The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-11-10 00:00:00

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by Christina page Into their mouths, or makes them appeal to'. a.
itimate child, most holy of all names, either the expressions muY b
left out, or another reading should he ele sen.
" A tempting piece should not find its way amongst us:
—if it turns sin into a mere matter of fun ; if it paints
the bad in pleasant colones, and miser, presents the good as
dull alll mournful ; and if it fails to distinguish between
right and wrong. We should not liars a word that is pro.
faire, not a thought that would be ollenaive to the Most
High, not a sentence that decries morality and religion,
not it story that represents a vicious man in the light of
a hero.
' Excepting in the introduction of meted names in
dramatic writings and other works of fiction, our danger
chiefly lies in the direction of the immourons. It is
curious and painful to notice how fond our comic writers
are of amusing themselves and their renders with sirs
and in turning excellence into ridicule. They appear to
consider it to be their vocation to laugh at everything,
without scruple or discrimination; heners caution In
selecting from them is peculiarly necessary.
" Bullet me nut be misunderstood as if I wished this
element to be sit ack out of our reashoirs. lin lieve that
its omission would lie a great loss. I am no enemy to
laughter. Man is the only animal that laughs. We can-
not associate with him the laughing hyena, for that MIMS
only applies to the noise, and not to the merriment of
heart. But man laughs, and though it is true that wirers,
there is much laughter there is likely tube some lint, I
have yet to learn that laughter is wrong; and practitaby
I have ushered it to be allowable ever since. I could totes
an opinion on such subjects. Thiele are actual Merl-
ences in life which are ludierous in the estrerue ; tbtre
are follies which may be more readily put down by ridi-
cule than by green methods of treatment. There is a
wit in satin whiph often i ,reided itself in the production
of strange effusions; and the imagination Is rrowhere tr.
bidden to indulge itself in the conception of spelt sit 5'
lions. What is to be regretted is that religion, or morel-
ity, or delicacy, or good taste, should so often sutler to
the treatment of subjects which might he treated eithout
any such (silence being given. And for ous. purposee the
mole to be followed ia to select passages which at least
will do no harm, and the erasure of particular expressions
or sentences from an otherwise appropriate selection:
" What I have said about comic readings is equally
appropriate to comic songs. It is in fact in the depart-
ment of the ludicrous that caution and a mimed taste
are chiefly required to be exercised. But I are bound to
acknowledge that many, of oar readers have been ix-
tremely scrupulous on these points, and that some of the
best of our eutertaining papers have been altogether an.
exceptionable. Susie I trust, may be all the coming
readings of tins winter. But if, unhappily, there should
be some unwelcome departure from good taste, what can
the president of the evening do? The readings are given
in kindness with the view to afford pleasure. Th 3 reader
sissy not do it wilfully or ken, ingly Shad taste sans ha
his misfortune rather than his fault); the president csur•
nod rise and protest, and make a disturbance in the meet-
ing. Be can but sit in silence end endure his pain with
fortitude. Only I beg the meeting to believe that inieh
things sorely wound me. But I wish to repeat that such
faults have been therare blots in an otherwise excellent
movement ; and that henceforth I loupe they will be un-
known amongst us, whether in readings nr in songs.
" I trust there is here before us a prosperous serials-ins
May it have as much of brightness, genius, wit, intelli,
fence, refined poetry, and interesting and instreetive
am chit° as we 'urn secure, and nothing that is irreligletss,
profane, vulgar, and coarse. May the room resound
with song and instrumental music, equalling that of last
winter, ostrich may well content us, and for which we are
greatly indebted to the energy of oar accomplished con-
dnetor,
'ln the obaervations which I hove now made, on the
snares into which our readers may be be ironed I bare
wished to avoid sajing anything that enald be distorrol
into reflections on p irticular persons. The moat critical
must have seen that I have abstained from referring to
evenings or papers. I have only noticed the past for the
sake of the future; and that I have spoken at all will.. I
trust, be attributed to my very earor at desire that ossr
reading's may not degenerate as those in niftily other
places have lone; lint that while care has Lees bestowed
upon them in order to ni ike them interesting and attrac-
tive, they may also be refined and pure, of a tensteuey to
promote what is good nod estimable, and in no possible
way antagonistic to our holy religion, its doctrine, prim:i-
nt. si. and precepts.
•• If their acceptaLleress cannot be eeenred on these
conditions, let them cease altogether. Bat I cannot per-
suade myself that good readings from approved mithors,
chosen wills a view id bath benefitting and entertainiug
the listeners, interspersed with ssood music raid singiug,
will not secure a large and contented audience fortnightly
in this room.
" The suggestions that I have been bold enough to
make have been chiefly directed to the guidance of those
who may step upon the platform, but nsw I hope that I
may be pm-gloried if I venture to ~,ht a few worth; for the
consideration of those who occupy the chairs and benched
an the floor. We avant to he pei feet, and in order to the
attainment of perfection there are a few little things
which require amendment, by attention to which we nmy
hope to he an example tro the Penny lh aching world. We
have tried to discourage the attendance of my Noting
children under an impre“ion that they cannot plait lry
Kuehl entertainments, while they interfere wills the com•
fort of the whole msemblage. But there are big babies
in their teens who disturb their neighbours by their in-
different behaviour, and noithl do well either to improve
their manners or stay away. It has Al./ been observed
tlint there is too much readiness to hold little converse-
thurs, iecreasing the ilitlieulties of the readers who have
weak voices; discouraging them by marked inattention ;
and at the very best shisfracting the attention of theme
whir ,it is their immediate vicinity. I force been told
that it would be pleasanter to those who favour us with
instrumental performances, and to those also who an
capable of appreciatilig them, if each nioments acre lint
selected for convennitiou which might be restored far
other occasions withont inconvenience to I:ny one. Add,
lastly, just before the close of the meeting there is often
a movement. not altogether orderly, in the direction 4
the door, instead rif all remainieg still while the one
verse of the National Alithem is being sung. This little
mistake might be candy rectified without nuy one reach-
ing his own fireside a sninute later than Ile eiltlia necorn-
plish it by so rude an ending of a pleasmit evening.
" Attention to all the matters noticed in this paper on
the part of readers arid hearers. nould make the mulling:l
of this future session flourish even snore than they have
,hrrn • in the earlier days of this very hopeful experi-

-
After the above, the following programme was gene
through :—" Mark the merry Elves," Clint sang a"
chorus The l'..nsantry of England," Mr. Coil; rend-
ing,—" The Wonders of the Lune." Mr. J. Sliavo‘k ;
pianoforte solo—" Kathie, n 2,1 nvou, neen," a Lady; Wag
—Mr. Davis; reading. from "tine Lays of the Smttelt
Cavaliers," Res. J. C. Wood; pianoforte sylo—A Ladv ;
reading." On 111,,:lianies' institutes," (Maras) 1:, v. J.
Kidd ; tong and chorus—. The Briton's firmade." ifst.
Cs. The unit 'minim:lit was closed 1.1. the singing it
the Fational Antht

CURES MADE EASY BY
HOLLOWAY'S OINVMEN
RID LEGS, immtous SORES,BAD BREASTS
AND OLD WOUNDS. • •