The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-10 00:00:00

" for their money." So they never liked him pro-
perly, until he " knocked under," to the ferule of
" our Manchester school," and became, by lapse of
time, a fine, venerable, submissive, sagacious, and
highly respectable old peer. That is the Man-
chester ideal of him, Mr. Checks is happy to say;
and if it is not embodied in the " piece of chisel-
ling" chosen, he should be glad if we would inform
him where to find it.

Mr. Checks proceeds however—somewhat rudely
as we think at the time—to " bother our ideals.
Statues, he declares, are not erected so much to
idealise or honour greatness as to show we are " on
the list" of its acquaintances. He (Mr. Checks)
himself does not wriggle and struggle to shake Mr.
Thackeray by the hand, for Mr. T.'s private glori-
fication, but that it may be known and seen that
he, Checks, has had him by the hand. And why ?
" Checks" is nothing—but Checks plus an eminent
novelist's acquaintance is something. " It redounds
to his credit." Just so with statues. They " re-
dound" to all our credits. Boots at the Albion can
tell the unshaved foreigner as he looks out of
window in the early morning, " That is our Peel,
sir, the great statesman ; the other 's "the Jewk ;"
cost 15 or 17 thousand pounds, I cannot rightly say
whether. There is another Peel, in Salford sir, but
him and the Jewk is very much alike, special the
Jelck. We have another " statty," sir, as I've heard
say, but he 's marble, and under cover, sir, some-
where about Mosley-street."
All this, Mr. Checks informs us, is " interesting
to strangers," and lots them know we can " appre-
ciate merit." Does he or Manchester care for the
thing in itself? Very likely not. Manchester is
no " show town." He could not live in it if it was.
He should have nothing to live on. But when
cockneys and " LiverpudlianS" with their Roman
togas and " chains and slavery" tell them they
have not a thought above money making, it is
quite right for the men—that is, the " leading men "
—to " come down" handsomely, and show they
can spend it too. Did he " come down ? why no—
he didn't, he has not begun " that kind of thing
yet—" but the principle 's the same."
Mr. Checks admits that possibly we may " do a
credit," and, at tile same tune, aaa an - ornament"
to our town. Are they not doing so now. Perhaps.
we prefer No. 3, in an ornamental point of view.
And it shows under what a misfortune we labour
in not having a cultivated appreciation of art. We;
are all for nature and extravagance, exceptional
attitudes, and exuberant action. But the " mission
of art" is to " titivate" nature and quench extrava-
vance.. Art must be chaste—says Mr. Checks—or
.nothing Before a man can become the fine gentle-
man, or a hero the fine statue, there must be " got
rid of ' much of the man and most of the hero. To
enter ball-rooms and mount pedestals with pro
piety, gentlemen and statues must be equally
quiet in " deportment."
Things that are " stuck up," always to be "undeil
one's nose," asserts Mr. Checks in continuation,
should be in the least likely form to attract, that is'
distract attention. With a head running on
orders, or " jobs," it would never do to be suddenly
scared " out of your five senses" by a fellow waving
a drawn sword," or a charger ." kicking up behind
and before ;" and in a " hive of industry like ours.".
Mr. Cheeks would on no account have such an
example placed before the rising • generation as
" four lazy personations sprawling •at noonday on!
the flags like Neapolitan lazzaroni." In this. his
" noble and right reverend neighbours " knew.
better what was " good for us ' than " some of
us " (evidently meaning your " commissioner ")!
knew ourselves. " Above all things," any selection,
made for this intelligent and highly mercantile'
community must be " safe." It would never do:
for Manchester to compromise its budding respec-.
tability by doing anything "out of the way." Iti
might make " a hit," but might be—laughed at,'
Now, a statue standing " firm on its pins," and:
held on by a reasonable quantity of colossal.
drapery behind is respectable, time honored, and
'very " safe." There is not a laugh "in a bushel"
of such. F. M. the Duke's statue fulfils these
requirements—is " pleasing," " appropriate," and
' far Pppl's. which is a consi-
deration. Choose a scrambling group Julie iv.,
and where would "we " put it. In the middle ?
Very likely; then immediately be running after a
second lot of " leading men " for subscribers ;
looking up another great man, not too great for
them to agree about, and all to " put things.
square," which ought never to have been other-,
wise.

Let well alone, and be thankful, concludes Mr.i
Checks, as we rise to go home. The duke's
" double" may be a little of the "bolt-upright
order of architecture," he soothingly adds; but
now the " speechifying" is done, and our love and
esteem all recorded, it will finish the sentence like
a " fine old note of admiration." We are fond of
" symbols," and Mr. Checks makes us.a present of
" that."

Having had all the talk to himself, .and the argu-
ment entirely his own way for the last half hour,
Mr. Checks descends for his coat in the best of
humors. He assures us on the stairs that the
evening has passed very pleasantly. Though we
have much to learn in " art," he likes our com-
pany " none the worse " for it. " A man cannot
know everything," but he can "be himself," and
being that, he is the man for Mr. Checks, who
respects " individuality above all thingS."
Being presently elaborately muffled against cold,
he bids us, in his jocular way, " Ta-ta! " and dis-
appears.
We ourselves walk thoughtfully homewards,
looking much at the stars, and wondering what
had " come over" Mr. Checks. Our opinions are
usually identical. We expected they would be so
this evening. In this, it seems, we were mistaken.
Probably for the first time in the experience of, Sir,
your obedient servant, and
" FINE ART COMMISSIONER."
Manchester, Dec. 3, 1853.

CHRISTMAS DAY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.

SlR.—Christmas Day falling on a Sunday will
prove a great disappointment to many who look
forward to it as a day when they can enjoy them-
selves without restraint. The working men who
slave all the year round to support their wives and
families, and who scrape together the little money
they can spare to have a merry-making with their
friends, would it not be unkind of us to overlook
them? Should we not have compassion on them
and do our best to bring the public to consent to
making Monday the 20th inst. a geueiul 1.v13 day-.
But it. is not only they who will feel lit but we our-
selves. We like to have a song after our plum
pudding as well as they. We like to have our
friends round us ; we do not like to be restrained
by anything when old Christmas with his hoary
head comes round and bids us be merry; we can-
not refuse the invitation. So let us my friends join
with one consent in having a jollification on the
Monday, and we shall have the gratification of
knowing that we have contributed towards the
pleasure of our countrymen. W. L. F.

THE "FREE LENDING LIBRARIES."

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.

SlR,—Knowing your desire on all occaasions to
use your rapidly increasing influence in the cause
of progress, I am induced to address you upon a
subject of considerable importance to the middle
and working classes of Liverpool.
It is with reference to the hours of admission to
the free lending libraries in Park-lane and Brown--
low-hill.

At present, the libraries are open for the distri-
bution of books, on Tuesdays and Fridays, between
the hours of seven and nine p.m.
I do not intend to complain either of the days
selected, or of the length of time allowed for appli-
cation, as no fault can be found with either.

My object in addressing you is, to endeavour to
induce the authorities to open the library at six
instead of seven. _ . .

------
As the hours of admission now stand, many of
the residents on the Cheshire side, and in the sub•
urbs of Liverpool, are prevented by the lateness of
the hour; from availing themselves of the great ad-
vantages which this noble institution offers to its
members.
To the working man also, the change I propose
would be a great boon. The greater part of those
employed in manual labour cease working at six
p.m.; if, therefore, they want to obtain a work oat
of the library, they must wait an hour, and very
probably pass their idle time in some public-house;
where the .beneficial effects resulting from their,
membership in the library will be more than cowl-
terbalanced by the work of that single' hour of
idleness.

If the committee of management find it imprac-