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diff --git a/old/65785-0.txt b/old/65785-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dcc3ca5..0000000 --- a/old/65785-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2179 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 23, Vol. I, June 7, -1884, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth - Series, No. 23, Vol. I, June 7, 1884 - -Editor: Various - -Release Date: July 7, 2021 [eBook #65785] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Susan Skinner, Eric Hutton and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 23, VOL. I, JUNE 7, -1884 *** - - - - - -[Illustration: - -CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL - -OF - -POPULAR - -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART - -Fifth Series - -ESTABLISHED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS, 1832 - -CONDUCTED BY R. CHAMBERS (SECUNDUS) - -NO. 23.—VOL. I. SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1884. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -THE NEWSMONGER. - - -He is nothing if not omniscient; and, like Othello, his occupation’s -gone if he be not the first to spread the news and carry the fiery -cross of scandal to the front. For the Newsmonger does not care to -carry good news so much as bad; the latter having a dash of spice in -it, wanting to the former—as red pepper titillates the palate more -than does either honey or sugar. The Newsmonger knows everything, and -foresees as much as he knows. When A’s sudden bankruptcy takes the -world in general by surprise, he, on the contrary, is not the least -astonished. He knew it weeks ago. He can put in black and white the -exact sum for which he has failed—for all that the books are still -in the safe, and the accountant has not begun to score up the items; -and he knows who is the largest creditor, who the most implacable, -and what is the bad debt which has caused all the mischief. He takes -care, however, not to state plainly all these things. He only says he -knows; and people are found to believe him. When Mrs B runs off with -Mr C, and thus exposes the hollowness of the domestic happiness of the -B’s, which was considered so complete; he knew all about that, too, -long before it happened. Indeed, he had warned C that he was going too -far, and that harm would come of it, Mrs B being but a feather-head -at the best; and he had even thrown out friendly hints to B, advising -him to be a little more strict in his guard and watchful in his care. -But no man is so deaf as he who will not hear, nor so blind as he who -will not see; and B was bent on his own destruction, and would not be -enlightened. Whom the gods would destroy, they first madden; and what -is the use of hammering your head against a stone wall? Again, when -Edwin and Angelina come to an abrupt rupture, and the engagement which -promised so well and looked so satisfactory all round, is broken off -in a hurry, to the open-mouthed amazement of society—though the cause -remains a profound mystery to all the rest, Our Newsmonger winks -knowingly when he gives you the story, and tells you that he is in the -confidence of both parties, and understands the whole thing from end to -end. How should he not, when he has been consulted from the beginning, -and himself advised the rupture as the only thing left to be done? -Whatever happens, he has been at the back of it; and no event takes -place of which he has not been cognisant or ever it was made manifest -to the crass public. This must needs be, seeing that he is the general -adviser of the whole world, and taken into every one’s confidence, from -the laying of the egg to the strutting forth of the full-plumaged fowl. - -It is the same thing with political matters. To hear him, you would say -Our Newsmonger had a telephonic communication with all the courts in -Europe; and that he and the secret things of the future lay together -on the knees of the gods. He has the insight of Tiresias, and the -prophetic vision of Cassandra. Russia cannot make a spring of which -he had not seen the secret silent combining. France cannot pass a law -which is not the logical outcome of the position he explained not so -long ago. That insurrection at the back of unpronounceable mountains -among tribes of whom no one but a few nomadic experts know, or the -existence, or the aims, or the wrongs—did he not foretell it?—that -tightening of the Bismarckian gag—did he not foretell that too? No -one remembers that he did foretell any one of these things; but if he -says so? As it is impossible to doubt the word of a man who is also -a gentleman, and whom you ask to dinner four times in the year, we -must take Our Newsmonger at his own showing, and assume that we have -been deaf, not that he was—mistaken. When Major Corkscrew, however, -twits him with that drop made in Panslavonic Unifieds, of which Our -Newsmonger was a rather large holder, and asks him, why, knowing the -turn things were sure to take, he did not go in for the fall, and -sell out while stock was steady?—he puts on a grave air and says he -thinks confidential communications ought to be sacred, and that it -would be highly dishonourable on his part were he to use his private -information for his own private gain. Whereupon Major Corkscrew rubs up -his three hairs and a quarter, and whistles, in that low way he has. -‘Only give _me_ the chance, that’s all!’ he says, swelling out his -chest. ‘If I knew a quarter as much as you say you do, my good friend, -I would be a rich man before the year was out. Hang me else!’ - -And after all, it was strange, was it not? that, knowing of this -coming insurrection at the back of the unpronounceable mountains, Our -Newsmonger should have gone in for a rise, when Panslavonic Unifieds -were so sure to come down with a rattling run, as soon as the first gun -was fired by the obscure tribes aforesaid? Those who like it can accept -the explanation as gospel truth and sure; but a healthy scepticism -is not a bad state of mind for the more wary to cultivate, and the -doctrine of infallibility is not so fashionable as it used to be. - -On all the undiscovered mysteries of history and the undisclosed -secrets of literature, Our Newsmonger has opinions as decided as on -other things. Sometimes he follows one authority out of many—as when he -supports himself on the dictum of Voltaire, and maintains that the Man -in the Iron Mask was the twin-brother of Louis XIV., and that all other -hypotheses do not hold water. And sometimes he asserts, but forgets -to prove—as when he ascribes the _Letters of Junius_ to Lord George -Sackville, and scouts the reasoning of experts which gives them to Sir -Philip Francis. In modern times, he knows all the ‘ghosts,’ and spots -all the Anons. He does not give their names, because that would be -dishonourable, you know, as he has been told by the people themselves -in confidence, and he must not betray his trust. He would give them -if he chose; but he must not; and you must be content with this vague -flash of a dim light before your eyes. If you are not, you will have -nothing better; for Our Newsmonger is above all a man of honour where -undiscovered secrets are concerned. When they are made public, then he -can say that he knew them all along—thus betraying no one. - -This reticence in large matters where no one would be hurt by free -speech, unfortunately does not influence Our Newsmonger in those small -things of private life which do a great deal of harm and cause much -personal pain when blurted abroad. It would not signify more than the -buzz of a fly on the window-pane if the unknown inhabitants of an -obscure village in the west of England were told the name of the person -who wrote _Democracy_, for instance; or that of the Russian woman of -high rank who played ‘La Dame aux Camellias’ in a mask; if they had -the true key to one of Daudet’s novels, or could dot the i’s of all -the ‘Queer Stories’ in _Truth_. No one would be substantially the -wiser for knowing that the hero of the midnight escapade recorded in -the one was the Duke of Sandwich or the Prince of Borrioboolagha. Nor -would it be of the least consequence to any one whatever, inhabiting -the pretty district of Pedlington-in-the-Mud, if the name of the young -gentleman who fell among thieves when he went to the Jews, and had -to pay eighty per cent. for a loan which included bad champagne and -worse pictures, were George Silliman or Harry Prettyman. But things -are different when it is said of Mrs Smith—the wife of the rector -who rules over things spiritual, and directs things temporal too, in -Pedlington-in-the-Mud—that she dyes her hair and corks her eyebrows; -of Miss Lucy, the daughter of the Squire, that she paints her face and -flirts with the footman; and of Major Corkscrew, that he tipples—and -his housekeeper knows it. Such things as these carried from house to -house as so many black beetles to infest the kitchen—so many moths -to eat into the ermine—do an incalculable amount of damage. But Our -Newsmonger, who would not sell a hundred pounds-worth of stock on -information received, nor tell the name of Louis Napoleon’s private -counsellor, has no scruple in letting fly all these dingy little -sparrows to peck at the golden grain of local repute, and to do -irremediable harm to all concerned. - -There is nothing that does not pass through the alembic of the -Newsmonger. He knows the exact spot in the house where each man keeps -his skeleton, and he can pitch the precise note struck when the bones -rattle in the wind and the poor possessor turns pale at the sound. Mrs -Screwer starves her servants; but then Mr Screwer gambles, and the -family funds are always in a state of fluctuation which makes things -too uncertain to be counted on. Mrs Towhead scolds her household till -she maddens the maids and dazes the men, so that they do not know which -end stands uppermost. But then Mr Towhead sends the poor woman mad -herself by his open goings-on with that little minx round the corner. -And if Mrs Towhead takes it out in a general conflagration, is it to be -wondered at, seeing the provocation she has? The Spendthrifts are out -at elbows, and no one can get paid, for all they gave that magnificent -ball last week on the coming of age of young Hopeful, who inherits -more debts than rents, and has more holes in his purse than coin to -stop them with. Miss Hangonhand is taken to Paris for the chance of -a husband, those in London proving shy and the supply not equalling -the demand; and Dr Leech’s bill was exorbitant, and a lawsuit was -threatened if he would not abate just one half. And then that Mr Fieri -Facias—have you not heard that he has been dealing with his clients’ -securities, and that if matters were looked into he would be now -standing in the dock of the Old Bailey? I assure you they say so; and -for my part I always believe that where there is much smoke there must -be some fire! The Bank, too, is shaky; and you who are a shareholder, -and you who are a depositor, had both better get out of it without a -day’s delay. - -All these things, and more, Our Newsmonger will say with a glib tongue -and a light heart; and whether what he says has a grain of truth, or is -pure unmixed and unmitigated falsehood, troubles him no more than if -the wind blows from the south-west or the south-south-west with a point -to spare. He can retail a bit of gossip which will make his visit pass -easily and keep the conversation from lagging; and which also will put -him into the position of one who knows, and thus place him on rising -ground while his friends are only in the shallows. And what matters it -if, for this miserable little gain, he obscures a reputation, breaks a -heart, destroys a life? He has had his pleasure, which was to appear -wiser than the rest; and if others have to pay the bill, the loss is -theirs, not his! - -A Newsmonger of this kind is the very pest of the neighbourhood where -he may have pitched his tent. A fox with silent feet and cruel flair -prowling about the henroost where the nestling chickens lie—a viewless -wind laden with poison-germs, and bringing death wherever it blows—a -lurking snake, hidden in the long grass and discovered only when it has -stung—these and any other similes that can be gathered, expressive of -silent secret wrong-doing to innocent things, may be taken as the signs -of the Newsmonger in small places where propinquity places reputations -at the mercy of all who choose to attack them. From such, may the good -grace of fortune and the honest tongues of the sturdy and the upright -deliver us!—for if all the evil that is said of men were tracked to -its source, that source would be found to lie, not in fact, but in -the fertile imagination of the Newsmonger. After all, we know nothing -better than each other. And as we have to live in human communion, it -is as well to live in peace and harmony, and in seeing the best, and -not the worst. The Newsmonger thinks differently. But then those who -are wise discard him as a nuisance and a mischief-maker; and their way -in life is all the more peaceful in consequence. - - - - -BY MEAD AND STREAM. - -BY CHARLES GIBBON. - - -CHAPTER XXXI.—THE CONJURER. - -Mr Beecham returned. - -‘The young people are crowding in now; and Mrs Joy and the -schoolmistress with some of their friends are trying to place them -comfortably, so that the smallest may have the front benches. Come -along and help them.’ - -The long narrow hall was already well filled, the faces of the children -shining with the combined effect of recent scrubbing and excitement. -Some of the youngest faces wore a half-frightened expression, for -the only magician they knew about was the wicked one in the story of -Aladdin, and they did not know what the magician they were to see -to-night might do to them. But others had seen this conjurer performing -on the village green in open daylight on fair-days, and were able to -reassure the timid ones, whilst regaling them in loud whispers with -exaggerated accounts of the wonderful things he had done. - -In the background were parents, on whose heavy and usually -expressionless faces a degree of curiosity was indicated by open -mouths and eyes staring at the still unoccupied platform on which the -performance was to take place. Along the side, near the front, was a -row of chairs occupied by Mrs Joy and her friends, who were presently -joined by Mr Beecham and Wrentham, and later by Dr Joy. One of Mr -Beecham’s ideas was not to overawe the children by the presence of too -many of the ‘gentry;’ consequently, he only invited those who were to -help him in making his young guests comfortable. - -The whispering ceased suddenly on the appearance of the conjurer. - -Wrentham leaned carelessly back on his chair, so that Mrs Joy’s bonnet -hid his face from Mr Tuppit. - -The latter looked quite smart in his well-brushed black frock-coat, his -white collar, his lavender-coloured tie, secured in a large brass ring -with a glass diamond in the centre, which glistened in the lamp-light -and at once attracted the children’s eyes. The professor of wonders had -a long solemn face, and black hair brushed close to his head, where it -stuck as if pasted on with oil. His voice had a pleasant ring, and he -began by merrily informing his audience that he intended to explain -to them how all his tricks were done. Every boy and girl who watched -him attentively would be able—with a little practice, of course—to -do everything he did. This was delightful information, and secured -immediate attention. But it was a little dashed by the intimation -that they would first have to learn how to spell the mystic word -‘Abracadabra.’ However, he would teach them how to do that too; and he -pinned on the wall a scroll bearing the word in large red letters. This -was a clever dodge to divert too quick eyes from his sleight of hand. - -Then, chattering all the time, he began his tricks. Pennies were -transformed into half-crowns and back to the poorer metal, much to the -regret of the grinning yokels—one of them denounced it as ‘a mortal -shame;’ handkerchiefs were torn into shreds and returned to their -owners neatly folded and uninjured; a pigeon was placed under a cap, -and when the cap was lifted there was a glass of water in its stead; -cards seemed to obey the conjurer like living things—and so on through -the usual range of legerdemain. - -The great feat of the evening was the last. Mr Tuppit advancing with -a polite bow—an excessively polite bow—begged Mr Wrentham to be so -good as to trust him for a few minutes with his hat, which should -be returned uninjured. Wrentham stared at the man, as if privately -confounding his impudence, and complied with the request. Another -polite bow and a smile, and the conjurer returned to his rostrum. The -glossy hat was placed on the table: flour, water, raisins, and all the -ingredients for a plum-pudding were poured into it amidst the laughter -and excited exclamations of the youngsters, who could scarcely retain -their seats. The whole was stirred with the magic rod, then covered -with a cloth, and when that was removed, there arose a column of steam -as from a caldron. A waiter brought a huge plate, and the conjurer -tumbled out on it a piping hot plum-pudding from the hat. The wonder -was not over yet. The pudding was quickly cut into hunks, and two -waiters were employed to serve it to the astounded audience. But how -that pudding came to suffice for the supply of all those young folk and -their parents was a mystery which only the conjurer, Mr Beecham, and -the hotel cook could properly explain. - -The hat was restored to its owner in perfect condition. Wrentham said -‘Thank you,’ and again stared at the man, who again bowed politely, and -retired after saying good-night to the children, whose cheers were not -stifled even by mouthfuls of plum-pudding. - -‘There is another of my sources of happiness,’ said Mr Beecham as -Wrentham was going away; ‘doing something to make others happy.’ - -Wrentham had not gained the particular information he had been seeking -as to Beecham’s antecedents, but he had learned several things. - -‘Bob is becoming troublesome. I must arrange with him either to sail in -the same boat or not to run foul of me in this way.’ - -His report to Mr Hadleigh was brief and decisive. ‘I can make nothing -of Beecham except that he is a harmless, good-natured chap, who likes -to spend his money in standing treat to all the youngsters in the -parish. There is no sham about his philanthropy either: never a bit -of fuss. Take last night, for instance. Nobody knew anything about -it barring those who were invited. I can’t make him out; but Miss -Heathcote may be able to help you. He corresponds with her.’ - -‘Corresponds with her?’ - -‘Yes; I saw a letter addressed to her on his desk. They seem to be -great chums, too, as I hear—and he is not too old to be a lover.’ - -‘That is curious,’ said Mr Hadleigh thoughtfully, but not heeding the -jest with which Wrentham concluded his remarks. - - -CHAPTER XXXII.—THE ENTHUSIAST. - -Philip was a little bothered by what Madge had told him. In honest -dealing he was unable to comprehend how man or woman could have any -knowledge or design which might not be communicated to the person who -was nearest in affection to him or her. He took for granted that he -must stand nearest in affection to Madge. If the knowledge or design -was not intended to hurt anybody, why should there be any mystery about -it? The more light that shone upon one’s work, the better it would be -done. Those who by choice worked in the dark must be trying to deceive -somebody—maybe themselves. He had as little liking for mysteries as -Aunt Hessy herself, because he could not see the use of them. - -Had he consulted his brother Coutts on this subject, he would have -learned from that City philosopher that the business of every man was -to cheat—well, if the sound was more pleasing, overreach—every other -man. Only a fool would make plain to others what he was going to do -and how he meant to do it—and the fool paid the penalty of his folly -by going promptly to the wall. He would have learned that in the race -for Fortune there are many runners who want to be first to reach the -winning-post. Therefore, it behoved every racer to keep the qualities -of his horse dark, and to keep his fellows ignorant of the turns on the -course where he purposed to put on an extra spurt and outwit them. - -‘A clever lie,’ Coutts would have said with his cynical smile, ‘often -saves much trouble, and wins the game. Most of the losers grin and -bear, and whilst congratulating the winner, laugh at the “truthful -James” who grumbles that he has lost because he did not understand or -could not submit to the recognised rules of the course.’ - -‘But how can a lie be necessary?’ Philip would have asked—‘how can it -be useful unless you mean to cheat?’ - -That was his great stumbling-block: he could not understand the use of -a lie, any more than he could understand a captain in a fog running his -vessel straight ahead without regard to compass or charts. - -Coutts would regard him pityingly, and answer with the calmness of one -whose principles are founded upon established law: - -‘Why I tell a lie is because I wish to gain an advantage over somebody. -If gaining this advantage be cheating, then I must cheat, because -everybody else is doing the same thing; or I must submit to be cheated. -However, in the City it is vulgar to talk about cheating and lies in -connection with respectable business transactions. When we profit by -the ignorance of others, we call it rules of trade, custom, and may -occasionally go so far as to speak of sharp practice; but so long as a -man keeps on the right side of the law, we never use such rude language -as you do. When he gets to the wrong side of the law, however—that is, -when he is found out—we are down upon him as heavily as you like. You -had better not meddle with business, Philip, for you will be fleeced as -easily as a sick sheep.’ - -Philip turned away in disgust from the ethics of selfishness as -expounded by his brother, and refused to believe that the primary rule -for success in business was to do the best for yourself no matter what -others lose, or that any enterprise of moment had ever been carried to -a successful issue under the guidance of such a theory. People might -hold their tongues when silence meant no harm to any one and possible -good to somebody. That was right, and that was what Madge was doing. - -So, after the first sensation of bother—for it was not displeasure or -suspicion of any kind: only a mixed feeling of regret and astonishment -that there could be, even for a brief period, a thought which they -might not both possess—he proceeded with the work in hand. She gave -him what is most precious to the enthusiast, sympathy and faith in his -visions. - -‘People of experience,’ he told her, ‘say that I am aiming at an -ideal condition of men, which is pretty as an ideal, and absolutely -impracticable until human nature has so altered that all men are -honest. Besides, they say, I am really striving after community of -interest, which has been tried before and failed. Robert Owen tried -it long ago—Hawthorne and his friends tried it—and failed. I answer, -that although my object is the same as theirs, my way of reaching it -is different. It is certainly community of interest that I seek to -establish, but under this condition—that the most industrious and most -gifted shall take their proper places and reap their due reward. Every -man is to stand upon his own merits: if fortune be his aim, let him win -it by hard work of hand and brain. The man who works hardest will get -most, and he who works least will get least. I think that is perfectly -simple, and easily understood by any man or woman who is willing to -work. There are to be no drones, as I have said, to hamper the progress -of the workers.’ - -Madge could see it all, and the scheme was a noble one in her eyes, -which ought to be workable—if they could only get rid of the drones. -But that ‘if’ introduced Philip to his troubles. - -The question as to the price of the land Philip desired to purchase had -been settled with amazing promptitude after he had, in the rough but -emphatic phrase, ‘put his foot down.’ Wrentham came to him with looks -of triumph and the exclamation, ‘See the conquering hero comes.’ He was -under the impression that he had done a good stroke of business. - -‘I treated the greedy beggars to what I call the don’t-care-a-brass-farthing -style. I was only an agent, and my principal said take it or leave -it. I didn’t care which way they decided, at the same time I had a -conviction that they were throwing away a good offer—cash down. We -had some fencing—I wish you had been there—and at last they agreed to -accept a sum which is only two hundred beyond what you offered, so I -closed the bargain.’ - -The difference was not of much consequence; but for a moment Philip -thought it strange that Wrentham had been able to conclude the bargain -so easily after what he had told him. The thought, however, passed from -his mind immediately. - -Now came the business of starting the work. Here Caleb Kersey proved -useful, not only in organising the labourers but in dealing with the -mechanics. The difficulty was much the same with the skilled and -unskilled workers—namely, to enable them to understand that it was -better and honester to employer and employed to be paid for the work -done than for the time spent over it. Prospective profit did not count -for anything in the minds of most of the men; and the ‘honesty’ that -was in the system was regarded as only another word for extra profit to -the employer. - -‘Gammon!’ was the general remark; ‘you don’t take us in with that -chaff. We get so much an hour, and we mean to have it.’ - -In spite of this, however, Philip, aided by Caleb, collected a band of -workmen sufficient for his purpose. For a time all went well. There -were grumblings occasionally; but most of the men began in a short -time to comprehend how they could improve their own position by the -amount of work produced. But these presently found themselves hampered -and scoffed at by those whose chief object was to ‘put in time.’ That -was the grievance of the real workers: the grievance of the master, -which was not found out until too late, was that the highest market -price for the best materials was paid for the worst. The groans became -more numerous, and their outcries louder, as their pay decreased -in accordance with their own decrease of production. But they said -they had ‘put in time,’ and ought to be paid accordingly. They were -completely satisfied with this argument, which proved to themselves -beyond question that they were being injured by the man who pretended -to be their friend. - -Next the unions spoke, and all the men who belonged to them were -withdrawn. Those who remained were picketed and boycotted until Philip -took what was considered by his friends another mad step. - -‘Look here, lads, you who are willing to stand by me—you shall have -your home in the works, and before long we shall have help enough. I am -sorry that we should have had this breakdown; but I expected something -of the sort; and when I started this scheme of mutual labour for mutual -profit—I ought to say the system of individual work—I was prepared -to encounter much misunderstanding, but I was inspired by the hope -that in the end I should find real help amongst the real workers. I -am convinced that there are plenty of men willing to work if they can -find it. Now, why should we not work together? The principle is a very -simple one, and easily understood. You want to get as much as you can. -So do I. But in getting it, let us try to deserve it by really earning -it. I am trying to earn my share of the profit that ought to come from -the capital that I hold in trust. At the same time, I will not allow -any man to share with me who says he cannot produce, but must be paid -for the time he spends inside our gates.’ - -He was striving to bridge that troublous sea which lies between capital -and labour; and the great pillars of his bridge were to be productive -labour on the one side and honest buyers on the other. The men -applauded these sentiments, satisfied that nothing was wanting except -the honest buyers. - -‘The real capital of the world is Brains,’ he said; ‘and to carry out -the work which they devise, the labourer of all degrees is as necessary -as the man with money.’ - -‘Hear, hear!’ cried a grim-visaged fellow who was leaving Philip’s -service; ‘and, consequently, the labourer ought to have share and share -alike in the profits with the money-man.’ - -‘Undoubtedly; and he should, likewise, take his share in the losses,’ -was Philip’s reply; and he endeavoured to explain his projected scheme -of the regulation of wages by results. - -But this was not easy to understand. So long as he talked of sharing -profits, the thing was clear enough; but when it came to be a question -of also sharing losses, the majority could not see it. Philip was -impatient of their stubborn refusal to believe in what was so plain and -simple to him—that when a man was paid for what he produced he would be -the gainer or loser according to the degree of his industry. - -However, Philip persevered eagerly with his scheme, and in his -character of honest buyer of labour he met with many surprises. - -Work was scamped: he detected it, and dismissed the scampers. They went -to join the clamorous crowd of incompetent or lazy workmen who cry that -they only want work, but do not add to the cry that they want it on -their own terms. - -The few real workers who remained became disheartened because they -were so few, and some of them were frightened by vicious crowds -outside. They had wives and families dependent on them; but they -must obey the inexorable majority, although in doing so they would -have to accept charity or starvation. They accepted the charity, and -clamoured more loudly than ever against the tyranny of capital which -left them no other alternative. They loafed about public-houses, drank -beer, discussed their grievances, whilst their wives went out charing -or washing. And they called themselves over their pewter pots the -ill-used, down-trodden people of England! - -‘I wish you could get rid of all that sham,’ Philip said, irritated at -last with himself as much as with the men. ‘So long as you are mean -enough to live upon the earnings of your wives, and what you can borrow -or obtain from charity, and thus supported, refuse to work unless the -terms and the nature of your work be exactly what you choose to accept, -you will never have the right to call yourselves honest sellers of -labour. I want you to understand me. I say that if a man wants work, he -should be ready to take up any job that is offered him, whether it is -in his line or not. The nature of the work is of no consequence so long -as a man can do it, for all work is honourable. What is of consequence -is that a man should be independent of the parish and the earnings of -his wife. I say, here is work; come and do it: you shall not only have -payment for what you do, but a share in whatever extra profit it may -produce.’ - -That speech settled the whole affair so far as the men were concerned. -All, except some half-dozen, left him, and filled their haunts with -outcries against the new monopolist who wanted them actually to produce -so much work for so much pay. Meanwhile, they got on comfortably enough -with the earnings of their wives and the parish loaves. - -‘God forbid that we should call such creatures workmen!’ cried Philip -in his desperation; ‘but the country is crowded with them—a disgrace -as much to legislation as to human nature. Let us see how we can do -without them.’ - -He could have done without them if he had been allowed a fair chance. -But in the first place, there was Wrentham’s frankly declared objection -that the scheme was all nonsense, and could never succeed until all men -ceased to be greedy or lazy. And then there was the hardest blow of all -to Philip in the sudden change which came over Caleb Kersey. - -Caleb had entered upon the work with an enthusiasm as strong as that of -Philip himself, although not so openly expressed. There was a glow of -hopefulness and happiness on his honest brown face when Philip first -laid the plans before him. Here was the Utopia of which he had vaguely -dreamed: here was the chance for poor men to take their place in the -social sphere according to their capacities and without regard to the -conditions under which they started. Here was the chance for every man -to have his fair share of the world’s wealth. - -‘I hadn’t the means to work it out as you have, sir, but my notion has -always been something of the kind that you have got into ship-shape -form. I’ll try to help you.’ - -And he kept his word. There was no more earnest worker on Shield’s Land -(that was the name Philip had given to the estate he purchased) than -Caleb. Example, advice, and suggestions of the practical advantage each -man would secure if he faithfully followed out the rules Philip had -laid down, were given by him to all his fellow-workmen. - -Suddenly the enthusiasm disappeared. The light seemed to fade from his -eyes; and Caleb, who had been the sustaining force of the workers, -became dull and listless. - -About Wrentham’s opposition there was a degree of lightness; as if one -should say, ‘Just as you please, sir; I don’t believe in it, but I am -entirely at your command,’ which did not affect personal intercourse. -With Caleb it was the reverse, because he felt more deeply. Wrentham -could be at his ease because he regarded the whole affair as a matter -of business out of which he was to make some money. Caleb thought only -of the possibilities the scheme suggested of the future of the workman. - -Philip had given up all hope of persuading Wrentham to believe in his -theories; but he could not give up Caleb. So he resolved to speak to -him. - -‘What is wrong, Kersey? You have not lost heart because those fellows -have left us?’ - -‘No, not because of that’ (hesitatingly and slowly); ‘but they were not -so much to blame in leaving us as you may think, sir.’ - -‘What do you mean?’ - -‘Well, they did not understand you; and when they saw things coming in -in the raw state at higher prices than could be got for them when made -up, they didn’t see where the profit you spoke of was to come from.’ - -‘Oh——!’ murmured Philip, curiosity aroused, and the note passing -through the stages of surprise and perplexity to suspicion. ‘Why have -you not told me about this before?’ - -‘It weren’t my place, sir; Mr Wrentham has charge of these things.’ - -A pause, during which Philip tried a paper-knife on the desk as if it -were a rapier. Then: ‘All right; I’ll see about that. But you have not -answered me as to yourself. You are sulking for some reason. You say it -is not the loss of the men which has put you out of sorts; I know it is -nothing connected with me, or you would tell me. Then what is it?’ - -There was no answer; but Caleb bowed his head and moved as if he wished -to go. - -‘You have not heard anything about Pansy?’ said Philip suddenly, moved -by a good-natured desire to discover the cause of the man’s depression, -in the hope that he might be able to relieve it. - -There was a lurch of the broad shoulders, and Caleb’s dark eyes flashed -like two bull’s-eye lanterns on his master. ‘No—have you?’ - -The question was an awkward one for Philip, remembering what he had -thought about the attentions of his brother to the gardener’s daughter. -He was immediately relieved from his unpleasant position by Caleb -himself. ‘No—I won’t ask you that, sir; it ’ud be hard lines for you to -have to speak about’—— - -The rest was a mumble, and Caleb again moved towards the door. Philip -called him back. ‘I won’t pretend not to know what you mean, Kersey,’ -he said kindly; ‘but if you listen to what is said by envious wenches -or spiteful lads, you are a confounded fool. Trust her, man; trust her. -That is the way to be worthy of a worthy woman.’ - -‘And the way to be fooled by an unworthy one,’ said Wrentham, who -came in as the last sentence was being uttered. Then seeing Philip’s -frown and Caleb’s scowl, he added apologetically: ‘I beg your pardon. -I thought and hope you were speaking generally, not of any one in -particular.’ - -‘Come to my chambers this afternoon, Kersey; I want to speak to you.’ - -Caleb gave one of his awkward nods and left the office. - - - - -STAINED GLASS AS AN ACCESSORY TO DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE. - - -In a former paper (September 1879) we briefly reviewed the growth and -progress of the art of glass-staining and painting, and described -the various processes necessary to its prosecution, and practised at -the present day; and, after tracing its career in its application to -the purposes of ecclesiastical decoration, hinted at its capability -of adaptation to ornamental requirements beyond those pertaining to -the embellishment of the sacred edifice. We propose in the present -paper to deal more exhaustively with this branch of an art, and to -endeavour to point out, as succinctly as possible, the more prominent -and obvious cases where its introduction would be desirable in secular -ornamentation. - -Public buildings of course demand the first attention; and in a country -like our own, owing its prosperity to its commercial enterprise, -its political organisation, and its unequalled system of municipal -government, we have witnessed in the course of the last few years the -commencement, progress, and completion of costly and magnificently -adorned buildings. Upon these noble buildings have been lavished the -utmost resources of decorative art; and latterly, stained glass has -formed an important element in the general scheme of decoration, and -it is to its adaptation to this class of domestic architecture that we -would first draw attention. - -One of the first, as it is one of the most natural, motives prompting -the enrichment of the ornamental accessories of a building, is -discovered in a desire to see perpetuated the memory of its founder or -founders. The most natural expression of this feeling is, of course, -the desire to permanently retain a record of their features and -personal characteristics in the shape of a pictorial representation. -This desire at first sight seems to be susceptible of immediate -gratification by a portrait, either on canvas or in marble; but further -consideration will tend towards the conviction that the use of these -media is not altogether free from objection. Little, perhaps, can be -said against the statue in itself; but the elaborate and gorgeous -decoration of our more sumptuous buildings is likely to be unpleasantly -marred by the marble pallor of sculpture; and after all, dignified -and stately as are many of our statuesque memorials, they convey -little more than an idealised impression of the features of the person -commemorated. - -The employment of oil portraiture is also open to certain objections. -It must be remembered that modern decoration means a great deal more -than a mere picking out in gold and colour of the salient lines of a -cornice, or the stencilled powdering of a conventional pattern over the -area of a wall or a ceiling; it has advanced far beyond the province -of the builder and house-painter, and demands no inconsiderable -proportion of the genius of the artist. If the decoration of a room or -hall is designed to constitute in itself a complete work of art, its -effect may be grievously injured by the injudicious introduction of -a heavy gold frame, and colours, which while admirably accomplishing -the purpose of the artist, may in a great measure interfere with the -surrounding harmony of colour. We have, then, no other place left but -the window, and the problem seems to be in a fair way towards solution. -The perfection to which the painting of glass has attained leaves no -room for doubt as to the fidelity of the likeness; but apart from this -fact, a far more extensive recognition of the virtues or services -of the subject of the memorial is to be obtained by various devices -and emblems, appropriate to the character and life of the person -honoured, which could hardly with propriety be introduced into an oil -picture. One example, recently erected, may serve to more clearly -demonstrate our meaning. The lately erected town-hall of Lerwick -has been enriched by two windows illustrative of persons and scenes -connected with some of the primitive traditions of Orkney. In one -window, divided by a central mullion into twin-lights, is represented -the figure of Archbishop Eystein, one of the earliest of Orcadian -prelates, clad in his archiepiscopal vestments; while a panel beneath -the figure illustrates his consecration of King Magnus. Side by side -with the figure of the archbishop stands Bishop William, the founder -of the venerable cathedral of Kirkwall, the formal ceremony itself -being depicted in the panel below. The corresponding window displays -the gigantic form of the Norse warrior Harald Haarfager, with his -landing in Zetland shown in the lower panel; and Jarl Rognvald, whose -investiture as Earl of Orkney, 870 A.D., is represented in the panel -beneath. In the ‘tracery’ above the two windows are shown respectively -the Orcadian and Norwegian coats-of-arms. Now, a combination of -such historical and traditional interest could hardly be otherwise -so successfully treated, while the glowing colours and fine design -materially add to the effect of the neighbouring beauties of the -structure. - -There is another consideration not without importance in connection -with the establishment of a complete scheme of internal decoration. -Light is one of the most important essentials in a building where exact -and extensive business is transacted, and the presence of large and -frequent windows is a necessity. But how painfully is the harmony and -continuity of the ornament interrupted by the constant recurrence of -these patches of white light. The eye, in following the progress of -the decorative design, grows weary of the constant loss and recapture -of its thread; and that which would otherwise have pleased and charmed -by its beauty as a whole, only perplexes and tires by its division -into parts. Here, then, is called into requisition the art of the -glass-stainer; without any vital diminution of light, the scheme -of colour is no longer disturbed, a perfect chromatic harmony is -established, and the window serves a double purpose, by admitting the -necessary illumination from without, and enhancing the beauty of the -building within. - -The foregoing remarks naturally have reference to all public buildings -of more or less importance, though we have instanced the town-hall as -a representative building, associated with the more imposing class of -secular edifices. - -There is an institution and building, without the existence of which -the writing on subjects of beauty and art would be a serious waste of -time—namely, the school; and here the introduction of stained glass -may be found of beneficial effect. It is not to be denied that when -the watchful eye of the master relaxes its vigilance, the youthful -eye will wander too, and the direction of nearly every eye will be -towards the window; and principals of schools and their subordinates -are fully aware of the fact. They are also aware of the attractions or -distractions presented by the tempting spectacle of green trees and -spreading meadows in summer; or falling snow and ice-bound stream in -winter, or even at all times the freedom of the open street; so, to -remove the cause of temptation, the glass is made opaque by painting -it over with a dull white mixture which effectually conceals the -dangerous landscape. But by the introduction of cathedral glass, of -the simplest patterns and pleasing tints, the unsightly whitewashed -panes would be replaced by panels of unblemished glass more or less -ornamental, perfectly effectual in their primary purpose, and at the -same time affording some relief to the eyes from the monotony of the -barren school walls. Tinted glass leaded in various geometric or -flowing patterns might be made most useful as an excellent substitute -for drawing copies of the elementary stage; the rudiments of freehand -drawing could all be acquired from the glazed patterns; while, under -competent hands, it could afford most valuable assistance in the -teaching of the laws of the harmony and artistic contrasting of -colours. The trifling initial expense would be speedily saved, as there -would be no wear and tear of copies; there could be no _measuring_, -most disastrous to the student; the copy would be always clean; the -colour would be refreshing to the eye; and much labour would be saved -to the teacher, as he could demonstrate his teaching to the whole class -at once. - -Passing from the consideration of public requirements to those of the -private home, the increasing cultivation and appreciation of the fine -arts, and their application to domestic necessities, are sufficient -encouragement for the advancing of the claims of stained glass to hold -a place in the general scheme of internal decoration. Of course, with -such diversity as necessarily exists in the comparative size and extent -of family abodes, from the lordliest mansion, standing in the midst of -its own far-stretching grounds, to the more humble dwelling, forming -a unit among the many that go to constitute a street, or terrace, or -‘gardens,’ it would be impossible to lay down any precise suggestions -for their ornamentation; but it may be possible to offer a few general -and broadly elastic ideas, capable of being expanded or contracted -according to the means and wants of all. - -The more pretentious of the mansions of the nobility and gentry are -pretty sure to boast of at least one fine, large, and imposing window, -affording ample scope for artistic design, and, whether in the family -tracing its pedigree for centuries, or the _nouveau riche_ who began -life with a struggle, heraldry and its concomitants seem to be held, -more or less, in equal reverence. It needs little apology, therefore, -for suggesting the blazonry of shield, helmet, crest, mantling, motto, -supporters, and other resources of the gentle science, as affording -a most appropriate exercise of the glass-stainer’s skill. Making -use, as heraldry does almost exclusively, of the five most prominent -colours, as well as white and gold, it is admirably adapted for its -reproduction in stained glass, whose exquisite and transparent tints -are seen to fine effect in heraldic compositions. The matter of expense -is of course an important consideration; but the treatment of heraldic -design can be almost endlessly modified or elaborated; so that, while -within easy reach of the only moderately affluent, it may, on the other -hand, be raised to such a height of gorgeous enrichment as to form no -unworthy element in the decoration of a palace. - -Nor is a large and finely proportioned window an absolute necessity. -At Rydal Hall, Westmoreland, the seat of the family of Le Fleming, a -window, the heraldic blazoning of which was designed by the present -writer, consisted merely of nine upright oblong square panels, each -about two feet high by eighteen inches wide, arranged three, three, and -three; and separated by mullions and transoms. But this unpromising -rigidity of construction was not only overcome, but made subservient to -the general design, in the following manner: the arms of the Le Fleming -family, in a shield of nine quarterings, occupied the centre panel; the -quarterings (all divisions of a shield above two, no matter how many in -number, are called quarters) being those respectively of Le Fleming, of -course in the place of honour, the dexter chief; and of eight ancestral -and collateral branches of the family; and each of these quarterings, -thus brought together in one shield to form the perfect ‘achievement of -arms’ of the present representative, was displayed separately on single -shields occupying the eight surrounding panels. - -One of the principal documents in the muniment rooms of the great is -the genealogical tree, duly set forth on musty parchment, in itself a -guarantee of its own antiquity. How admirably could this be executed -in glass! The tree, very conventionally designed, trained over the -whole surface of the window; the quaintly hung shields depending from -its branches at intervals; the whole forming an interesting study for -antiquary and genealogist. - -But in less ambitious dwellings, stained glass under various forms may -be introduced with picturesque advantage. It will be acknowledged that -very often, while the front of a house may look on a well-kept garden, -or form part of the side of a spacious and beautiful square or public -garden, the back may very likely look out on equally spacious but not -equally beautiful or savoury mews. We know it may be contended that -most back-rooms are bedrooms, and only used at night. This is true -enough. But in nine cases out of ten, in houses of this class, there is -a staircase window on the first landing, which, as a rule, looks out on -the back, and is continually calling the attention of those passing up -or down the stairs to the interesting spectacle of an equine toilet, -or some similarly delectable operation. In this case, a window, though -consisting of only two or three tints of rolled cathedral glass, and -leaded in geometric or ornamentally flowing lines, would completely -shut out the offensive prospect, while in no way interfering with -the necessary lighting of the stair, nor the opening or shutting -of the window-frame; and the expense would be scarcely if any more -than glazing the sashes with plate-glass, which, moreover, to look -commonly decent, requires infinitely more frequent cleaning than the -other. This, of course, is almost the simplest form of treatment; but, -according to the length of purse of the householder, the window may -be more or less ornate in its design. The owner’s arms, or monogram; -floral painted devices, heads, or figures representing the four -seasons, field-sports, fables, nursery rhymes, and numberless kindred -subjects, are all most appropriate for delineation, and can be obtained -at far less cost than a doubtful ‘old master,’ or piece of Brummagem -bric-à-brac. A very pretty effect is obtained at night by filling the -sides of a hall-lamp, or any large conspicuous lamp, with painted glass -of design according to the owner’s fancy; the old-fashioned clumsy -window-blinds are now frequently superseded by leaded glass screens, -more or less ornamental in their details; and a great objection to the -use of stationary firescreens hitherto—that while they screen, they -also hide the fire, is removed by the use of screens of glass, leaded -and painted according to the taste and purse of the buyer. - -A great and most important consideration in the adoption of stained -glass is the great variety of design of which it is susceptible, its -range of artistic production being so extensive and pecuniarily elastic -as to bring it, in one form or another, within the reach of almost any -one occupying a house; while for cleanliness, durability, and pleasing -effect, whether in the comfortable dwelling of the thriving tradesman, -or adorning the noblest monuments of private munificence or national -philanthropy, it cannot fail to charm the eye by its intrinsic beauty; -while from the artist’s practised hand, the jewels of design shed their -lustre on the illuminated walls. - - - - -SILAS MONK. - -A TALE OF LONDON OLD CITY. - - -IN FOUR CHAPTERS.—CHAPTER I. - -One evening—a pitch-dark evening in autumn—a girl stood at one of the -doors in a row of old houses in the neighbourhood of Crutched Friars, -watching. It was difficult to see many yards up or down the street, -for it was only lighted by three widely-separated gas-lamps. Under one -of these lamps, at a corner of the street, there presently appeared -a little old man. He came along slowly, but with a jerky step like a -trot; his head was bent and his shoulders raised; and he seemed to be -rubbing his hands together cheerfully and hugging himself from time to -time, as though his thoughts were of a congratulatory nature. - -‘Why, grandfather,’ said the girl, descending into the street as soon -as she caught sight of this figure—‘why, grandfather, how late you are!’ - -The old man came jogging on, still in his jerky manner, though faster, -at the sound of her voice. ‘Ay, ay!’ said he, shaking out his words, -‘ay, Rachel, my dear. Always late. Don’t you take any notice of that. -It has been so for years—fifty years; ay, more than fifty.’ - -‘Fifty years, grandfather, is a long time,’ remarked the girl as they -passed in at the doorway together, her arms placed protectingly around -him—‘a very long time.’ - -‘Ay, Rachel; so it is, my dear,’ continued the old man—‘so it is.’ - -They entered a small front-room on the ground-floor. An oil-lamp was -burning on the mantel-shelf; it threw a dim light upon bare and dingy -walls, upon an old deal table, two wooden seats without backs, and a -well-worn leathern armchair near the fire. Towards this chair the girl -now led the old man as one might lead a child. Then she began to lay -the cloth for the evening meal. She was a pretty, homely-looking girl -of about eighteen; perhaps a little too pale; and with eyes, though -large and lustrous, somewhat sad and weary for one so young. But as she -busied herself about the room preparing the supper, her eyes gradually -brightened; and her face, growing more animated, gained colour, as -though to match the better with her red lips. - -The old man, crouching in his armchair before the fire, took no notice -of the girl. His look had become deeply thoughtful, and he seemed to be -gaining a year in age with every minute that was passing. The wrinkles -increased, and covered his face like the intersecting lines in cobwebs; -the white eyebrows drooped thick as a fringe, and meeting over the -brow, seemed to be helping to hide some secret, vaguely expressed in -the small gray eyes. His head was bald, except at the sides, where -scanty locks of snowy white hair hung about his neck. His long lean -fingers were occasionally spread out upon his knees, though sometimes -the hands grew restless when an incoherent word escaped his lips. The -workings of the mind indeed were expressed in the nervously shaped -figure as much as in the face. There were moments when the fingers -clawed and clutched perplexedly; then there came into the eyes a look -of avarice, and the whole form would seem busily engaged in solving -mysterious problems. There was something almost repellent in the -workings of the mind and body of this strange old man. - -‘Come, grandfather!’ cried the girl, when the meal was presently -spread. ‘The supper is ready now; and I hope,’ she added, assisting him -to a place at the table—‘I hope you have a better appetite than usual.’ -She spoke in a cheerful tone, though looking doubtfully the while at -what she had spread on the board. There was a small piece of cheese, -part of a loaf, and a stone pitcher filled with water—nothing more. - -The old man eyed the food keenly. ‘No, Rachel, no,’ said he; ‘not much -appetite, my dear.’ - -The girl sighed, and took her place opposite to the old man. ‘I wish,’ -said she, ‘that I could provide something more tempting. You must be -almost famished, after all these hours of work. But’—— - -‘Eh?’ - -‘But we cannot afford it. Can we?’ - -‘No, my dear, no,’ said the old man, very shaky in voice; ‘we can -hardly afford what we have.’ - -Rachel cut her grandfather a slice of bread. - -‘Too much, my dear!’ cried he, with a wave of his hand—‘too much! I’ve -no appetite at all.’ - -The girl divided the bread, a painful look passing over her face. The -old man, although there was a ravenous glance in his eyes strangely -contradictory to his words, began to eat his bread slowly. - -Presently the girl, as though expressing her thought impulsively, -cried: ‘Grandfather! why are we so poor?’ - -The old man, who was munching his crust, and staring abstractedly at -the morsel of cheese, looked up with bewilderment at Rachel. - -‘I cannot understand why,’ she continued, forcing out the words—‘why we -are so very, very poor! I cannot understand why such a wealthy House as -Armytage and Company, where you have been a clerk for more than fifty -years, should pay you such a small salary.’ - -‘Small, Rachel?’ asked her grandfather. ‘Fifteen shillings a week, -small?’ - -‘Well, it does seem so to me,’ the girl replied in a modest tone. - -The old man rubbed his knees nervously and bent his head, and deep -furrows gathered on his brow. ‘Small, eh? Fifteen shillings a week, -small? Why, Rachel, you talk as though you knew nothing of this -hard-working world. How many clerks are there in this old city who -would go down on their knees and thank Armytage and Company for fifteen -shillings a week!’ - -‘Many—very many,’ said the girl sorrowfully. ‘I know that too well. -But, grandfather, not one like you—not one who has served a great House -for more than fifty years.’ She placed her hand upon the long lean hand -of her grandfather. ‘No,’ she continued; ‘not so long as you have. -And,’ she added, ‘surely not so faithfully? The House of Armytage and -Company—I have often heard you say—place every confidence in you as -their head-cashier. Thousands and thousands of pounds in the course of -the year pass through your hands: piles of bank-notes, bags and bags of -bright sovereigns, have been paid by you into the bank’—— - -‘Ay, ay!’ cried the old man, looking straight before him, as though at -a vision—‘ay, ay! Bright sovereigns—bags and bags of them—bags and bags -of bright sovereigns!—ah! how they shine!’ While speaking, he rose from -his seat, rubbing his hands slowly together and hugging himself, as he -had done on his way through the dark street. He began to pace the room, -still staring at the vision, and muttering: ‘Ay, ay! how they shine!’ - -Rachel, watching him with a wondering expression, said in a low -voice, as if speaking aloud her thoughts rather than addressing her -grandfather: ‘What a blessing, if only some of those shining sovereigns -were ours!’ - -The old man stopped suddenly, staggering as though he had received a -blow, and looked fixedly at the girl. ‘What can have put that idea into -your head?’ - -Rachel hung her pretty head as she replied: ‘I want them, grandfather, -for you! I want to see you placed at your ease.’ - -The old man was silent. His eyes remained for a moment bent upon the -girl’s face; then he sat down before the fire, and gradually seemed to -fall back into his thoughtful mood, his face wrinkling more deeply, and -the nervous movements of his hands answering to the constant plodding -of his brain. - -Rachel now rose from her seat to clear the table, moving silently -about the room. When she had finished, she seated herself at her -grandfather’s feet, upon the threadbare patch of carpet before the -hearth, and raising her eyes to his face, she said: ‘You are not angry -with me, grandfather, for speaking my mind?’ - -The old man placed his hand tenderly upon the girl’s head. ‘No, my -child—no. There is nothing in your words to make me angry. But you -know little of the world. You think that we are poor. You do not know, -Rachel, what poverty is. Does,’ he added, with a sudden glance at the -girl’s face—‘does starvation threaten us?’ - -‘Why, no, grandfather.’ - -‘Is there any danger,’ he demanded, ‘that we shall be turned out of our -old home?’ - -‘None, grandfather, that I know of.’ - -‘Then, my dear, do not let us say that we are poor. It sounds as though -we were in sight of the workhouse; and that, you know,’ he concluded, -‘that is not true: no, no—not true.’ - -These words seemed to pacify the girl; and the two remained silent for -a while. Rachel retained her place at the old man’s feet, her head -drooping on his knee, his hand laid protectingly around her shoulder. - -‘You are tired, Rachel,’ said the old man presently, noticing that her -eyes were half-closed with sleep. ‘Go, my dear, get to bed. I shall -find my way to my room soon. Don’t mind me.’ - -‘Shall you stay up, grandfather?’ asked Rachel, looking at him with -surprise. - -‘A little while, Rachel—a little while.’ - -The girl lingered, and looked reluctantly around the room. ‘Are you -sure you would not like me to stay with you?’ - -‘Quite sure, my dear.—Good-night.’ - -The girl kissed her grandfather. Deep affection was expressed in her -whole demeanour as she bent over him to say good-night. Then she placed -a very ancient-looking candlestick on the table and left the room. - -When she was gone, a striking change came over the old man—his face -became more animated; he was younger in look and manner. Presently, he -rose from his seat with surprising ease for one so old. He stood for a -moment in the middle of the room, leaning forward and listening, with -keenness and cunning expressed in his eyes. There was not a sound. The -street outside, little frequented even during daylight, was silent. -The old man lit the candle, blew out the lamp, and went up the old -staircase noiselessly. On one side of the landing above there were two -rooms—the first the bedchamber of the grandfather, the second that of -the girl. Reaching the landing, he entered his room and closed the door -very cautiously, and always listening. - -The room was grotesquely furnished. In one corner was a large bed, with -four black, bare, oaken posts, with spikes, nearly touching the low -ceiling. The bed-coverings were neat and clean; and beside the bed was -a strip of carpet. But here all appearance of comfort began and ended. -The contrast gave to the rest of the room a dreary aspect: the sombre -walls, the patched-up window-panes, the uneven floor, suggested nothing -beyond abject poverty and decay. - -Still in a listening attitude, and frequently glancing keenly about, -as though the fear of being taken by surprise amounted almost to -terror, the old man placed the candle on the drawers, and taking a -bunch of keys from his pocket, unlocked a cupboard in the wall and took -out sundry articles. Firstly, a thick long overcoat, into which he -disappeared, leaving only his head visible; secondly, a large fur-cap, -which he drew down to his eyebrows and over his ears; thirdly, he -brought forth a dark-lantern; this he carefully trimmed, lighted, and -closed. These strange proceedings completed, he threw the bedclothes, -with evident intention, into some disorder, put out the candle, and -left the room. For a moment he stood on the landing, listening at his -grand-daughter’s half-open door. It was dark within her room, and a -soft regular breathing, as from one who sleeps, fell upon the old -man’s ear. Apparently satisfied, he nodded his head slowly; and then -he began to descend the dark staircase. Step by step he crept down, -casting at intervals a trembling ray of light before him from the -lantern which he held in his shaky hand. When he reached the passage, -he opened the front-door and went into the night, closing the portal -without a sound. As he had come, when his grand-daughter stood waiting -for him on the doorstep, so he went, hugging himself, and moving with -a jerky trot along the silent, lonely way, under the dim lamps fixed -in the walls over his head. So he went, like a mysterious, restless -shadow. Where? The old city clocks are striking midnight; they awaken -echoes in tranquil courts and alleys; their droning tones die out, and -break forth again upon the night, as though demanding in their deep -monotonous voices—‘Where?’ - - * * * * * - -When Rachel arose at an early hour on the following morning, her pretty -face expressed no surprise when she found that her grandfather was up -and away without awakening her. The same thing had occurred so often -in her young life, that although she felt regret at not seeing him at -the breakfast-table, she took for granted that the important affairs -of the great firm of Armytage and Company had called him away to the -counting-house; so she made herself as happy and contented as might -be under the circumstances. She lit the fire, breakfasted, and then -busied herself about the old house until towards noon, when she sat -down by the window in the sitting-room with her work, looking out upon -the dismal row. A dismal place, even upon a bright autumn morning. -The row faced a plot of waste ground. On this plot there had once -stood, in all probability, a row of houses similar to the row in which -Rachel and her grandfather lived; but nothing now remained except the -foundations of houses, filled with rubbish of every description in the -midst of broken bricks. In the centre of the place there was planted a -wooden beam with a crossbar, like a gibbet, from which was suspended a -lantern, broken and covered with dust. Whether this lantern had ever -been lighted, may be doubtful; but that some one had placed it there -with the intention of warning people who had some regard for their -shins against trespassing after dark, and had afterwards forgotten to -light it, is the probable explanation of the matter. Be this as it may, -Rachel sat regarding this scarecrow-looking lamp dreamily, as she had -often done, without being conscious that it was there, with the piles -of dark houses in the background, when the figure and, more especially, -the handsome face of a young man on the opposite side of the street, -somehow got in front of the lantern and blotted it out. - -As Rachel’s eyes met the eyes of the young man, a smile of recognition -crossed the girl’s face. She threw open the window. ‘Good-morning, Mr -Tiltcroft.’ - -To which the young man answered, as he stepped across the road: -‘Good-morning, Miss Rachel.’ - -‘Have you come from the counting-house?’ - -‘Yes; I’m on my “rounds,” you know, as usual,’ replied the young man; -‘and happening by mere accident to be passing this way on matters of -business for Armytage and Company, I thought it would scarcely be -polite to go by the house of Silas Monk without inquiring after the -health of Miss Monk, his grand-daughter.’ - -‘You are very kind. Won’t you come in?’ - -The young man willingly assented. The girl opened the front-door, and -they went in together, and sat down side by side near the fire. - -‘You have always been such a kind friend to my grandfather and to me, -Walter,’ said the girl, ‘that although it may seem strange to you that -I should put the question I am going to ask, still I am sure you will -believe I have a good reason for doing so. Tell me, if you can, why -it is that my grandfather, who has served the House of Armytage and -Company so many years—so many, many years,’ she repeated with emphasis, -‘and so faithfully too, should receive so paltry a salary? Can you -explain it?’ - -The young man looked up with some surprise expressed in his frank eyes. -‘Paltry, Rachel?’ asked he. ‘I call it princely!’ - -A look of disappointment, even of regret, came into the girl’s face. -‘That is what grandfather says. He talks as though he thought it -princely too. He always reminds me, when I mention the subject, that -there are hundreds of poor clerks in this old city of London who would -be only too glad if they could make sure of a like remuneration.’ - -‘So _I_ should think,’ cried the young man, laughing. ‘Why, Rachel, if -I had a salary half as large as your grandfather, I’d ask you to marry -me to-morrow!’ - -‘Be serious, please.’ - -‘So I am serious! What astonishes me is, that Silas Monk, with the fine -salary—in my opinion, very fine salary—which he draws from Armytage -and Company, should live in a back street like this. It’s downright -incomprehensible!’ - -‘What can you mean?’ The girl uttered the words in a hurried voice, as -though a sudden thought had crossed her mind. She placed her hand upon -Walter’s arm and said: ‘Don’t speak!’ - -What troubled her was the discovery that her grandfather had deceived -her. There was no truth in what he had led her to believe about their -intense poverty. They were perhaps rich, and had been for years, while -she had remained in ignorance of the fact. What was his object in -concealing this from her? She could not doubt that it was a good one. -He knew the world and all the horrors of poverty; how often he had -spoken of that! He wished to leave her in a position of independence; -and doubtless he had the intention of telling her this secret as an -agreeable surprise. - -‘Walter,’ said she, looking up into the youth’s face after this pause, -‘you must think me strangely discontented to speak as I have just done -of Armytage and Company. I value my grandfather’s services to the firm -perhaps far too high. But he was a clerk in the House before the oldest -living partner was born. No salary, not even the offer of a share in -the business, would seem to me more than he merits.’ - -‘Exactly what we all say in the office,’ replied Walter. ‘But then, you -know, five hundred a year is not so bad. I shall think myself lucky if -I ever get within two hundred of it—I shall indeed.’ - -Could she be dreaming? Five hundred pounds a year! Ever since her -earliest childhood, she had implicitly believed that fifteen shillings -a week was the amount her grandfather earned—not a farthing more. - -Rachel rose from her seat and went to the window. Her perplexity was -too great to allow her, without betraying it, to utter a word. Yet -she wished to speak; she wanted to question Walter in a hundred ways. -There were perhaps other mysteries—at least so she began to think—which -he might assist her to solve. Calming herself as best she could, she -turned to him, and said: ‘Can you stay a moment longer? There is -something I should like to know about my grandfather.’ - -‘There are many things, Rachel, that I should like to know,’ said the -young man, laughing. ‘Many things that most of us at the office would -like to know about the dear, eccentric, old fellow!—Well, Rachel, what -is it?’ - -The girl, hesitating a moment, replied: ‘One thing puzzles me -greatly—why is grandfather kept so very late every evening at the -office?’ - -Walter Tiltcroft looked round quickly. ‘What do you call late, Rachel?’ - -‘Ten o’clock, eleven, sometimes midnight.’ - -‘No one remains after six.’ - -‘No one?’ asked the girl—‘not even grandfather?’ - -‘That,’ replied the young man, ‘no one knows. He is always the last. He -locks up the place. He is First Lord of the Treasury. He looks after -the cash: he stays to see that all is safe in the strong-room. That has -been his office for years. He is, some of them think, getting too old -for the post. But that’s a matter for the partners to settle. He is -still hale and hearty. There is, therefore, no reason why he should be -superseded—at least, none that I can see.’ - -‘But surely, Walter, the mere matter of locking up the strong-room -cannot occupy grandfather from six o’clock until even ten, much, less -until midnight.’ - -‘That’s the mystery,’ said the young man thoughtfully. - -Rachel clasped her hands and turned her pale face towards Walter. ‘What -you tell me, makes me very anxious,’ said she. ‘Indeed, I know not why, -but I begin to be seriously alarmed. What can all this mean?’ - -‘What, indeed? That’s the mystery,’ repeated the young man, in a still -more meditative tone. - -‘Then again, Walter, I cannot understand why grandfather leaves home -for the counting-house, as he tells me, at five o’clock in the morning. -Can that be necessary?’ - -‘Oh, no, no! The hours are from nine till six,’ cried Walter. ‘But at -what hour Silas Monk arrives, no one knows, or ever did know. We always -find him seated at his desk in the morning when we come, just as we -leave him there when we go in the evening.—Do you know, Rachel,’ added -Walter, ‘if I was ignorant of the fact that he had his home and this -little housekeeper, I should be disposed to agree with the fellows at -the office who declare Silas Monk haunts the counting-house all night -long.’ - -Rachel started. These words, uttered by the young man half in jest, -brought thoughts into the girl’s head which had never entered there -before. - -‘Good-bye, Rachel,’ said Walter. ‘Armytage and Company will be -wondering what has become of me.’ - -The lovers went together to the front-door, where Walter hastily took -his leave. He looked back, however, more than once, as he went down the -street, and saw Rachel standing on the doorstep watching him. So, when -he reached the corner, he waved his hand to her, and then plunged into -the busy thoroughfare. - - - - -SEALS AND SEAL-HUNTING IN SHETLAND. - -BY A SHETLANDER. - - -IN TWO PARTS.—PART I. - -There are but two species of seal permanently resident on our -coasts—the Common Seal (_Phoca vitulina_) and the Great Seal (_Phoca -barbata_). The Greenland seal has occasionally been seen in Shetland, -and even shot; but these were only stragglers, not improbably floated -far southward on small icebergs or floes of ice from the Arctic -regions. The two species named, the common and the great seal, are -very much alike in appearance, and not easily distinguished by a -casual observer; but a Shetlander who has frequent, if not constant, -opportunities of seeing them, is never at a loss to recognise them. -In many respects, especially in their habits, they are distinguished -by well-marked characteristics. The common seal is called in -Shetland _Tang-fish_—that is, shore or bay seal; and the great -seal is vernacularly the _Haff-fish_, or ocean seal. The male and -female of both species are distinguished by the prefix ‘Bull’ and -‘She’—_Bull-fish_, _She-fish_. - -The common seal is gregarious, and appears to be polygamous. In herds -of from ten to a hundred they frequent the small uninhabited islands, -holms, and skerries, where the tideways are strong, but the ocean -swell not great; and they do not seem to stray far from such favourite -haunts, resting for several hours each day from the commencement of the -ebb-tide on small outlying rocks, or stony beaches on the lee-side of -the little islets, but almost always in such a position as to command a -pretty extensive view, in case of surprise. Their food consists chiefly -of piltocks and sillocks—vernacular for the young of the saithe or -of the coal-fish—small cod, flounders, and crustacea. In June, they -bring forth their young, never more than one at a birth, and in the -same season, on the low flat rocks close to the sea, and immediately -lead them to the water, where they seem at once perfectly at home, -disporting themselves amongst the waves with ease and grace equal to -their seniors. For some time previous to this, the sexes separate into -different herds; and during the two succeeding months in which they -suckle their young, the females affect a somewhat solitary life. After -that, they again become indiscriminately gregarious. The adult common -seal sometimes attains the size of six feet, measured from the point of -the nose to the end of the tail. It is obviously a mistake to measure -to the end of the hind flippers, as is sometimes done. The males -are considerably larger than the females, but I have never seen one -exceeding six feet. - -On the other hand, the haff-fish grows sometimes to eight or nine -feet, and such venerable ocean patriarchs will weigh from six to seven -hundredweight. This species is much less numerous than the tang-fish. -They appear to be monogamous, and are not gregarious, being commonly -met with in pairs. They frequent the wildest and most exposed of the -outlying rocks and skerries along the coast where there is free and -immediate access to the ocean, and are very seldom seen in the bays -or amongst the islands, which are the haunts of their less robust -congeners. They seem to luxuriate in the roughest sea, and delight -to sport in the broken water and foam at the foot of steep rocks and -precipices when the waves are dashing against them. They bring forth -their young in caves, open to the sea—called in Shetland _hellyers_. -These hellyers are natural tunnels in the lofty precipices, running -or winding inwards, sometimes two hundred yards, into darkness, and -generally terminating in a stony or pebbly beach. Some of these -hellyers can be entered by a small boat, but only when the sea is -perfectly smooth; others are too narrow for such a mode of access; and -the openings to others are entirely under water. - -It is in these wild and for the most part safe retreats that the -female haff-fish, about the end of September or beginning of October, -brings forth her young; and here she nurses it for about six weeks, -all the time carefully and affectionately attended by her lord and -master. Not till the baby haff-fish is nearly two months old does it -take to the water. If thrown in at an earlier age, it is as awkward -as a pup or kitten in similar circumstances, and does not seem to -have the power of diving. In these respects, the two species differ -markedly. Nor is the haff-fish so often seen basking on the rocks; and -when he does take a rest on shore, he does not appear to mind what is -the state of the tide or wind. But probably his usual and favourite -resting and sleeping place is his hellyer, where he will feel secure -from intrusion. His principal food is cod, ling, saithe, halibut, and -conger-eel. Both species are exceedingly voracious, but can endure a -very long abstinence. A tame one we once had never tasted food for -three weeks before he died. They always feed in the water, never on -land, tearing large pieces off their fishy prey, and swallowing it -without almost any mastication. They do not migrate, but remain in the -vicinity of their breeding-places throughout the year. Formerly, seals’ -flesh used to be eaten by the natives of Shetland, but not now. I have -eaten a part of a seal’s heart, and found it by no means unpalatable. -It was offered to me as a special delicacy by an old gentleman who -could not have been induced to taste a crab or lobster. By-the-bye, why -is it Shetlanders won’t eat these delicious crustacea? I once put the -question to an old fisherman, and his reply was: ‘They’re unkirsn—they -eat the human,’ meaning the dead bodies of sailors and fishermen. -(Unkirsn is the vernacular for unclean, in the sense of being unfit for -food.) - -I believe seals’ flesh is still sometimes salted and eaten by the -Faroese and Icelanders; but if one may judge from the very strong -coal-tarry smell of the carcass, it cannot be particularly savoury. -It is different, however, with whale-flesh, that of the bottlenose at -least. Shetlanders don’t eat it; but the Faroese do, and esteem it -highly. I remember, many years ago, being in Thorshavn shortly after a -shoal of about twelve hundred bottlenoses had been driven ashore, and -the houses of the little town were all covered with long festoons of -whale-flesh hung up to dry and harden in the sun. The natives call it -_grind_, and regard it as excellent, palatable, and nutritious food. I -ate some of it. It looked and tasted very much like good coarse-grained -beef, and had no unpleasant, fishy, or blubbery flavour. - -Seal-hunting is splendid sport—superior, I confidently affirm, to -every other species of sport in this country at least, not excepting -deer-stalking and fox-hunting. The game is a noble animal, large, -powerful, exceedingly sagacious, intensely keen of sight and hearing, -suspicious, shy, and wary. You have to seek him amid the wildest and -grandest scenery, where you will sometimes encounter danger of various -kinds. To be a successful seal-hunter you must be acquainted with the -habits of the animal. You must be cool and cautious, yet prompt and -fertile in expedients, a good stalker, a good boatman, and a good -cragsman; and you must be at once a quick and a steady shot. It is not -enough to strike a seal; you must shoot him with a bullet through the -brain, and thus kill him instantly, or you will in all probability -never see him again. He may be lying basking on a rock within forty -yards of you; you may put a bullet through his body; he plunges into -the sea and disappears. But a seal’s head is not a large object at any -considerable distance; and if he is swimming, you have probably only -a part of his head in view. If you are in a boat, your stance is more -or less unsteady, however smooth the sea may be. Then, however close -he may be to you, it is needless to fire, if, as is usually the case, -he is looking at you; for he is quite as expert as most of the diving -sea-birds in ‘diving on the fire,’ or rather throwing his head to a -side with a sudden spring and splash. Further, if you kill him in the -water, the chances are at least equal that he instantly sinks, fathoms -deep, amongst great rocks covered with seaweed, where dredging is out -of the question; and other expedients that may be tried, equally, in -nine cases out of ten, fail. At other times, however, a seal shot in -the water will float like a buoy. It is not very clear why one seal -should float and another sink. It is certainly not referable to the -condition of the animal. Fat seals sink as readily as lean ones; and -lean seals float as readily as fat ones. Probably they float or sink -according as their lungs are or are not inflated with air at the moment -they receive their death-wound. - -Besides a thoroughly trustworthy weapon, the seal-hunter requires -to provide himself with a ‘waterglass,’ a ‘clam,’ and a stout rod -twelve to twenty feet long, with a ling-hook firmly lashed to the -end of it, making a sort of gaff. These are for use in the event of -a seal sinking. The waterglass is simply a box or tub with a pane -of glass for its bottom. Placed on the surface of the water, it -obviates the disturbing effect of the ripple. Looking through it with -a great-coat or piece of cloth thrown over the head after the manner -of photographers, you can see down as far as sixty feet if the water -is pretty clear; and even to a hundred feet or thereby if it is very -clear. The ‘clam’ is an enormous species of forceps, with jaws of from -two to three feet width when open. Two stout lines are attached—one for -lowering the clam with open jaws; the other for closing the blades over -a dead seal that, by help of the waterglass, has been discovered lying -at the bottom, and hauling him to the surface. Many a seal is secured -in this way, which, but for these simple appliances, would inevitably -be lost. The long-handled gaff is used for raising a seal that may have -sunk in very shallow water where the rod can reach him, and sometimes -is found very useful when he is just beginning to sink, if you have -shot him from your boat. For a few seconds after being shot, he usually -floats. Instantly, you pull up to him, but find him sinking slowly—only -as yet, however, a foot or two beneath the surface. You at once and -easily gaff him, and then he is safe enough. - -The largest haff-fish I ever shot I lost from not having a seal-gaff -in the boat. I was not seal-hunting, but shooting sea-fowl along the -lofty precipices on the east side of Burrafirth, in the island of Unst. -Suddenly a big haff-fish bobbed up close to the boat, but instantly -disappeared with a tremendous splash. Seals are very inquisitive -animals; and as he had not had time to gratify his curiosity, I thought -it very likely he might show face again. We always carried two or three -bullets in our pocket, to be prepared for such chances. One of these -I quickly wrapped round in paper and rammed home above the shot, with -which my fowling-piece—a long, single-barrelled American duck-gun—was -charged. Again selkie broke the surface of the water, this time at a -more respectful distance, but still within easy range. After taking a -good look at the boat, and at me doubtless, who just then covered him -with the sights, he turned fairly round and gave a contemptuous sniff -of his nose skywards, preparatory to making off. Fatal and unusual -hardihood; it cost him his life, for just then I pulled the trigger, -and sent the bullet through his head. I was in the bows of the boat. -‘Pull men, pull hard!’ I shouted. As we came up to him, I saw he was -beginning to sink. A rod there was in the boat, but it had no hook at -the end. I seized it, and stretching forward, got it under him, and -raised him close to the surface. I tried to keep him up, but he slipped -and slipped several times, and at last sank. I could have secured -him easily enough, had there been a hook on the end of the rod. The -water was very deep, and not clear; and although I spent that evening -and the next day searching for him with the usual appliances, I was -unsuccessful. All these conditions, contingencies, and uncertainties -make the sport of seal-hunting surpassingly exciting and captivating. - - - - -OVER-EDUCATING CHILDREN. - - -A singular question has arisen within the last few months in reference -to the education of young children in our public and National Schools, -and that is the somewhat startling query: Is not the present system of -‘cramming’ very young children not only inexpedient, but dangerous to -brain and life, in trying to force too much ‘book-learning’ into small -minds ill fitted for its reception? Many thoughtful people have of -late given much attention to this interesting question; but the whole -subject has at last been forced upon the notice of the public in a -manner as tragic as it was unexpected. Two young children have lately -suffered miserable deaths in consequence of overwork, in other words, -over-education. One of these children, in the delirium of brain-fever, -continually cried out, with every expression of pain and distress: -‘I can’t do it—I can’t do it!’ alluding, of course, to the difficult -sum or long lesson which had been given her; and so the poor little -overtaxed brain gave way, fever set in, and death speedily put an end -to her sufferings. - -Now this is very sad, and surely need not, and ought not, to be even -possible. To put a higher and better class of education than was -meted out to our forefathers within the reach of all, is one of the -grandest systems of the present enlightened age—a system to which -no sane person could possibly object. But even this blessing may be -overdone, through the indiscreet zeal of teachers, until it becomes -a curse, instead of what it really ought to be, a blessing. The body -of man, acted on by the unerring laws of Nature, plainly rebels -against all overdosing, whether it be in food, drink, exercise, heat -or cold, and clearly indicates a limit—‘Thus far, and no farther.’ So -it is with the brain. Children are not all constituted alike, and it -is certain that all should not be treated in the same manner in the -training either of their bodies or their minds. One boy will develop -great muscular strength, and distinguish himself in athletic games -and gymnasium practice. But will it be pretended because A and B can -do this to their advantage, that C and D, who do _not_ possess the -physical requisites, should also be compelled to go through the same -course? What must be the consequence? An utter breakdown. So is it with -the mental organisation; a point which seems to be the last thing that -many teachers take the trouble to study, or even to think of. All the -children who attend the school—to use a homely but truthful saying—must -be ‘tarred with the same brush,’ no matter what their capacity or -ability. The weak sensitive mind, lacking both ready intelligence and -quick perception, is to be ‘crammed’ and overdosed with learning for -the reception of which it is unfitted; whilst no allowance is made for -want of ability. And all this in obedience to the Revised Code of the -Education Department, the principles of which have been denounced as -not seldom producing more evil than good, and serving only to degrade -the higher aims of true education. The consequences of this system, -when it is overdone, are that the mind gives way, and brain-fever and -death are the painful results. As far as the public have heard as yet, -only two deaths of children have been recorded as having been produced -by over-pressure of the brain in schools; but it is not improbable that -if two have occurred in this way, that these are by no means all. It -is also possible that a child may sicken and die from this overwork -without its parents at all suspecting the real cause. - -The question is now fairly before the public; and a large and -influential meeting was held on the 27th of March last in Exeter Hall, -under the presidency of the Earl of Shaftesbury, ‘to protest against -the existing over-pressure in elementary schools.’ The most remarkable -resolution was moved by Dr Forbes Winslow, a gentleman who, from his -great professional experience, was well able to give a fair opinion on -a question of brain-work and brain-pressure. This resolution was to -the effect: ‘That, in the opinion of this meeting, a serious amount of -over-pressure, injurious to the health and education of the people, -exists in the public elementary schools of the country, and demands -the continued and serious attention of Her Majesty’s government.’ The -resolution then goes on to condemn the Revised Code, adding, that -‘if the recent changes even alleviate, they will not remove, this -over-pressure.’ - -Other resolutions passed at this meeting also referred to the -excessive brain-pressure exercised in schools, and deprecated the -Code generally, especially the inelastic conditions under which the -Education grant is administered, the excessive demands of the Code -itself, and the defects of inspection. The system of ‘classification’ -was also severely condemned by one speaker, who added these remarkable -words: ‘Ingenious cruelty could not have provided a more ruinous -system than that of payment by results. All the children were ground -upon the same grindstone, without reference to their capacity; and -accordingly as they were ground up or ground down to the very same -level, so was the percentage of public money handed over.’ It was also -insisted that teachers should classify according to ability, and not -merely according to age; a wise and salutary suggestion, which, if -carried out, would undoubtedly save much useless over brain-work, for -it would follow that, where a child was found to be of a low order of -intellect, cramming and over-pressure would be futile, and therefore -not attempted, as being simply loss of time. But where children are -placed according to age only in one particular class, it follows that -all constituting that class—dull or bright—are to be crammed exactly -alike, whether they can bear it or not, and the consequence must be -that whilst the intelligent advance rapidly, the stupid break down -entirely. Such a system, added to the principle of payment by results, -can be productive of nothing but disaster. - -The question has recently been before both Houses of Parliament; but -Mr Stanley Leighton unfortunately lost his motion by a majority of -forty-nine. His motion was to the effect, that children under seven -should not be presented for examination—that greater liberty should be -given to teachers to classify according to abilities and acquirements, -and not age only—and that a large share of the grant should depend on -attendance, and a smaller upon individual examinations. Mr Leighton -concluded by saying that ‘the existing over-pressure was killing not -only children, but teachers as well.’ - -As this important subject has at length been fairly ventilated, it will -probably not be allowed to drop until something has been attempted to -modify and re-arrange much that now exists in the objectionable Revised -Code. Nothing, however, will accomplish this much-desired result but -agitation and pressure in the right quarters, and public opinion must -make itself both heard and felt. - - - - -GAS COOKING-STOVES. - -BY AN ANALYTICAL CHEMIST. - - -A short time ago, it was feared that the electric light would quickly -and entirely supersede gas as an illuminating agent; and whether it -eventually did so or not, there was no doubt that in the future it -would prove a formidable rival. Those who were most interested in -gas, foreseeing the inevitable change, whilst improving the positions -they occupied so prominently and so long, sought new fields for the -application of gas, in which they might hold their own, and probably -more than their own, against the conquering rival. The application of -gas to cooking purposes was one of the results, and, as experience has -since proved, was a very useful and beneficial one. The writer has -had a gas cooking-stove for some time in his possession, and offers, -therefore, for the benefit of others the results of personal experience. - -The gas-flame used in gas cooking-stoves differs essentially from the -ordinary gas-flame used for lighting purposes. It is necessary to bear -this in mind, for some persons object to gas-cooking because they are -only acquainted with gas in the form used for illumination, in which -it is capable of giving off so much soot and other objectionable -products of combustion. In the gas cooking-flame the combustion is -more perfect, and consequently the temperature is very much higher, so -that by this simple change an extraordinary saving of gas is effected, -while the objectionable products before mentioned are almost entirely -eliminated. To effect this change, all that is necessary is to mix the -gas with a sufficient quantity of air before it reaches the flame, and -to subdivide the flame itself. This mixture of gas and air has been -for a long period in use for heating purposes in the laboratory of the -chemist under the form of the Bunsen burner, and also in the blowpipe, -and is almost indispensable to him. - -The advantages which gas possesses over coal and peat for cooking -purposes may be summed up as follow: (1) It is always ready, and can be -turned on and off in a moment; (2) It is very clean, deposits no soot -if properly lighted; (3) The heat can be regulated to the requirements -of the occasion; (4) It requires no attention; (5) It is cheap and -economical; (6) It preserves the flavour of meat; and (7) It saves time -and labour. - -Any person who considers the amount of labour and time expended in -connection with ordinary fires—the comparative difficulty of lighting -them—the frequent attention necessary to maintain them, and the waste -of fuel when not in use—the amount of soot they discharge about the -compartment, and deposit, more particularly in open stoves, on the -utensils used in cooking—the absence of any means by which the heat -can be properly regulated—cannot fail to be convinced that coal for -cooking purposes has a great rival in gas. That gas is economical -cannot for a moment be disputed, even when the question of labour -is not included. Of course the comparison will vary in different -localities; but wherever the price of gas is in proportion to the price -of coal—that is to say, wherever no exceptionally high price is charged -for the cost of manufacturing gas—the cost of cooking by the latter -will compare favourably with that of coal. A few figures taken from -actual trial will make this clear. A ton of Wallsend coals in London -costs twenty-six shillings, and will feed a small kitchen stove for two -months; making the charge thirteen shillings a month. To this must be -added one shilling a month for firewood, which costs in London three -shillings and sixpence per hundred bundles. This amounts to fourteen -shillings a month. The cost of gas for doing the same amount of cooking -amounts, at three shillings per thousand cubic feet, to, say, fourpence -a day, or ten shillings a month; to which eightpence a month for -rent of gas-stove has to be added. This amounts to ten shillings and -eightpence; making the saving per month upwards of three shillings. -Where stoves can be had for hire from the Gas Companies—and they -can now be had from most Companies—hiring is cheaper than purchase. -Moreover, the Company keep them in repair without extra cost. - -The advantages of gas are felt chiefly in summer, when coal-fires are -not only not required for heating purposes, but when kept lighted all -day, are positively objectionable; and to the workers in the kitchen -almost intolerable. The atmosphere of a kitchen where gas is used at -this season contrasts strongly in temperature with that of one in which -coal is burned. When coal-fires are kept up only for the preparation of -each meal, the cost of relighting is somewhat considerable. - -There are many objections offered to the use of gas for cooking. It -is very commonly said that an offensive smell is imparted to the -victuals cooked by gas—that gas is really more costly in the end—and -that the statements made by gas and gas-stove manufacturers in respect -to working cost are lower than can be obtained in practice. If the -stove be a good one, the victuals are generally better cooked than -by the ordinary method; there is no objectionable smell, and no -objectionable taste. The flavour of meat roasted or baked in a good -stove is superior, because it can be done quickly, and is not allowed -to toughen, as frequently happens before a low kitchen fire. That gas -is not more costly than coals is proved by the figures given above. - -We will conclude by saying a few words about stoves. It should be seen -that means are provided for supplying a sufficient quantity of air for -admixture with the gas before it reaches the flame. The air is admitted -through a number of holes or slits opening into the tube through which -the gas passes, and in rushing forward under pressure the gas draws the -air with it into the flame. To realise a maximum amount of heat out -of a given quantity of gas, it is necessary to add to it a definite -proportion of air. When the gas rushes rapidly towards the flame, a -greater quantity of air is drawn in through the orifices provided for -that purpose than when the gas passes more slowly. This to a certain -extent regulates the supply of air; but it sometimes happens that too -much or too little air is admitted. A small quantity of gas passing -through the pipe cannot exercise the force necessary to create a -partial vacuum into which the air would be drawn, and as a consequence, -the heat derived from the flame is far below what might be expected—in -short, it ceases wholly or partially to be a blue flame, and becomes -a luminous and comparatively cold, or perhaps a smoky one. The other -provision is made for the proper control of the supply of air; and -since an excess is the lesser of the two evils, it is wiser to adopt -the precaution of having holes or slits in the pipe large enough to -admit a sufficient quantity of air. The larger the oven or roaster, the -more convenient it will be. This oven should be provided with movable -‘grids’ or trays, and should have one metal tray for the reflection of -heat, by which the tops of pies, &c., may be browned; and also with -a ventilator, to allow the gases to escape. A gas-stove with a small -oven, or with one divided into a number of parts without the means of -being enlarged, will be found very inconvenient if it is required to -roast a large joint. - - - - -A BUTTERFLY IN THE CITY. - - - Fair creature of a few short sunny hours, - Sweet guileless fay, - Whence flittest thou, from what bright world of flowers, - This summer day? - - What quiet Eden of melodious song, - What wild retreat, - Desertest thou for this impatient throng, - This crowded street? - - Why didst thou quit thy comrades of the grove - And meadows green? - What Fate untoward urges thee to rove - Through this strange scene? - - Have nectared roses lost their power to gain - Thy fond caress? - Do woodbine blooms, with lofty scorn, disdain - Thy loveliness? - - Oh, hie thee to the fragrant country air - And liberty! - The city is the home of toil and care— - No place for thee! - - EDWIN C. SMALES. - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, -and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. - - * * * * * - -_All Rights Reserved._ - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber’s Note—the following changes have been made to this text. - -Page 357: boycoted to boycotted—“picketed and boycotted”.] - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 23, VOL. I, JUNE 7, -1884 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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