drama ” / And then “ With a
Portrait and AutographThat the pamphlet might have been pub-
lished without being any more an advertisement for its author than the
reported speech of any other celebrity, we admit; but why the photo-
graph and autograph ? Why ? To assist the sale, of course, which
otherwise might have been somewhat limited ; and so, incidentally,
as no one knows better than Mrs. Kendal, who is laughing at us all
in her sleeve—bless her ! and may she long live to laugh !—this illus-
tration and sub-scription become a reclame for the talented Actress.
Now, be it understood, we don’t object to autographs and photo-
graphs, far from it, for as the song says, “ We all do it! ” and this sort
of thing in the present age is fair in every kind of business ; but as
Mrs. Kendal has publicly set her face, so to speak, against photo-
graphs, and, for the matter of that, against all forms of advertising,
why isn’t she consistent ?
We know that there is a considerable difference between theory and
practice; only, when the distinction is made so palpable in oneinstance,
it is natural and logical to question the consistency of the lecturer in
every other respect. If Cardinal Manning, inculcating total absti-
nence as a duty, were detected in drinking one glass of wine, all the
influence of hi3 preaching on this subject would be gone for ever.
His power lies, as the power of every enthusiast must lie, in his
sauaring his practice with his teaching. If an Actress preaches
I self-effacement, in the matter of advertisements, as a professional
' duty, let her forthwith set the example herself. Perhaps Miss
Mary Anderson will follow suit, and suppress those classic studies
of the female form divine between which and those of the Lotties
and the Totties of our extravaganzas and pantomimes we see
very little distinction, except what there is in the name of the Actress.
For, let it be once known far and wide that a lovely woman, exhibiting
in classic drapery the exquisite gifts of Nature touched up for Stage
purposes by theatrical Art, is in her private life a model of all the
virtues, and this will serve as an attractive advertisement to many
goody-goody people who might otherwise have avoided what would
have appeared to them, when forming their opinion of the piece and
Actress from the photographs, to be merely the assumption of a certain
character on account of the opportunity afforded by it for suggestive
display. Then let it be bruited about that she has refused offers of
marriage from a Lord Chancellor, a Lord Chief Justice, two or three
Dukes, an Archbishop, and half-a-score or so of Lordlings, and all
the best parts of the theatre will he crowded for weeks. Nay, raised
prices wouldn’t keep out the distinguished and respectable Public,
including the Clergy who have hitherto been contented with the
excellent drawing-room theatricals at the Entertainment associated,
with the blameless name of Mr. and Mrs. German Reed.
The strictest virtue, cleverly advertised, is a greater attraction
than the most notorious reputation for profligacy. The latter will
attract some: the former all. And so, nowhere more than on the
Stage, is Virtue its own reward.
But, to return to the pamphlet which served for the text of these
remarks; our marvellous letter-writing, travelling, stump-orating
Premier might find it worth his while to take a hint from Mrs. Ken-
dal, and give us a little publication in tract form, entitled. Five
{Minutes for Refreshment; or. Model Platform Addresses delivered
from the Windows of Hallway Carriages, by the Right Eton.
W. E. Gladstone. With Instantaneous Photographs, and Auto-
graphs written in the Train and thrown out in passing. ~We com-
mend this to speculative publishers, and only request that on the
title-page they will not omit to mention the suggestion as coming
from us.
“Music eor the People.”—Yes, by all means; but the class
which the mild busybodies, who have to invent novelties from day to
day' to give their idle hands something to do, call “ The People,” will
never come to concerts where they are ostentatiously patronised and
educated. ‘ ‘ The People ” are quite sharp enough to see through this.
Let the music for the People come from the People. The proof of an
entertainment’s popularity is its “paying well.” Give “The People ” j
what they don’t want, and all the bribes in the world won’t induce j
them to take it. Find out what they do want, sell them that at a
reasonable price, and they ’ll ‘ ‘ ask for more.”