The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-06-12 00:00:00

SELECTED ANECDOTES.

A HINT TO LOVERS.—The following lines by Sir
Walter Raleigh, are from his poem entitled The Silent
and may be a valuable hint to those whose con-
versational powers in courtship are not of a high
order :—" A man had better talk too much to women
than too little; they take silence for silence, unless
where they think the passion they have inspired
occasions it, and in that case they adopt the notion
that—

Lover

'Silence in love bewrays more woe
Than words, though ne'er so witty;
A beggar that is dumb, you know,
May challenge double pity !' "
A HIGH CRIME AND MISDEMEANOR.—The follow-
ing is from Aris's Birmingham Gazette, June 22,
1725 :—" It is not 400 years since a baron of this
realm was tried for high crimes and misdemeanours;
and one of the charges exhibited against him was, that
holding in contempt the respect that man ought to
have for man, he had suffered himself to be carried
about his own garden in a sort of chair, with poles put
to it, by two of his own servants." It is not said who
the baron was.

AN APOLOGY FOR NOT SPEAKING THE TRUTH.—
The following lines are taken from a German song
"When first on earth the truth was born,
She crept into a hunting horn;
The hunter came, the horn was blown.
But where truth went, was never known."
SLAVES IN IRELAND A CENTURY AGO.—The Dublin
Mercury of August 16, 1768, contains the following
matter-of-fact advertisement :—" A neat beautiful
black Negro girl, just brought from Carolina, aged
eleven or twelve years, who understands and speaks
English, very fit to wait on a lady, to be disposed of.
Application to be made to James Carolan, Carrickma-
cross, or to Mr. Gavan in Bridge Street, Dublin."
"CORPORATIONS HAVE NO SOULS."—This saying is
to be found in vol. x. of Coke's Reports :—" A corpo-
ratim aggregate of many is invisible immortal, and
rests only in intendment and consideration of the law.
They cannot commit treason, nor be out-lawed, nor
excommunicate, for they have no souls, neither can
they appear in person, but by attorney.
CURIOUS CHARGE OF TREASON.—Most of our
readers are no doubt acquainted with the story of
Walter Walker, a publican, being indicted under
Edward IV. on a charge of high treason, for saying he
would make his son "Heir to the Crown," meaning
his inn so called.

if . how Edward put to death a citizen
Only for saying he would make his son
Heir to the Crown; meaning indeed his house,
Which by the sign hereof was called so."
SHAKESPEARE.
In Mrs. Green's third volume of Calendar of State
Papers, thore is a somewhat similar attempt to found a
charge on a like perversion of words in King James's
time, to the following effect :—One Woolridge accused
Saudis, a constable, with concealing treasonable words
spoken by Wm. Ik.vor, who, in a drunken quarrel with
James King, declared he would kill him if he could
get at him; which words Woolridge pretended to mean
he would kill King James, and accused Sandis for not
reporting them." The grand jury, however, were wise
and honest enough to throw out the bill.
A THREAT !—A Scotch farmer, having buried his
wife, was called upon by the sexton who had per-
formed the necessary duties to pay him his fees. Being
of a niggardly disposition, he endeavoured to get the
knight of the srade to abate his charges. The patience
of the latter becoming exhausted, he grasped his
shovel impulsively, and, with an angry look, ex-
claimed, " Doon wi' another ohilling, or—up she
comes 1" The threat had the desired effect.
A VISIT To VIE TOWER OF LONDON.—On the
day on which the Tower of London was first freely
opened to the populace, Mr. Hepworth Dixon accom-
panied the Committee in con3unction with whose
members he had worked to obtain for Ow people free
access to the great national memento, and delivered a
running comment on all places of interest visited by
the party. Mr. Dixon's informal lecture proved so in-
teresting that he was some time afterwards requested
to repeat it for the benefit of the members of the 'Work-
ing Men's Club and Institute Union. To that request
he readily assented, and on Saturday he escorted a
party of seventy or eighty through the Tower, point-
ing out all the places of interest, dwelling on the
historical associations in which every terrace, wall, and
chamber is wealthy, and offering now and again an
antiquarian or archwological speculation or suggestion.
On the completion of the visit, a very brief meeting
was held on Tower-hill, at which a resolution was
passed thanking Mr. Disraeli for the free opening of
the Tower, and asking for a body of public lecturers to
be stationed at the Tower, the British Museum and the
National Gallery for the purpose of bringing into action
for_educational ends a livelier and more intelligent inte-
r* in the minds of the people.
"CAUCUS."—The term " Caucus " is applied to all
party meetings held in secret in the United States. It
is a cprruption of the word caulkers; the disguised
patriots of Masschusetts, in 1776, having been so called
because they met in the ship-yards. The phrase in
question has been applied to the political meetings
held at the private residences of statesmen; which is
conceived to be a singular perversion of its use and
meaning.
SONG 01' THE CllCKoo.—There are several slightly
varying versions of the following rustic nursery
rhyme :
" The cuckoo is a merry bird,
She sings as she flies;
She brings us good tidings,
She tells us no lies.
She sucks little birds' eggs
To make her voice clear;
And when she sings ' cuckoo '
The summer is near."
WHAT IS A PRINTER ?—A printer is the most
curious being living. He may have a " bank " and
"coins," and not worth a penny ; have "small-caps,"
and have neither wife nor children. Others may run
fast, but he gets along swifter by " setting " fast. He
may be making "impressions," without eloquence;
may use the " lye " without offending, and be telling
the truth; while others cannot " stand " while they
"set," he can "set-standing," and do both at the same
time; have to use "furniture," and yet have no
dwelling; may make and put away " pye," and never
see a pie, much less eat it, during his whole life ; be a
human being and a " rat "at the same time; may
" press " a great deal, and not ask a favour; may
handle a "shooting iron," and know nothing about a
cannon, gun, or pistol ; he may move the " lever " that
moves the world, and yet be as far from moving the
globe as a hog under a mole-hill; spread " sheets "
without being a housewife; he may lay his "form"
on a "bed," and yet be obliged to sleep on the floor;
he may use the " dagger " without shedding blood,
and from the earth he may handle "stars ;" he may
be of a " rolling " disposition, and yet never desire to
travel; he may have a "sheep's foot," and not be de-
formed ; never without a "case," and know nothing
of law or physic; be always " correcting "his " errors,"
and be growing worse every day; have " embraces "
without ever having the arms of a lass thrown around
him; have his "form locked up," and at the same
time, be free from gaol, watchhouse, or any other con
finement ; he may be plagued by the "devil," and be
a Christian of the best kind.