The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-11-06 00:00:00

LECTURE BY MR. GEORGE DAWSON.

A lecture on "Letter Writing and Famous Letter
Writers," was delivered in the Corn Exchange, under
the auspices of the Associated Institutes, on Monday
evening last, by the above well-known lecturer. The
Corn Exchange was not much more than half tilled.
The lecturer was unaccompanied on the platform.
Mr. Dawson opened his subject by dilating upon
what interesting objects letters were to all of us,
and when they considered what a general thing letter
writing was, he thought they would think with him
that an hour might be pleasantly spent in examining
the productions of famous letter writers and trying
to get an insight into the art of letter writing. He
thought letter writing would soon be a lost art. Who
wrote long letters in these days, with a penny post
and cheap telegrams, and who could be eloquent
when he had to put one word into each space and
no more, and he, therefore began to doubt whether
letter writing was not completely lost. A long letter
written to a business man at the present day was
inexcusable as a waste of his time, without there
was something unusually important in it. He next
proceeded to speak of what constituted good letter
writing. Some of the most curious letterstwere those
written by children. They were very short and dis-
connected, and they always began with a large num-
ber of petitions. A child was the most legitimate
beggar of nature. It was proper for little children
to beg because they came into this world so empty.
For grown-up persons to ask much, Ras to show
meanness and impudence; but for a child to ask
much was to indicate for it a future of great promise.
The child was legitimated by nature to be a beggar;
he was the only person to whom constant petition was
lawful. But who wrote letters to children? Did
any of them ever try to do so? The usual course
was to attemp to come down to the child's level; but
this was a mistake. A bright child understood a
pun and fun always. Endowed with the richest
imagination, the child could talk to the biggest giant
and the littlest dwarf. One wondered at the dry
folly that was served out to children in this country
and other countries—catechism end other dry things
—as if a child ever learnt anything from them. The
best letters everiwritten to children had been those
written by men, and the reason of that was that a
strong man was more tender than a woman. One of
the best letters ever written to a child was one by
Martin Luther. Whilst he was away at Cobourg
once, settling questions that affected the thrones of
kings and popes, he remembered that he had a little
chap named John, who was at school. In a letter to
him he stated that he had a dream in which he saw
a large garden, and there was a great number of little
boys playing in it, and there were ponies which had
silver saddles and golden bridles. He asked the
man who kept the garden what children those were,
and he said they were the children who loved God
and learnt their books. That tale wanted no com-
mentary, for the child's mind would enter into the
whole spirit of it. He would at once see that the
garden suss heaven, and that if he wished to get
there he must love God and learn his book. He (the
lecturer) wished he had had such a letter when he
was young, because the picture they drew of heaven
to him was something awful. He recollected being
at a long dreary service which seemed to him inter-
minable when he was a child, and towards the close
a hymn was sung which was supposed to set forth
the delights of heaven, and he recollected that the
refrain was "There the assembly never breaks; the
Sabbath never ends." They might fancy how unin-
viting that picture was to him who would have liked
the assembly to have broken up at once, and to have
been, as far as the Sabbath was concerned, a "half-
tuner "—(laughter). Luther went on to point out
to his son who had been saying that he (Luther) was
a good father, how good the heavenly Father would
be to him. Thus he called God into the child's mind
in the image of affection, and in that way it must
enter if it was to do the child any profit. He then
referred to Thomas Hood, and said there were no
such letters as Hoods to children. He here quoted
some which were quite unique in their way. In one
of these he asks a little girl, "Should you like a nice
little ocean that you might put it into a pail? Have
the waves ever run after you and turned your two
little shoes into pumps ?" He then asks her if ever
she had tasted sea water, and tells her that if she
would warm a little and put sugar and nutmeg to it
the taste of it would rather surprise her. The fishes
were so fond of it that they kept drinking all day
long. His (Hood's) legs were so wasted away that
somebody said his pins were only needles. That
letter was more perfect as a specimen of loving
kindness and geniality than anything of its kind in
the language. He then passed on to the question of
love letters. Had any of those present had an op-
portunity of reading their own love letters after they
had got old, which might be the case where a wife
had treasured them up. He could fancy one of them
suddenly coming across a packet which had been kept
in that way and saying to himself what a fool I was
when I wrote them." He should rather say, "What
a fool lam now I cannot wr.to them." If a man
ever knew how to write a love letter, to read it when
he was old was to go back to the Sunshine, to the
orient, to the area of heaven. If any of them
could get hold of their own love letters he should
say, "Read them," but they must be read in the
light in which they were written. An old German
ballad says, "He who would read this rhyme aright,
must read it by the pale moonlight," as Melrose
Abbey was to be seen. He next passed on to letters
of a political nature, such as these written by Swift
and others. In referring to begging letters, he
warned them if ever they received a begging letter
written in a florid style, with plenty of big words,
they might decide at once that the man who wrote
it was a humbug, and was only trying to rob them.
People who were really in difficulties did not search
dictionaries for such words as "exiguity." They
cried out and spoke their distress as they felt it. He
advised his hearers to shun long words unless they
wished to be regarded as impostors. Long words—
whether on the pulpit or on the platform were the
sign of an impostor and the mark of a humbug. He
next caused considerable merriment by referring to a
work entitled "The Complete Letter Writer." There
were many works of the kind, and they were all
wonderful books, but that was the most wonderful.
Amidst much laughter he read over various headings
to model letters which were in that book, such as a
"Letter to a Lady to whom you are paying your ad-
dresses," whatever they might be. Did they think
they should ever be able to write a letter if they
went to a second-hand shop for it. If they were to
write to him after the style of the complete letter
writer, he could tell them where they stopped and
where the "Letter Writer" bee-ban. It was just the
same with a preacher, who had been borrowing from
other men's sermons. There was a clergyman who
had been doing this, and on a certain occasion he
gave out a beautiful paragraph. Unfortunately, for
him he had a remarkably sharp and well-read auditor
sitting just in front of him, and as soon as the afore-
said paragraph was concluded this individual re-
marked in an audible voice, "Tillotson." After the

next he said, "Self." After another, "Jeremy

Taylor," lie exclaimed. "Turn that man out,"
thundered the irate minister. "That's your own,"
says the imperturbable listener." If they wished
to write a good letter it must be written at once; the
pen must go quickly. The best letters were written
to people who cared for everything connected with
the writers. If the persons written to cared for the
writers the latter could not be too minute. Look at
a grandmother for instance. There was no news
about a grandchild that would be too trivial for her
ear. Now what was the use of pretending to des •
pise those things in reality. He (the lecturer) had
watched the young wife telling her husbaad about
the child's first tooth, but she did not call it a tooth,
she called it a "toothy peg." The husband affected
to listen to the news very philosophically, but
he (the lecturer). caught him in the act of
rubbing his own gums directly afterwards with
his forefinger. Of all absurd things that was the
most ridiculous, when a man was ashamed to carry
his own child. He then referred to letters of Foote,
Charles Lamb, the poet Gray, Cowper, Walpole, and
others. He said the two last were the most perfect
letter writers that had ever lived; though totally dif-
ferent in style. Horace Walpole was a satirist, a
cynic, and a lover of scandal. Cowper, on the other
hand, was a lover of men. If they were to take the
two together, then they would be able to go amongst
men of the world, and beat,them with their own wea-
pons, and taught by those two great masters they
would acquire the finest style and the greatest facility
in composition.

THE LATE EXPLOSION.—At a meeting held on
Wednesday last, in the School Room, (the Rev. G.
Gilbanks M.A., in the chair,) resolutions were pas-
sed expressive of sympathy with the various suf-
ferers from the above sad accident, and a subscrip-
tion List was at once opened, when various Sub-
scriptions were promised by gentlemen in the
Room.—A Committee was appointed consisting
of the following (with power to add to their num-
ber)—viz :—Rev. G. Gilbanks, Messrs. Hodgetts,
E. Cookson, T. R. Southall, J. R. S. Elcock, Joseph
Hammond, jun., and B. Shakespere.—Mr. Southall
was appointed Treasurer and Secretery, to whom
subscriptions may be sent, or to any Member of
the Committee.—We understand that a List will
lie at each of the Banks, where also Subscriptions
may be paid to the credit of the Fund.
CHARGE OF TRESPASS.—Ai the Police Court,
yesterday, before Col. Fletcher, J. Holcroft, C. P.
Noel, and R. L. Freer, James Smith, Edward
Shilvock, and Edward Woodside, were charged
with trespassing on land on the 22nd ult. the pio-
perty of William Hollington, in search of rabbits.
The case was proved, and defendants fined 5s
each and costs ; in default 14 days.
IVILPULL • DAMAGE.—Joseph Potter, Alfred
Savage. Joseph Gibson, Thomas Wilkes, and
George Wilkes, were charged with wilfully dam-
av,ing a chestnut trek on the 31st ult. the property
of Charles P. Noel. of Belbroughton. Mr. Perry
appeared to prosecute, and stated that Mr. Noel
who was now on the Bench did not wish to press
the case, but he had been subjected to a great deal
of annoyance. All the defendants pleded guilty.
Colonel Fletcher said that Mr. Noel had told
them that he did not wish to press the case, or
they should have tin ed them heavy. They were
fined Gs 6d to include costs. _ _

A VIOLENT MAN.—William Fawkes was charged
with assaulting Thomas Moody on the Ist inst.
Defendant was further charged with wilfully
breaking a glass-door, and further charged with
refusing to quit the Coach and Horses Inn, when
requested. gr. Perry appeared for complainant,
and gr. Wall defended. From the evidence of
complainant, it appears that defendant, with
h
several athers came into his house soon after ten
o'clock. A dispule arose between a man named
Clasper and defendant. Defendant wanted to
fight anyone for half a crown. Ordered him out
of the house, but he refused to go, and was very
disorderly. In putting the defendant out of the
house defendant broke two squares of glass, and
when outside defendant rushed in again. Struck
him a violent blow on the mouth with a stone,
and knoked four or five of his. teeth out. Had
paid 3s Sd for the damage done. Two witnesses
gave corrorative evidence. Ma. Wall addressed
the Bench in mitigation of fine. The Bench con-
sidered it a very serious assault upon a landlord.
Had not the land interfered he would have been
liable to be summoned for allowincr disorderly con-
duct. For being disorderly defendant was fined
5s and costs, and for the assault committed to one
month's hard labour. The charge of wilful damage
was dismissed.
RAILWAY OFwErtcz.—William Jones was charged
with defrauding the G.W.R. Co., on the 4th lust,
by riding from Rowley to Stourbridge. Defend-
ant was further eharged with being drunk at
Stourbridge William Woodward and Joseph
Ruck proved the case. The defence was that he
fell asleep and was not aware that he had come
past Rowley Station. The Bench did not con-
sider that he wilfully defraud the company, a
there was no doubt he was drunk and for that
offence ,he should fine him 5s and Costs.
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.—EIeary Pearm an
farmea, of Clout was summoned by Inspector
Freeman for neglecting to give notice that he.
had cattle suffering from decease on his premises
Mr. Freeman and Mr. Blakeway, vetinary surgeon
gave svdence that some cattle were effected with
the foot and mouth disease. The defence was
that he was not aware of the cattle being diseased.
as they weae bought at Hereford fair
the pre-
vious Wednesday, or he should hrve given notice.
.Mr. Freeman proved previous cases
against the defendant, and he was fined .25. Col
Fletcher said it was a very serious case, especially
in persons who bought and sold cattle,
that they
did not use ordinary care, and fined £lO and costs.
VIOLENT ASSAULT.—JaMeSiWatkiIiS of the Lye,
was charged with assaulting Sarah Littlewood,
on the 25th. Complainant who had two black eyes
said the defendant struck her twice. The Bench
said it was a cowardly thing to strike a
woman,
and should fine him £5 and costs; in default of
distress two months.

SUDDEN DEATH,-=On Monday night last, a man named
Squires, gardener to Mr. Barton, of Proscott House, WI"
giving 4 reading at an entertainment held in a room at
Chawnhill, complained of being unwell, got off the Plat-
form, and died in the room. Mr. Freer was soon in
attendance, but life was extinct.