The Express.
London, England, 1864-11-08 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 8, 1864.

NORTH LONDON INDUSTRIAL
EXHIBITION.

Yesterday evening took place the closing cere-
monial of this unique and prosperous exhibition.
Having been formally opened by Earl Russell, it
had the honour of being closed by an equally dis-
tinguished statesman in the person of the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, and a crowd, if possible,
greater than that which had assembled on the open-
ing day were present at the closing ceremonial.
The original musical programme was repeated, and
the whole of the proceedings west otf with the greatest
eclat. From the statement which was made by
the secretary, Mr. Watts, it appeared that the
success of the exhibition had far surpassed the ex-
pectations of its most sanguine promoters. They
had opened on the 17th October, and closed on the
bth November, and during that time 196,927 of
the working classes and their friends had visited the
exhibition. Not a single instance of damage or dis-
order had occurred, and the whole force which had
been found nezesaary to enforce the regulations had
been six policemen. They had awarded 81 first-
class, 76 second-class, and 179 third-class prizes,
such prizes to consist of cards variously embossed
in the renaissance style, and including ten special
ones for which it was hoped to obtain the sig-
natures of Earl Russell, the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, and the Earl of Shaftes-
bury, the last named nobleman having promised
to distribute the prizes early in January in Exeter-
ball. The Chancellor of the Exchequer arrived
punctually at the time appointed, and was greeted
with a most enthusiastic reception. The whole vast
audience, upwards of 10,000 persons "rose at
him," and the cheering and waving of bats and
handkerchiefs lasted for several minutes. On the
platform with Mr. Gladstone were the Hon. Arthur
Kinnaird, Mr. Samuel Morley, Mr. Wink-
worth, Mr. Nicolay, and a large number of gentle-
men who had taken an interest in the promotion of
the exhibition.

The proceedings commenced with the singing of
the Hundredth Psalm, after which the report, of
which we have extracted the principal poiutsabove,
was read, and the chairman wade a brief tour of
the exhibition. Oa his return the " Hallelujah
Chorus" was snag, and on its conclusion, Mr.
Gladstone proceeded to deliver the closing address.

The MORT HON. GENTLHILLN then came to the front of
the platform, sad was received with the loudest •Mama-
tioos. When the cheering had somewhat subsided, be
s►id—Ladies and Gentlemen,—lt may be said with great
reason, that the series of proceedings belonging to this
exhibition is now complete. You have gathered together
within this spacious hall the products of the skill and in-
dustry of the working men of North London ; to this demon-
stration, and to the beautiful spectacle which his been
offered, the feeling of the public has nobly responded. The
enormous number of spectators who have hastened hither
from all parts of the metropolis, to Dandy their curiosity and
to improve their minds, have in fact crowned the labour of
the exhibitors with triumphant and complete success.
It is perhaps a vulgar but it is yet an important conside-
ratios, that in a pecuniary SI well as in every other point of
' view the proceedings of this exhibition have reached
the consummation which ►Il its friends must have desired,
and that your minister of finance—whatever may happen
to other finance ministers—appear before you to-night with
• considerable eurplas in his hands. (Cheers and laughter.)
And in that surplus we have not only to recognise • gratify-
! iog memorial of the past success, but likewise • alga of
bright promise for the future, because it proves and shows
wh►t things can and may be done though the medium of ex-
hibitions of this description. (Hear.) Bat not least amongst
the gratifying features of this sense of proceedings have
been the tone and temper in which they have been con-
! ducted, that humble sense of dependence on the Divine
favour, that acknowledgment that whatever gifts any of you
may possess we owe entirely to Heaven, which have been
conspicuous throughout ; whilst your crowded attendance
to-night bears witness to your emphatic desire that at the
close as well as throughout the course of these proceedings,
honour should be rendered to Him from whom all honour
comes. (Cheers.) It may be said, ladies and gentlemen,
that I assume • function which is officious, at beet, in ad.
dressing you alter what has taken place, but I
address you at the request of those who have been
your leaders in this important enterprise, and I will
do no more than attempt to give a faithful record of the im-
pression which what I have seen to-night makes on one
who views your exertions from without. It is very easy to
find a name for an exhibition like this, and an occasion like
the present. It is emphatically and peculiarly the festival
and triumph of labour. (Loud cheers.) Ido not use these
words for the purpose of drawing an invidious distinction
between class and class, for labour is the universal lot of
man, and those who endeavour to escape from labour, and
to convert into • career of mere enjoyment that term of
existence w►ich is given to us for useful &Mica, are
recreants to their own destiny, and to the law under
which they live. (Loud cheers.) There is no honourable,
no useful place in this busy teeming earth for the idle man,
be his station or his condition what it may ; and I am sure
that those who belong to the latouriog classes properly
so call& will admit that in this happy country it were easy
to point out thousands, aye, tens of thousands mom the
highest in the land who are as much labouring menu these
who work for daily wages. (Hear, hear.) Bat it is to the
large class which I see assembled here to-day that I more
particularly refer when I eedl this exhibition emphatically
the festival and triumph of labour. Why has it been the
triumph of labour! It has been the triumph of labour for
reasons upon which in my judgment it well behoves us to
ponder. Ido not think we have as yet reached the period
at which ►ny man can fully comprehend the entire signifi-
cance of an exhibition such as the present. We are yet but
in the infancy of such undertakings. We must wait • while.
It will be for us in our later days, or for those who come
after us, to form • just and competent estimate of their
social, even more than their economical, effects ; but even
now we see something of the immense importance of these
exhibitions. Can there be • more interesting fact than this,
that of all the beautiful objects that crowd the walls or fill
this capacious hall, • very large portion—l am told much
the larger portion—is produced. not by persons who find in
the production of such articles their means of subsistence,
but who thus develop some o.ber and hidden gift in their
hours of rest and recreation. Is it not • consoling proof
that even in this great city we are not so bound down to
mechanical exertion that it is above the power of the work-
ing man to look beyond the narrow boundaries of his daily
toil And again. that there is in all classes a diversity and
variety of gifts ; that human nature, if well used, is capable
of innumerable things ; and that few indeed are those to
whom the path of excellence is not open in one direction or
another, provided there be sufficient diligence and determi-
nation to pursue it with effect. (Chun.) One word as
to the amusement which has been produced by this
exhibition. The very production of these works has been
the amusement of the producers, showing undoubtedly a
true nobleness of mind, for it is only the mind which has
the fire from Leaven within it that could bad amusement
in productions of such • nature amid the exhausting effects
of daily toil. But it is true that much of our bast relaxa-
tions, and our most effective and salutary amusements, are
not formed in the cessation of all useful employment, but
in the change from one employment to another. But
ladies and gentlemen, if there has been amusement in this
exhibition for the producers, what have been the sensations
of those who came to witness it? Let the exhibitors take
this comfort to themselves, that not only have they
given a healthy and useful vent to their own energy, not
only have they gained that applause of their fellow men
which is one of the greatest consolations of life, but they
have likewise afforded ao example and an encouragement
to others, and many a man, m►ey a woman, and many a
young child who will yet develop their talents have re-
ceived the first suggestiou, the first infection, so to speak,
from what they Lave seen of this exhibition within these
walls. We have bad many proofs of the effects of exhibi.
tiooe such ss this thank Ood—not the first, Dor I hope
destined to be the last—but amongst them the most
remarkable is that it is possible for people in this happy
country for vast masses of the population to meet
together for purposes of recreation, sad at the same
time not to seed the restraint or coercion of the law, bat
' is WA sad sot to gala it Isrevisually, be b• s kw auto