On this page

• Text (3)

  Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

  • 

    Untitled Article

  • 

    Untitled Article

  • 

    Untitled Article

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    Untitled Article

    a family , luilesa she be- gifted with some special talent , and even then . ——! These observations form a reply to the perpetual assertion , " " Welli but a woman shouli know "whom she trusts , she- should he content to talce her cliance * look before you leap , " and a few other proverbs . Undoubtedly ; but a woman , and especially aa affectionate one , is not gifted with unerring foresignt trith power of scientific analysis , when she leaves one home of comparative seclusion to enter another ; and there 13 a third party in the constitution of the family who has a moral right to be considered , the child , who has an actual claim upon Jiia mother- ^ -his mother , who , on her side , has no right to promise

    away her powerof discharging her obligations in his behalf . People , if they look out well beforehand , have a certain right to leap , like the 1 ' ersian prin ce ^ into the air , if so be-that , they carry with them . nothingbut what is strictly their own , . tut they have no right to leap with nil their moral responsibilities with thenvto promise away their own power of fulfilling their plainest duties , shuffling them off .-on to another person whose tune is proba"bly engrossed with practical external life , and , in faet , creating an entail tipon their own consciences of the worst description : For a subsequent clause of the petition

    declares that "the ; law , in depriving the mother of all pecuniacy resources , deprives her of the power of giving schooling . to her children , and in other ways providing for- their moral and physical welfare ; it obliges her , in short , to leave them to the temptations of the street , so fruitful in juvenile crime . " This sentence * specially inserted , as I happen to know , at the request of a person much interested in smd cognisant of the question of juvenile reformation , begs a point , whichj were it proved by numerous examples , would exactly confirm what I hare said above ; .

    The third clause of the petition alludes to the " Courts of Equity , and of these a woman is -unfitted to argue , except in remarking tha , t Avhatcver the mode or degree of success of their action , they are now wholly beside our question , on account of the expense attending any appeal to their aid , and that no separate tribunal on matrimonial relations will be of any use to the nation at large unless its charges tie of the most moderate scale ; unless , in fact , they jbecome County Courts for the settling of litigated questions in each separate district , without obliging the farmer ' s wife to leave her hens and cows , and ' the shoemaker his last , upon every occasion of appeal . It does not , however , seem likely that " appeals , "

    however cheap , are the best or teriderest methods of mendiiiig broken hearts , heads , or fortunes , and a simpler common Law may prevent an amount of mischief ¦ which , -when once done in so delicate a piece of machinery as a domestic household , neither judge nor jury can cure . What we want is the simple defence of Law—thatLaw so much respected in England that its mere existence upon any point is an influence which penetrates into the secret closets of a house , —that Law to which honest citizens never appeal , and whose dictates they never infringe , "but which nevertheless is around us all , from our cradle to our death , a band of gentle but steady * constraints , which in the person of an invisible police males the streets of London safe amidst two millions of people—which constantly sends 5 / . notes to the Chancellor of tho

    Exchequer , though no man knew of the defalcation —which tames even the sad ferocity of hunger , and enables ub to risk , the experiments of tickets of leave—the Law which has already secured so much for the weaker sex , though not one in a thousand ever saw even the shadow of its wig and gown , except in their marriage license . For true it is , that the Law of a great and free nation is less a sharp and isolated authority than an all-pervading atmosphere . If it is impure we breathe it at a thousand lungs ; we da not fight it , for "to beat the air" is proverbially childish ; but we drain our marshes and lay a ; penalty upon * our chimneys , till we find we enn say , " How clear it is to-day , thercis nothing in the air , " although there may be all the time a degree of pressure per inch which , if removed , would make us leap fifteen feet high at every step we took .

    Let it not be forgotten , therefore , that no patching process of extra tribunals will meet the requests sot forth in the petition , which > vas , thut the Legislature would inquire into and amend , upon various points relating to the property and earnings of married women , the present condition of the Law . 1 am , sir , &c , Bessie IUyneu Parkes .

    Untitled Article

    larly in cases "where thesum recovered * by ajudgment is under 20 ^ . And I will give you an instance . In the year 1854 a West-end tailor employed a poor sempstress to make his waistcoats , &c , and continued so to do until nearly the end of 1856 , by which' time he was- several pounds sterling in her debt for work done as well' as for goods supplied . The creditor being unable to get her money , sued the debtor , and obtained * judgment agaiust him : in > the County Court . The debtor took no notice of the order of the court , and an execution was levied oh his goods , when the debtor politely offered the bailiff , not the money , but a bill of > sale by way of mortgage of all liis goods , dated in the year 1853 , " in favour of a

    IMPRISONMENT tfOK DKIJT . ( To the Editor of the Leader . ) Audi , aftcrem pnrfem . It has of late , in my opinion , been somewhat too much the practice to abuse tho creditor for seeking to enforce payment . of his just demands from his debtor by the pmiwhinoufc of ' imprisonment . # not for one moment , wish to defond the prnctice of imprisonment for debt ns it now obtains in JJ ranee , but I cannot help thinking that the ubsc > ii ( . ' <> of power to imprison certain classes of debtors in carried to too groat an extreme in England , n «

    rtieuperson who turned out to be a friend . The debtor had , throughout the period of his employment of the creditor , always kept a well-furnished house , three female domestics , and dressed ami lived in good style , and ' the- ' creditor naturally considered her debtor was a man of means . Subsequent inquiries , however , show that the debtor was discharged from his debts at Ipswich in 1853 , in London in 1855 , and again in Ipswich in 1856 . The debtor has all this time kept possession of the same furniture , and lived , and still lives , in the same style that he has done for several years , and laughs at all his creditors . May . I inquire of your correspondent " Givicus" whom he or Lord Eldon would consider the more " worthless" of the

    two in the case I have above narrated . I can furnish him with names and other details ; unfortunately , there are but too many cases of a similar kind . JFiat Justiti . v .

    Untitled Article

    of them appeared ta regard the present as the happiest and proudest moment of their existence . I need not particularize the various toasts , sentiments , songs ; cigare 1 , pipes , and grogs , that rapidly succeeded each other -tHl the " wee hour ayont the twal ' . " But what I do insist upon is this , that , If elections can produce so much kind ; genial , sympathetic feeling between the extreme points of the social scale , it is a very great pity th&y do not occur every year . Oh , I know you will say that after the election neither the lordling nor the merchant would be seen to enter an . Odd Fellows' crab . That , my good sir , ia begging the question , and , for rny part , I shall look for these worthy gentlemen at every convivial meeting during the ensuing season ; whether at Evans ' s , Cremorne , the Cider Cellars , or Canterbury Hall—ay , not even'excepting Almack ' s .

    Two days after -witnessing this touching and'interest- ing * seene I happened to "be in Stockington . In that neighbourhood the Duke of Neufch&tel is tha Parhelion ; No matter what may be the first frivolous fancies of the aborigines , it is sufficient to say , le £ ha' le volt—in ' EJD ; glisli , . lien entendu—to have an entire change effected- in their intentions . The Duke is not only wise , he is also kindhearted : he is not only kindhearted , he 33 alBo affable and condescending-. My worthy and excellent landlady waxed warm in praise of his Grace : — - " He i » quite a gentleman . Only the last time 1 he was in the town lie walked into our bar while Miss Salmon" (_ a wave of the hand indicated thtifc the mermaid was the Hebe of the iotel ) " and me wereat dinner . Alii

    Mrs . White , ' he said , ' caught you at dinner , eh ? A pleasant occupation . ' In course we both of us rose from onr chairs , and I said , ' Will your -Orace plense to walk into our little parlour ? ' 'No , thank you , ' says he , ' I'll just sit here and have a chat with ' you while you ' dining , if you'll allow rn « . ' In course' we both , of us said we should feel greatly honoured . And I give you my word , sir T I never was so amused in my life . After he had gone , I said to Misa Salmon , says I , ' I declare I don't seem to caie about my dinner . His Grace has quite pub me off my appetite . ' And Miss Salmon said , ' Well , do you know , Mrs . White , I was just thinking . I should like to have a duke by my side- every day at dinner time—it ' s as good aa a baud of tousic . '"

    "CANDIDE" ON" THE ELECTIONS . ( To the Editor of the Leader . ') Stn ,- ^ It has long been to me a source of mingled pain and regret that so able a journalist as yourself should have become a victim to tho modern fallacy of imagining , cr at ) . least of asserting , that whatever is , is not always best .. Irom articles that have recently appeared in your paper it might be inferred tliat the most competent men are not on all occasions returned to represent their countrymen in Parliament—that the electors them-¦

    selves are notunfrequentry influenced by unworthy motives in making their choice—and that the cordial understanding which exists at election time between the candidates and their constituents is hollow , fictitious , and ephemeral . Fortunately , sir , it is in my power to dispel your delusions , and , if your honesty is at all equal to your ability , you will not refuse to accept the refutation of your unwholesome and narrow-minded theory from even so humble an individual as myself—one , however , who , like Mr . Meagles , is a practical man .

    Allow me to premise that I am at present making a tour through , the eastern and midland counties of this great and enlightened country ; though you will pardon my not gratifying your idle curiosity as to whether I am enduring the restraints of the honeymoon , or indulging in the amorous falsehoods of the commercial gent . It was , if my memory deceive me not , on the night of Wednesday the 18 th ult , that I found myself standing in the arched doorway of a commodious family hotel in a largo county town . The gas shone out with

    its usual brilliancy—the air was redolent with bad tobacco—the pavement dotted with orange peel , and the shutters were being-poked from tho shop-door into the eye of the passer-by . Suddenly a throng of hilarious citizens swept past me into the yard of . the caravanserai , then more and more , till the big drops swelled into a full stream . In the crowd I distinguished an individual of a timid and retiring disposition . Upon Mm I swooped , as an owl upon a mouse , and demanded the cause of the gathering , lie trembled , one bund went up to his mouth , and thus he hastened to reply ; —

    " Oh , sir , don ' t } 'ou know , sir ? I suppose you ' re a stranger , sir ? This is a grand meeting of the Odd Fellows to ineet the Liberal candidates . " " Expound your moaning more clearly , " quoth J . " Well ,, sir , you sec , sir , our old member is one of us ; so wo all said we'd stand by him . But you sec , air , we don ' t renlly like him no Jiow , for lie ' s allera been very good in the way of lending us monoy and helping ub in our straits . You know , air , nobody cares to remember that sort of thing , . vo we just guv a hint to the other candidates tliat if they would demean tliCKselves to join us , we'd rco what wo could do for them . Well , sir , they ha' tuk the hint , and now we ' re going to ha' a < lrop 0 ' sumthing with our now brothers . You can cornc , air , too , if you ha' a mind—there baiut mithing to pay . "

    After this , of course I went . A long room was filling fast with bipeds , who cullod lustily for various beverages and for cigars—though later in the evening pipes were preferred . Presently two gentlemen were U 6 h < tre < l in by Mr . G . P . R . James—no , no , I don ' t mean that , but I never think of two gentlemen without an association witlr the name of that lierri » # - | iower prolific novelist . Two gentlemen came in , attended by various local eclubritioft , in the midnt of cnthufliantic cheering—it wan clear that Uioy had not yet laid anyone present under tho irksome news of nn oblipjmion . The 0110 wim an unllcil ^ ud lonttuifv , who Imd kccii some twenty-live suimnorn . Ho va'i die eldest uon of the Karl of Whiteclmllc , wliomi idourt 011 tho . sulijw . f . ' of practical benevolent had rendered him unpopular with many of liia follow countrymen . The other \ yaa u Louden merchant ; but both

    Is not that , sir , a pleasant vignette ? A great duke bringing out all liis intellectual treasures for tho recre ' a * - tion of a Bonifacia and her barmaid ! And yet foreigners accuse us of being -haughty- and reserved . What ! " His son is standing for the county ! " "Well ' . what of that ? Shame on you foi the paltry insinuation . In the midland counties there is an important town named Costello . The inhabitants have , from time immemorial , been held to be the property of th . e great baron , Lord Parry , owner of men and patron of ballet

    dancers . Insensible to their good fortune in belonging to > such an illustrious master , these foolish . people bethought them of setting up an image of their own manufactured They had not long to wait for an urban deity . Tho deus ex machinery was bight Coour de Lion Brindled Sherricobler , Esq ., a worthy man , and wealthy to boot . Indeed , Ms introducer , Mr . Pogia , said that he was prepared to put 10 , 000 / . into any local bank they pleased , if they would honour him with their suffrages . What a contrast to your John Macgregora and Humphrey Browns . Mr . SUerricoblor himself shot far ahead oC the

    cautious Pogis . He was not asliamod to acknowledge tliat he waa in independent circumstances , that he lad made bus own fortune , tliat he was cousin two generations back and only five times removed . to a SherricoWer who never paid his tradesmen and always took in his friends , that he had money in-many railways , and that lie was also concerned in underground operations . Finally , he was still open to conviction—he could be moulded as they pleased . At present , ho waa aa a pearl on a . pig ' s snout , Lut it was in tboir power to transform him into tho golden caLf—unless they preferred him . ae

    the goose with the golden egg . Need I say tbat the electors of Costello lire delighted with their nonus homo ub an agreeable vurioty after the vir antiquue to whom they have hitherto been subjected . Aa a commercial community , they have reason to rejoice in their anticipated emancipation from time-worn prejudices ; and-I am mire , sir , tliat even you will admit tliat tho fittest twin to represent an influential borough , ia one who hoe ten thousand " notions" to invest in local undertaking ^ , ¦ whilo ho ia unfettered Ivy any opinions or prejudices' oj liifl own on any subject whatsoever .

    lsut last night it was my privilege to -witness one . oi those decided manifestations of public opinion whict < lo no much credit to thi » our native land . There could no have been fewer than 7000 magnanimous Great Briton trampling on ono another ' s toes and yelling into oa < another ' s ears . They had UHoembled to receive ai account of the Bayings and doings of their past repre sontatives . Tlio ono was a tall , fine-looking man , abou Hixty-tliree years of ap ; e , with white hnir , hugo shirt collurs , a bluck . beard , long and tttrong aa horseliair , an < a treniendouH bamboo eane , a » terrible as a " Penanj lawyer . " His bluck surtout wuh fastened only by tli lowest button , no that the upper part bulged out to cor respond with lus ^ iLln , " and ho stood defiantly wit ! his hniidti upon his liips—HOincwhat runoinMing w ftueieut amphora . I £ « ^ runil ) h : d at thu troublo Ul electors had given him in bringing him down from town . lie disputed their right to inlcrl ' ore with . hi « personal con

    Untitled Article

    Apbil 11 , 18 S 7 . ] THHE' : LEABOT , 347

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), April 11, 1857, page 347, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2188/page/11/