The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-04-09 00:00:00

MR. CHARLES DICKENS AND THE
NEWSVENDORS.

The annual dinner in aid of the funds of the News.
vendors' Benevolent and Provident Irs'ionti in was
hold in London. on Tuesday night, at the Freemason.'
Tavern. Mr. Charles Dickens presided, and was sup-
ported by the Sheriffs of the City of London and
)liiidlisseic, Sir Joseph Causton, and Mr. Paterson,
Cuder•Soeriff Crossley. the Hon. Evolyn Ashley, Sir
Charles Wentwooth Lake Dort., r., &vet Mr.
Alden]] on Cotton, alai al.;) a great many hterary
gentlemen of note.
Alter the ustial toasts were given and responded to.
the Cl-airman said that if the approved order of their
proceedings hod been observed, the C rpiiration of he
City of Lonelon would no di nut hove considered Mein.
selves snubbed it they were not tivested by themselves.
(Longhtyr.) He was sure that a daiingnished member
ot the Corporation who seas present would tell the c ma-
mmy what the Corporaiiiou were going to do ; anti he
had not the slightest iloutt they were going to do
something hie lily creditable to themselves, and some-
thing highly serviceable to the whole metropolis ; and
if the secret were not at present locked up in the
lue chamber, they wi old be all drirp'y obligid to
the gentleman who would immediately follow him,
if he let them into it iu the name confidence as he
had observed with reopect to the Corporation of the
City of London being snubbed. (Laughter.) He
begged to give the toast of "The Corporation of the
City of London."
The toast was duly honoured.
- _

6- • Mr. Alderman Cotton, in replying to the toast, said
for once, and once only, had their chairman said in
unkind word about the Coronration of Lsrvion. He
ha,i always reckoned Mr. Dickens to be one of toe
warmest friends of the Corporation ; and remembering
that he (Mr. Diskens) did really go through a Lord
Mayor's Show in a Lord M spa's carriage, if he had
not felt h.mself quite a Lord Mayor, h« nitist have at
bast considered himself next to one. (Lsughter )

The Hon. Evelyn Aehley give "The Sheriffs of
London and Middlesex," coupled with the nawe of
-;ir Joseph Causton, who acknowledged the compli-
ment. . . _

-717 i; rhsirman, in proposing the toast of the even.
leg, said :

titles and Gentlemere—Yon receive me with ino much
co, diality that I learyen believe that I really did once sit in
is Lord Mayor's coach. Leughtere Permit vie to assure
von, in spite of the information received from Mr. Alderman
Cotton, that I never had that honour. Furthermore, I beg
to assure you that I never witnessed a Lerd Mayor's show
except from the point of view obtained by the other vatra-
etude upon the pavement ~Great laughter ) Now, ladies
and gentlemen. In spite of this great cordiality of yours, I
doubt if you fully know yet e hat a blessing it is to you ,
that I occupy this chair tonight— more laughter —became),
having filled it on several previous occasions for the '
society on whose behalf we are ass .mbled, and having
said everything that I could think if to say about It, and
morecver, the president if the institution itself, I
am placed tonight in the modest posulon if a host who is
list so much to display himself as to call out hen guests—
pirluips even to try to induce some amonz them to occupy
Isla p•ace ell another occasion. And, therefore, lou may be
eefely sure that, like Falstaff, but with a modification I
almost as large as hiniself—laughter)-1 shall try r other to
ice the cause of speaking In others then to speak myself to-
night. Much 1,1 this manner they exhihit at the door of a
shelf shop the effigy of a Highlander with au empty mull
in tas hand, ash. having apparently taken all the spurt
is can c wry, and discharged all the sneezes of which he
is capable, politely invdi s Lis friends and patroes le step
nt nut try whit they can do in the same hue. (Loud
laughter.). It is an appropriate instance of the univer-
sality of the newsman's ceiling that no toast we have
drunk to-night— and rici toast we shall drink to.night
and no W:64 we might, ceuld, should, or would drink to-
night, is separable fir a moment from that great inclusion
of all possible subjects of human interest which he delivers
at our doors every day. Hear, hear Further, it may In !
worthy of the consideration of everybody here who has
talked cheerfully to his or her neighbour eince we have sat I
doe n at the table, what ito the name of Heaven should we ,
have talked about, and how on earth could we have possilily
got on, if our newsman had only for one single day forgotten •
us. ( llear, hear). Now, ladies and gentlemen, no our pews-
Man IS not by any means 11l the habit of forgetting us, let us !
try to form a little habit of out forgetting our rewsman.
Hear. hear.) Let us remember that his work is very arouses;
that it occupies him early arid lute; that the prate he
derives from us are at the best very ell 1.1.11; hut the set vices
he reneers to us are very great; that if lie be a master, his
little capital is re:posed to all sorts of mischances, anxieties, and
hazards; mei if he be a jeurtim man, he himself is exposed
I, all manner of weathers, of tempers, and all mintier of
ditlioult acid unreasonable requirements. Let me Illustrate
Oda teas once present at a eecial discussion which turned
upon the question what was the most abserbinz ano longest-
lived passion iu the human breast A daily editor of yard
expert.: me and great ecuteuess, who was one of the cent-
pany. c nisidererey surprised U 3 toy saying with the greatest
confidence that the passion in queleion was the pmsion of
getting orders for the play. L cud laughter.) There had
recently been a terrible shipwreck, and very few of the sur-
viving sailors had escaped ie an open boat. One of these on
making laud came straight to Leedom and straight to the
newspaper °Mee, with his story of how he had seen the
ship go down before his eyes. That young man hod
witnessed the most terrible contention between the powers
of tire and water or the destruction of that ship and of
every one on board. Ile had towed away among tee floating,
dying, arid the sinkinz dead. Ile had fl sated hy day, and he
hail fr zee by night, with no she Per and no (co I, and, an he
toll his Menial tale, he rolled his haggard eyes about the
room. When he had finished, and the tale hail been noted
down from his lips, be wLs cheered awl refreshed, and
soothed, and asked it shy t. leg could he done for him.
Even that master passion was so stroll within him that tie
immediately reeled he shmtld I Ire at. order for the play
&men of lan:Mere My felted the editor certainly
ibought that was rather a atioig case; but he said that
snorter hie many eters of tepee:since he had witnessed
an hicurehle amount of self-prostration and shine-
- meet having no outer object, and that almost in-
variably on the part of the people who could well &Mord to
pay. Great lan-Ater.) This made a great impression on
my mind, and I really thee in this faith until some years
ago it happened upon a stormy eight I was kindly escorted
from a bleak railway otatien to the little out-of-the-way
town it represented by a sprightly and vivacious newsman, to
whom I propounded, as we went sling under my um-
brella, what was the one all absorbing passion of the
human souL Ile replied, wiehout the 'slightest hesita-
tiou, that it certainly was the pamion fee getting your
newspaper in advance of your fellow creature's— laughter
—also if you only hired it to get it delivered at your own
error at exactly the same time as another man who
hired the same espy four miles Of; *Led finally, the in.
viucible determination ou the part of both emu not to
believe the time was up when the by called. ,
tori Ladles and gentlemen. I have but hail an re pore,
sety of verifyeng this eel...eerie° with my frienes ut the
managing elellmi,tee, hut I have no doubt fr to Its tee, p-
ram to-night that my friend the newsman was perfectly.
right. Well, as a sort of beacon Ins sufficiently dark life,
end as an assurance that among a little body of working
men there inn feeling of brotherhood end sympathy—which
Is worth much to all men, or they would herd with "solvers
—the newsvendors i nee upon a time established the BeLevo-
lent arid Provident institution, arid here it is. Under the
Provident head, certain small annuities are granted to old and
hardworking subecribers. Under the hence, lent eead, relief
is elferded to temporary and proved distress. Under hoth
heads, lam bound to say the help rendered is very humble
and very sparing, but if you like it to be handsomer you have
it in your power to mike it so. Such as it is, it is
most gratefully received, and does a deal of good. Such as
ills, Ills most discreetly and feelingly adminlstere ; arid
it iv encumbered with rio wasteful charms for manege•
merit or patronage. You know upon an old authority,
that you may believe anything except facts avid figures
a laugh:—but you really may believe that during the last
year we have granted £lOO hi pensions, and son. 1:70
oi temporary relief, and we have invested fit Govern.
meta securities some £lOO. Now, ladies and gentlemeo,
th it the newsman's work has greatly increased, and that
it is far more wearing not taming than it used to he, you
may infer from one fact stated In Mitchell', " Newspaper
Press Directory," that Miring the not quarter of a
century the number of newspapers which appeared in
Lendon had mien than dou /sled, while the increase
in the nieneer of people 11112011 e whom they were dieseme
hated was probably hived calculation. Ladies and ken.
hymen, I have stased the Newsmen's simple case. I leave
it in your bands. Within the last year the institution has
bed the geod fertune to attract the sympathy arid gain
the support of the eminent man of letters I am proud to
Gill toy friend, who POW represeets the great Republic of
America at the British Court. Also it has enrolled upon
'vs list of donors and vice-presidents the greet name of
Longfellow. I beg to propose to you to drlek "Prosperity
to the Newsvendorie tenevoleut and Provident I isetitu-
tion." (Cheers )

The toast ‘i 33 duly honoured, and followed by the
toa.t ot "The Ladies," proposed by Mr. Charles
Dii.k.ns, junior.
Mr. E inutud Yates proposed the health of the Chair.
: and then c tine the toa.ts f the Vice-Presideuts
and Siewards, and the Preso.
Sobscriptiona to the atuount of 2550 were announced
in the room.