The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-01-06 00:00:00

tEobm Calk anti Street &bons.

If I were to say that many of the streets of Poole,
especially the High-street, resemSlerl 13:tcllam let loose
on Christmas Eve, I shoultl only give a faint idea of
what state they were in.

I don't object to "Waits" or "Christmas Carols."
but I do object to them when the performers are
accompanied by a band of roughs who delight to see
bow much row they can make. I should like to see
the customary music of Christmas Eve discoutinned for
a few years. or at least until the town c old be insured
against its accompanying disturbances.
I am very pleased to hear that there has been a
meeting called relative to relieving the distressed poor.
but such a mooting sets me thinking who the fit and
proper recipients are to be.
That working men now-a-days exercise but little
thrift, and seldom cave, it cannot be denied, and it
uoll simply prostitute charity, and encourage improvi-
dence, if the Mtn who receiveslOs. a week.and so cannot
save anything, gets the same relief as a man who
receives more than double that sum. A little more
savings bank, and a good deal leas publichouse, and we
should not have s) much of what we call "distress."
And yet the British workman, in many instances,
calls himself a Conservative, and allows himself to be
taught by the Tories that the pr:sent depression in
trade, and the present unsatisfactory state the country
is in, is all due to the bad weather. None are so blind
those who will not see.

The information will not be hailed with general
satisfaction by the subscribers to the relief fund, that
the money they subscribe Is to buy pickaxes and
spades to trench the Canford estate with. If these
implomenta were purchased to enable them to till in
tha stinking mud porta at the Ladies' Walking Field
it would be a different matter, Vie former operation
being for the benefi: of an individual, the latter for
the benefit of a community.

The liberal response, in the form of solid subscrip-
tions, which wae no In at the el se of the meeting
shows that there aro liberal-minded men in our mild
Notably amongst them is our worthy Sheriff, whose
generosity is now Net making him become an)thing
but a pleuant preilec -seer for his succeosor, if the
numerous acts of kindn .28 of which he is the author
have to be repeated next year. Mr. Norton is one of
those men who "will not let his rig .1 hand know what
his left doeth."

I can also apply these remarks to our worthy Mayor,
who is by no means backward in coming forward.
" The Wanderer" presents his compliments to the
committee of the Relief Fund, and b Its to respectfully
tender his valuable services as honorary secret try to
them, having beard that no one has ma le a simi:ar
application, and considering himself a fit and proper
person for such a post from the fact of his having no
political creed whatever. Only one thing he bargains
for, and that is, however much (coveted) publicity he
might gain from dispensing the relief, no one shall be
allowed to ask—" Have you seen the Wanderer?"

It is rather a difficult thing for some people now-a-
days to get along the street at a very rapid rate, the
demands for Christmas bcx.4l from the cad zing
fraternity being an numerous ; but to those who prefer
to be their own almoners I suppose this form of giving
relief Wan agreeable one.
That was a good ides, the dinner given to the poor
children. Our Sheriff again, you nee, not to forget
Mrs. Yerhury, who should have been mentioned fir.t.
There ie no better way of securing a merry Chrietmas
for yourself than the one which arises from the
pleasure of making others happy. If a poor boy of
Poole is not happy when he is stuffing himself with
beef and pudding, I should like to know what his
Ideas of happinese are, for many hundreds of boys
here see neither beef nor pudding from year's end to
year's end. The countenances of these boys will
always brighten at the names of Yerbury and Ncrton.

Another men drowned in the harbour. It is only a
wonder, from what oae 110011 going on on the water
sometimes, there are not more drowned than there
are.

I welcome She thaw which hu set in, as it means
to the poor man that be can use less coal and probably
return to his work again.

Skating at Hatch Pond wai kept up rather longer
than the ice felt inclined to keep the skaters up.
Some parts of it bore as late ay Saturday afternoon,
and there were no serious accidents.

Being my own almontr, I went to see a rr-ror man
and woman to take them an odd shilling for Christman,
and as a reward for my generosity I heard a little bit
of news from them which is worth repeating,
especially as it bean upon clerical canvassing, a sob-
ject I am anxious to be "great" upon.

I give the old roan and woman's words as correctly
U my memory allows me I) Bad Bad job, sur, as
Muster Guest didn't get in for Poole." r asked why.
06, cur, our parson, 'luster —, told we, and all
the folks round hers, that if Sir Ivor had • got In,
after all the money he spent with the lawyers. he'd •
willingly given a thousand pounds to help the poor,
but now as he ain't in we've • got to go without it."

This is no idle tale. I consider that a house to
house canvass like this is • c,rrupt way of dealing
either with politics or religion, and the men who
would use the gospel and politica as fulcrums for each
other, whilst visiting the ignorant, the poor, and the
afflicted, is worthy of being called by a name any
right-minded minister of religion would shudder to
hear it mentioned.

Thisli what the Liberals have to deal with in Poole,
amongst the other unfair, unjust, and underhanded
methods of gaining votes resorttd to by the Tories.
The persuasive powers of. body of men (supposed to
be educated) like the clergy over the ignorant minds
of the poor often succeed, no doubt, but it does not im-
prove the estimation in which the clergy are held by the
public.

The "Blazer" of last week devotes a lot of specs to
tracing the genealogy of • man whom the editor is
pleased to term "the future member for Poole," and
proves him to bs • Suabian. Modern gazeteere do not tell
us where Suable is, but believe it to be an antiquated
term applied to the South-western pa-t of ancient
Germany.

As the " future member for Poole" is about as true-
born an Englishman,both as to appeartnce and pedigree,
Uit is possible to conceive, it is a very ill-timed joke
of the "Blazer's" to call him • German or Busbisn,
and had the originator of the article in question been
at the Liberal tea, he would have found the public
mind quite clear as to the nationality of Mr. Waring.
and equally foggy as to that of his opponent, at whose
little game we can afford to laugh.

" The Cuckoo," although it is not spring, may be
heard very nearly every evening in Poole. He
usually forms one of a very suspicious looking trio,
who may be noticed dodging under every dark wall to
escape detection, loving darkness rather than light,
Decease--
A lot of old people have recently gone to their last
resting-place, and in the obituary of the last few days
Is found the name of • woman who only wanted a
month or two of being one hundred years old when
she died.
I haven't seen a sporting looking character in Poole
this year, who looked muck like • gamekeeper. who
left game at the homes of most of the public characters.
I thought that I might have been recognised as •
public character or benefactor by this time, and have
received a present of the above nature, but I have not.
I mean to go to my clerjyman and ask how leis,
and if I hear an explanation similar to the one given
to the poor man and woman before alluded to, I shall
of coarse be content to sit down and mourn the loge
of "the rejected of everywhere." and then, if I am
asked by the Editor, I TALI write a "leader" for the
refryreat showing how very blind the people were who
would not elect him when they might have done so,
thus incurring • loos of £l,OOO to the poor and • toes
of • brace of phenolate to the "Wanderer,"

--see
[We recommend our friend "The Wanderer
to banker after the presents of game. Ii this town
we believe they go to some places in such quantitie;
as to cause quarrels ; but for ourselves we neither
approve of Tories storing up beautiful birds for
bettues, nor of so-called Liberais harbouring ground
game till their hedge banks are rotten with rabbit.
hots-A.—ED J
The shops this year are very far behind in their
customary Chrisimu beauty. The butchers have not
ticketed their meat, and I really think it tastes all the
bAtor for it. I notice, however, it is no cheaper.
The police force are excellent judge. of Cloisinias
beef just now, having had ten pounds each given them
ti feast upon- -the Sheriff sgsin.

The great cial evil of Poole is the iouily of
politics, it p'sices membsrs of "society" in false void.
ti•ins with each other, it tends to do away with s ciii
distinction, it makes people lose their diiznlty, stonp
to do things they ought to spurn, and fall out wail
each other.

But it will be a sad day for the working meg „f
Poole when there is no member to return—we shall
not hear very much then about • Hands wanted," god
coal tickets, and Antelope dinners, and half menu
and allotment prizcs, and all the .dher etsxteraa which
help to keep &section of the community what. called
"sweet." Poole without a mernbPr of Parliament
would be a curious kind of place; but to realise whit
It would be like under such clictonstances effectually
puzzles
THE WANTERYR in Poole relo7ra tn.
Longfleet, December 28th, 1879.