Punch (102.1892)

106 PUNCH, OE THE LONDON CHARIVARI. [February 27, 1892.

"VIYE LA LIBERTE !"

The Era at one time used to
enjoy a monopoly of strangely,
but purely professionally-worded
advertisements ; but now the
Daily Telegraph is creeping up
and commencing to occupy the
Era's special domain. One day
last week in the D. T. the follow-
ing notice appeared : — " Mr.
Charles Sugden at liberty. —
Address, &c." "At Liberty!"
How will this sound to the un-
initiated millions? Taking for
granted that the readers, whose
name is Legion, know perfectly
well who and what Mr. Charles
Sugden is, having a lively re-
collection of this talented actor
as among the best representatives
of bad characters (excepting per-
haps that of William of Orange,
which was Mr. Sugden's chef
d1 ceuvre, and about whose
character there are strong differ-
ences of opinion), will they not
unnaturally be led to inquire
how, why, when and wherefore
Mr. Sugden ever came to be de-
prived of his liberty, and under
what circumstances he_ has been
restored to it, or it to him? "At
Liberty!" It has a grand and
glorious sound ! This distin-
guished Thespian was never an

hereditary bondsman," then
why not always "at liberty"?
But, be this as it may. once more
"the Rover is free ! " Sugden
is a name honourable behind and
before the foot-lights. In the
Courts of Law it is a Legal
Light, and among Gas Companies
the Sugden Burner is, we believe,
justly famous. Whatever the
announcement may or may not
mean, all sons of Liberty will
rej oice that this eccentric comedian
is once more free, and on the stage
he will be again most welcome.

" Are you staying in town ? "
" No," answered Mrs. R." I'm
going au contraire" Which, she
subsequently explained, was
French for going into the country.

FANCY PORTRAIT.

y

GENERAL B00Jf BASTES.
Solo and Chorus.
Air—"Fif! Faff I Fouf!" from "La Grande Duchesse."
" Et puff! puff ! puff !

Ex taka para poum I

Je stjis, moi, le General Boom ! Boom ! "

[Repeats it ad lib.

ON RELIGIOUS CYMBALISM.

The Salvationist Bands which
perform in and out of London—
(would that they were restricted
as the Moore and Burgess Minstrels
restrict themselves to one hall,
never or "hardly ever," perform-
ing out of London!) —everywhere
and anywhere without respecting
illness, or the hours of public wor-
ship in our Churches and Chapels,
or the necessities of repose, show
thereby a distinct want of that
consideration for the feelings of
their fellow-citizens which simple
Christian folk call Charity. These
Booth performers—which desig-
nation savours suggestively of
Mountebanks—would do well to
play their peculiar music and sing
their peculiar hymns within the
four walls of their own places of
worship, employing the intervals
essential for gaining of wind and
for rest of muscle in meditating,
perhaps breathlessly, on the in-
spired Pauline teaching which will
inform them that even the works
of an Apostle, if he have not
charity, will be as "soundin?
brass and tinkling cymbals,"
making indeed a great noise in
the world, but as one William
Shakspeare has said, being mere
"sound and fury signifving no-
thine\" "Liberty of Worship"
by all means, but not such Liberty
for any one particular form of
worship which, interfering with
the freedom of others, speedily de-
generates into fanatical licence,
and so becomes a nuisance as in-
tolerant as it is intolerable.

Anglo-American French.—A
new word must be added to our
French dictionaries. In Le Figaro
for Feb. 15, in an article on Hector
Malot, occurs this expression,'' en
ce temps de puffisme litterairef
In English we have had the word
and the thing too, since the time
of Sheridan's Critic, but is any
student of French journalism
familiar with it in the Parisian
newspapers ?

THE FANCY BALL.

You came as Gretchen, hair of gold

And face so exquisitely sweet,
That I, like Faust, had certes sold
Myself, to win you, Marguerite.
Each plait enmeshed my
struggling heart,
That wildly beat
against my will;
And though at last we
had to part,
In Dreamland I could

Anon I saw thee as the Oueen

Who held so many hearts in fee ;
But Mart Stuart scarce had been,

Methinks, so beautiful as thee.
I fain had gone and splintered lance,

As in the old days in our realm;
To win a kind approving glance,

And wear your glove upon my helm.

What, stately Edith ! Lives there yet

The lady of that royal line,
The peerless proud Plantagenet,

Will Kenneth's great emprise be mine?
We saw how high his hopes could soar ;

see vou still -••''>Jli% s uopes coiuu so:

J ' ^^C^sJa^^^^^ ^e ^now the guerdon that lie won

Another night, with TlsIHwSk Shali 1 lind favour> as of -vore

tresses dark, ^^S«P Lid David, Earl of Huntingdon ?

And kirtle strewn with J 1^^B: ; 'Tis certain, in whatever guise

fears cte-lys, . jWIW , You come, as heroine of song

1 ou came a flashing J oan '' Or story, to my faithful eyes

of Arc, ^-IBKSiSK Vou shine the fairest of the throng.

Destructive of my However fanciful you be,

bosoms peace. ^ ll^lk Whatever fancy dress befalls ;

The sword was girt upon ^1 J|| My fancy paints you fancy-free,

your hip ^ ^m^^mr To f me at F Ballg,

And. thine the Maid s heroic glance ;___

I seemed to hear upon your lip,

The watchword of her life, " For France!" > The Real Nine Points of the Law.—Costs.

THE UNOBSERVED OF ONE
"OBSERVER,"

From the account given by "Observer " in
the Times, it might be inferred that " Har-
court ! Harcourt ! " was shouted all over
the House, in the lobbies, through the smok-
ing-room, in the library, through the cellars,
in fact, everywhere within the sacred pre-
cincts, on one memorable night, while at
that very moment the wily Sir William,
tucked comfortably up in his little bed, was
murmuring softly to himself, "Harcourt!
indeed ! ' Ha! not caught,' more likely! " and
so sweetly fell asleep.

Mrs. R. read aloud from the latest Report
of " B. and F. Bible Society," "One cannot
help thinking of the glorious field of labour
which lies open here before the Colporteur,
and of the pleasant way in which his labours
are appreciated by all." But the worthy lady
pronounced colporteur as coalporter, and so
on hearing from a friend that '' the Coal-
porters were on strike," Mrs. R. could not
help exclaiming, "Dear! how ungrateful of
them, when they were being ' so much appre-
ciated by all!' "