The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-06-21 00:00:00

THE STATIONERS' COMPANY.

The Lord Mayor, Master of this Company, gave at
its ball in Ludgate hill, London, on Ssturday evening,
a grand barupbq to about 150 guests, Minding the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York,
the Archbishop of Armagh, the Bishop of Winchester,
Lord Houghton, Mr. Justice Denman Sir A. Heti 5,
K.C.8., Sir J. Gilbert, BA., the 'Mister of the
Skinners' Company, Mr. Crawford, M.P., Mr. Walter,
M.P., Mr. Alderman Liwrenc•-, M P., Mr. Serjeant
Parry, Mr. Soeriff Perkins, Mr. Alderman Rigging,
MX., Mr. T. Hughes, M.P., Mr. Morley, M.P.,
Mr. Otto Guldschinidt, Dr. Doran, Sir K. G. Key,
Sir A. Woods, Sir IL Thompson, the Master of the
Merchant Taylors' and Mercers' Companies, the Prime
Warden of the Fishmongers' Company, Dr. Forbes
Winslow, Mr. Bentley, Canon Gregory, Mr. Eykyn,
M.P., Mr. Shirley Brooks, Mr. Alderman Besley, and
the Rev. W. Rogers. The hall was largely decorated
with fisgs.
After dinner several toasts were given, and the first
on the list wire drunk with the usual manifestations of
I loyal enthminim. In proposing the next, "The Health
of the Archibishop of Canterbury." who is patron of
the Company, the Master pointed out that the Arch-
bishops of Canterbury had held the same position in
connexion with it since its incorporation more than
two centuries ago. In the year 1400 a society had
been formed called the Brotherhood of Text.writers,
or stationers, who in 1556 bbtained a charter. Serious
obligatisns were, however, at the same time, im-
posed upon them. They were required to ascertain
in what houses presses were kept, and to keep a
register of them. The records of the Company showed
that at that time the Archbishop of Canterbury, who
was one of the mom; important members of the Star

Chamber, conatantly sent warrants to the St/inter and
Wardens, demanding that they should, under pain of
forfeiture of all their rights, seize those publications
which were deemed to be seditious, have them brought
into the garden outside the hall and burnt. He had
no doubt that the green tree which now flourished
on the spot had its leaves very largely nourished by
, the ashes of those works, Even so recently as 1614
• warrant had been issued by the Archbishop direct.
I ing that all the copies of Raleigh's Hutory of the World
should be seized and destroyed. At present the
state of things was widely different. The Press was
perfectly free, and the influence of public opinion was
found sufficient to keep it within due bounds. The
attachment of the Stationers' Company to its patron
had, however, undergone no change, and he was very
glad indeed to welcome in its hall that eveaing the
most Rey. Prelate who sat upon his right hand, than
whom no man who had ever filled the distinguished
position in the Church which he occupied took •
broader, more enlightened, or tolerant view of the
duties of his great office.
The toast was very cordially received, and the
Archbishop in returning thanks said they might be
called a great guild of literature, seeing that they
assembled round them from time to time those
whose works contributed to make up the great
literature of which England was so proud; and
though at the present day the Press was rather in the
habit of being the censors of the clergy than the clergy
of the Press, yet, fortunately, they worked happily
together, and he, as a Christian clergyman, felt they
were engaged in promoting the same work, Inc morality
and prosperity of the country.
Tue Bishop of Winchester, in replying to "The
Health of the House of Lords," said that assembly and
the Stationers' Company resembled each other, in
that both, with the necessary modifications brought
about by the lapse of time, still exercised the functions
they had been originally called into existence to dis-
charge, and had the art of drawing around them the
leaders in art, science, law, wealth, authorship, and
every t o
Crawford f Englishresponded life.
for the House of Commons;
Lord Houghton and Sir J. Gilbert "Literature an
Art," proposed by Mr. Serjeant Perry; and Mr.
Justice Denman for "The Jndges of England," pro-
posed by the Archbishop of York.
In giving the Health of the Master of the Company,
the Archbishop of Canterbury dwelt in very comp -•
mentary terms on the share which the Lord Mayor had
taken in organising an Hospital Sunday for the metro.
pclis.
The toast was drunk amid loud cheers.
After the Archbishop of Armagh had returned
thanks for "The Visitors," given by the Master,
the company broke up."

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS.
A new mode of suicile has been invented in Illinois,
A man filled his mouth with gunpowder, and putting
caps between his teeth, bit them up until an exploaton
took place.
"Here we are now, within • quarter of a mile of
land," woe the joyful announcement made by the
captain of an ocean steamer to his grumbling pop
sengers. "Where? Which way is It?" were the
eager exclamation's which followed. " Anywhere down
below there." said the captain, pointing towards the
bottom of the Rea; "the lead gives Ile jUllt two hun-
dred and twenty fathoms of water, and the land oomee
slap up against the brine."

A—
fter some of the notices of death in American
papers, it is now the custom to put, the words "No
Cigars." It means that the widow, of ,the deceased
do not in tend to wear "weeds."

- --
A Cincinnati paper brags a little over the dexterity
with which its butcher boys do their work : "The
operation of killing and dressing is so rapidly performed
that if you study the faces of the hogs after they are
hung up to cool, you will find an expression of the
most intense bewilderment upon them as though
puzzling themselves to make out what had been going
on and where they were."

A Mobile paper is indignant at a contemporary for
announcing that Mobile lathe fourth coffee- pot in the
country." Investigation proved that "cotton port"
wee meant.

A young lady in New Orleans while playing croquet
one scorching afternoon, was son struck. It was •
rich man's son. The marriage is believed to be •
happy one.
It is related of Mark Twain that a few months after
his first baby was born, he was holding it on his knee,
his wife said, "Now confess, Samuel, that you love
the child!" "I can't do that, replied the humourist,
"but am willing to admit that I respect the little thing
or its father's sake."

Surely the most practical man of our day has been
discovered. He states that a young man writing to his
sweetheart the other day said: "I wish, my darling,
that yon would Lot write me such long letters. If you
were to bring an action of breach of promise against
me, the lawyers would copy the correspondence between
us and coarge 4d. for every folio of seventy-two words.
The shorter the letters, the more we save from the
1 wyer-." Strange to say, the young man never re-
eels ed a reply

A Ricbm—,nd lady adveitises, under the head of
"Strayed or Stolen," for a "long, lank, lean husband,
six feet high, broad shoulders, thin beard, light haw
and complexion, blue eyed, and about forty-five years
of age, being about twenty years younger than
myself."

THE APPROACH OF SUMMER.
(From Punch.)
Now Spring bath fled : but yet, is Winter put?
With frosty breath he has returned in Jane
Oft, when from out and north a biting blut
Nipped the young flowers, and hushed the song-birdlf
tune.

And in my grate &Wines have I been fain
To light a costly fire of precious coals,
Which at one•pound.sixteen a ton remain ;
So we burn money—bless the colliers' soul.!
The berry coupled with the name of "code,"
Whereto old English cookery added " fool,"
lath yielded pito and puddings to our use
At Villit,untide, as due by antique rule.
But Whitsuntide was late, nor can we call
Potatoes early that were premature,
And watery, more than waxy, almost all;
Such lack of sun our gardens did endure.
Deferred, too, was the customary boon
Of young green peas, and men said, "Where ire they ? "
On old KING GEORGE s birthday, Fourth of June.
They were not yet when it had passed away.
But see who hither, clad in Orient state,
Comes as the Rising Sun from o'er the seas!
May glorious Summer on his chariot wait,
And bring on our potatoes and our pees.