The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-04-18 00:00:00

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largely, except the unhappy horse. Suburban public-
houses are crammed fall from one to three o'clock, and
happy is he who can procure a dinner These nondee-
cript places, the suburban "tea-gardens," (called so
because you cannot get tea there) do • roaring trade;
skittle and trap-bat, lawn billiards and archery, (shade
of Robin Hood, what archery !) rule the day, and there
is " a sound of revelry by night" consequent on the
continual flow of glasses of ale, grog and arf-an.set."
I confess to a dislike for • crowd, but positively odi
projanum estigus on Good Friday at such places as
Blackheath, or Greenwich. At such resorts black-
guardism reigns triumphant. Hundreds of respect-
able people go there, doubtless ; but the majority
are certainly not models of propriety. What to do with
our London roughs has long been an unanswered
question; they are irrepressible, but they never muster
in such force as on Good Friday in our parka and on
the two or three "commons," or whatever they are,
near the metropolis. Kiss-in-the-ring may be an
enlivening spectacle, but it is scarcely decent; three
shies-a-penny may be a profitable pis-time (to the horsey
individual who presides over the mysterious game), but
it is not • highly intellectual pursuit; swinging may be
in theory a pleasant thing, but in practice it is
positively revolting to decent spectators; and donkey.
riding may be very amusing to the bipeds, but it is
gross cruelty to the quadrupeds. It is fortunate that
on Good Friday the Crystal Palace, with its ever
present charms, is open to receive erowds of visitors;
and though three out of four cannot hear the singing,
still they go away on the whole satisfied with the day's
'pleasure; but generally speaking the amusements of
suburbm London neither bear the morning's refleaion
nor the day's inspection. The Good Friday which has
just passed being miserably wet, most people are
heartily glad it is over.
" To Promoters of Public Companies—An officer of
position and a director will make liberal arrangements
with the above for • seat at the board of any bowl fide
concern." Rather mysterious that. What does it
mean? Does it mean, that if any of those scheming,
knowing people who make it their business to
"promote," oompamies will let the "director" know
the secret or the idea the latter will give the promoter
a seat at the board Of the new concern, the director of
course first securing his own seat ! No, that cannot be
It, for the advertisement is addressed to "promoters,"
and several promoters could not very well take one
seat. Yes, the idea is, that if any company-maker who
is coneooting • limited liability scheme, in conjunction
perhaps with &broker and solicitor, will privately agree
to urge the importance of the "director" of our
company having a seat at the new board, the latter
will promote the interest of the promoter by a hand-
some tioucenr. The fact is, that these seats at
the boards of companies are far more profitable than
seat on the benches of the House of Commons—me of
the chief advantages of which, by the way, is that the
magic letters give their owner the command of •
directorate in some company or other. The office of
director, now that limited-liability schemes spring up
like mushrooms, is very profitable indeed. Not the
least knowledge of the scheme to be carried out is
required; the ,
only requirement is " • good name,"
which in this sense 'is 'better than riches." Nor is it
required that the director should ever give much of his
time or influence to the Company. He attends the
sitting of the Board, listens to the statements of the
manager or secretary, takes his directorial fee, and goes
his way neither • sadder nor wiser man, but certainly
richer. We talk of pluralisim in the Church, and make
perhaps a good deal too much fuss about it, but what is
this to the plumy of directorate.? Why, there is a
well-known Alderman who has • seat at the boards of
some 16 companies, with the various details of which
he is, of course, intimately aorptainted. Cs vet sans dire.
The fee that this financial cormorant must pocket must
be something enormous; bat what is the average
dividend paid by these 16 companies? Ah, that is •
very pertinent—the Alderman would say impertinent—
question.
Now and again a paragraph relative to that extra-
ordinary gentleman, Brother Ignatius, attracts atten-
tion ) but all that transpires with regard to him must
surprise the general reader' considering that "Brother
Ignatius" still maintains his position in the English
Church. The Feast of St. Benedict, the Mother Abbess,
the acolyte, the pastoral staff, the scapula, the novices,
&a. All these are certainly very unfamiliar sounds
among Protestants; while • by kneeling uninter-
ruptedly before an altar for 13 hours, and another,
"the Infant Samuel," kneeling for (cur hours—surely
this cannot be in aucordance with Church of England
teaching. I will not enter on the merits or demerits of
the monastic system, as developed by Brother Ignatius,
but I am of opinion that those persons who regard the
Rev. Mr. Lyne as scarcely accountable for his actions
are by no means hasty in their conclusions. [We
forbear to publish the account of Brother Ignatius'
doings on Good Friday, in the charitable conviction
of iberration of intellect.]
The announcement of the publication of • new six-
penny weekly Conservative organ early in May, is
rather startling. Not that the Conservatives are not in
want of good literature, but enterprise has singularly
flagged of late. The new journal is to be called Du

4•pleasure

Theatrical matters will remain flatidnring the vacation,
and now I make my bow until the glory of the holidays
shall be overpast.
SPECTATOR.