Punch (95.1888)

130 PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. [September 15, 1888.

MARRIAGE EVIDENTLY NOT A FAILURE.

Joan (to Darby, who is getting stout). " Let me Tie it fob YOtr, Darling."

A SERIOUS QUESTION.
Is it not within the hounds of prohability that to the highly-coloured pictorial
advertisements to be seen on almost all the hoarding's in London, vividly repre-
senting sensational scenes of murder, exhibited as "the great attractions" of
certain dramas, the public may be to a certain extent indebted for the horrible
crimes in Whitechapel ? We say it most seriously ;—imagine the effect of these
gigantic pictures of violence and assassination by knife and pistol on the morbid
imagination of unbalanced mind. These hideous picture-posters are a blot on
our civilisation, and a disgrace to the Drama.

LEGISLATIVE WORK AND WAGES.

In proof that the "Payment of Members." if now legalised, would be no
novelty, " Scaccarics" sends the Times the subjoined extract from the
Exchequer records during the period of the "Long Parliament" :—

"Received by mee, John Merrick, Knt. of Thomas efaulconeridge, Esq., Receiver
Genl. of the Revenue, the some of ffiftie twoe for my weekly allowance of fewer pounds as
a Member of the Comone House of Parliamnt due for one quarter of a yeere ended at
Michas. last 1645. By warrant from the Committee dated 25th of October 1645. I say
received £52. "Jo. Meyrick."

It were superfluous to observe that Mr. Metrics could not even spell his own
name, merely because he appears to have spelt it in different ways. Even the
Divine Williams himself did that. But suppose the Legislature were in these
days to decree the award of pay to Honourable Members of the House of
Commons for their attendance in Parliament, and required them to give a receipt
for the money, wouldn't it be more than possible that some of the ' Representa-
tives of Labour" (to whom wages might be an object) would pretty nearly
reproduce the deviations from the Dictionary remarkable in the foregoing
transcript ? A man's a man for a' that. Of course, a good deal depends on how
much a that" might be. And an able but unlettered politician would need
hardly declare, as the principal character in some old farce, when taxed with his
orthography, used to say,—" It isn't the orthography that I care about, but it's
that dashed spelling.''

Reported by G. Osb-rne M-rg-n, or " The Other G. 0. M."—"Mr. G."
has enjoyed some uncommonly deep-sea-fishing sport in the recess, with Sprats
to catch Wales.__

" Socialism and Tight -lacing " are incompatible, morally. For the Socia-i war uuaeruruuuu impc, wnuui we expeoi
list theory tends to the loosening of all bonds. I To—Tyr would laugh at the word !—" detect,"

THE WOLF AT OUR DOOE.

A Morality from Norse Mythology.

[In the Norse Mythology, the "Wolf Fenris (Crime), rages for
food in the precincts of Asgard. Ultimately, the Sword-god Tyr,
loaded Fenris with the chain Gleipner, and thrust a sharp
sword into his mouth, to prevent him biting more. Thus, says
the legend, is Crime, which threatens to corrupt the human race,
bound by the apparently slight fetters of Law, and as the power
of the Wolf was broken by the Sword, that of Crime is kept
under by the awards of Justice.]

Wanted a Gleipner! 'Tis very plain

That the Wolf's abroad and has slipped his chain;

Eor the ruthless red-f anged savage,
In square, in street, and in sordid slum,
Strikes Justice helpless, and terror dumb

With his cruel unchecked ravage.
Law and Order f The catch-word slips
With ease complacent from canting lips.
The Law that Labour's last mite exacts,
The Order that silence for sorrow enacts,

These claim the world's solicitude;
For Property's timorous, Wealth would tread
In peace and quiet its wine-press red,
And. Culture shrinks with a querulous dread

From violence and vicissitude ;
But Law alert at the poor man's hest
And Order that giveth the humblest rest,
Are these high matters the soul to vex
Of Statesman T Z, or Policeman X. P

Could Tyr the Sword-god from Asgard come
To a West-end waste or an East-end slum,
Could he take a stroll when the night falls dark
Through Poverty's pleasaunce or People's park,
What would the Norse-god say ? Why this.
" It is fearsomely clear that the Wolf Eenris,

As erst in Asgard olden,
Is ' waked by the moon and wants something to eat!'"
True the Law, in blue, is about on his beat,
But the echo far of his falling feet
At the distant end of the dusky street,

The Wolf doth but embolden.
His jaws are wide, and his teeth are white,
His eye is watchful, his tread is light,
The keen curst creature, a hideous sight!

Alone, or hungrily herded.
His play his death, and his life is prey.
Nay, bold from custom he braves the day,
In the silent waste or the narrow way,
And snatches sudden whate'er may stray
Beyond reach of the weapon wherewith—they say—

Law's vigilant guard is girded.
That Wolf, in faith, hath a shifting face :
Hunger and lust you may ever trace,

And blood-greed red and ruthless.
But now 'tis a visage of youth; anon
The brute-boy's beetling scowl is gone,
And you shudder and shrink as you look upon

Hag-age, hell-eyed, and toothless.
Nothing of harpy or gruesome ghoul,
That fiction shapes in its visions foul,
Naught of fiendish in form or glance
Dreamed in the broodings of wild romance,
Ever took horror of eviller shape.
Gorgon's rival, Chimajra's ape,

This Protean wolf-maw'd creature.
Sullen and sinister ruffian now,
Anon with a wanton yet womanly brow,
Again the monster doth mop and mow
With childish form and feature;
Yet wolfish ever, and wolf all through,
This new Fenris of an Asgard new.
But in sage in ermine, or man in blue,
We scarce discover the Sword-god true,

Our Wolf to seize and shackle.
The " Underground People,"—so it is said,—
Prepared a chain for their Thing of Dread,
Which, " smaU and slight as a silken thread,"
Was strong as steel, and heavy as lead,
Which gagged the maw, and which stayed the tread
Of the Fenris Wolf. Wake Tyr from the dead,

Our lupine foe to tackle !
Our " Underground People," whom we expect