Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-04-09 00:00:00

and pins (1). It was only in this age•that the latter
came into general use ; and the fair sex, who have
now learned to appreciate their convenience, will be
able to understand the excellent substitute they
must have formed to the skewers made of wood, or
ribbons and loopholes, which formed the usual
fastenings of a female's attire in the Anglo-Saxon
period.
The introduction of coaches in this reign led
likewise to the starting up of a new class of work-
men. The vehicles, however, which they then
manufactured were very sorry affairs compared with
the magnificent and comfortable equipages now in
use, and must have been especially ill-adapted for
the transport of invalids, who would be certain to
experience a serious amount of jolting, which the
want of springs and the bad roads together would
tend to produce. They are thus described by a
writer A coach," says he, " was a strange
monster in those days, and the sight of it put both
horse and man into amazement. Some said it was
a great crab-shell brought out of China, and some
imagined it to be some of the Pagan temples, in
which cannibals adored the devil." The honour of
their introduction, it appears, is due to William
Bonnen, a Dutchman, who was the Queen's coachman.
The amusements of the people at this period were
of the most degrading character, and infamous for
their barbarity. Bear-baiting and bull-baiting
formed the chief delight of all classes—sports of
which Elizabeth herself was an enthusiastic devotee.
Bear-gardens, in fact, abounded in London ; and in
the public places of the principal towns and villages
of England, rings to which the bull was fastened
were to be seen till the present century. One mode
of baiting a bear, it appears, was in hoodwinking
the animal, and in this condition it was surrounded
by a circle of men who plied it incessantly with
-whips. Nor was it only bulls and bears that were
treated in this manner, but harmless apes were
baited also ; and sometimes the bewildered
creature was mounted on a fleet horse and
galloped to and fro, while the crowd enjoyed the
terror of both steed and rider. The equally bar-
barous practice of cock-fighting was also a favourite
amusement ; houses were set apart for the sport, and
a flag was displayed upon the building to give notice
to the people that a main of cocks was about to be
fought.
The amusements of a people may perhaps be con-
sidered a fair standard of their morality. When
their recreations are of a sensual character and we
find intellectual pleasures neglected, we may
reasonably conclude that the morals of the people
are not of the strictest kind. When we compare
the last century, for instance, with the present, how
much may we congratulate ourselves in the improve-
ment that has taken place. In some classes it is more
obvious than in others, but all have evidently im-
proved. It is however to the Working Classes that my
observations will principally apply ; and in the
change which has taken place in their amusements
we have indeed great cause for gratulation. The
disgusting sports in which they formerly indulged
have given place to recreations of a very different
character. It is true that cock-fighting, dog-fighting,
and that most disgusting of all sports, pugilism,
have not entirely passed away from among us, but
then it is highly creditable to the working class'es that
they leave this unmanly sport to be patronised by
gentlemen alone ! Much of this change no doubt
may be traced to the general and increasing desire
for reading which is one of the most extraordinary
features of the present age. This is a direct evidence
of the improvement of the people, The number of
periodicals published in London weekly and monthly
is beyond calculation—l mean literary works—those
which do not notice passing events, and therefore
have none of the attractions of the newspaper. The
demand for the latter however, is quite as great,
perhaps greater than for the former, and the desire
is shown too, by a class of persons, who hitherto
have never been considered a portion of the reading
public. In addition to these proofs of increasing
intelligence what shall we say of the various
literary institutions, and mutual improvement
societies, if we do not admit that they evidence the
progress of society ? Can we believe that the vast
stores of knowledge that have been thrown open by
these means have been productive of no beneficial
results ? It is impossible. No man can deny the
inevitable conclusion that must press upon the mind
'hen considering these things, and contrasting them
with the past, that the people have increased in
knowledge, have become wiser, have become happier,
and have it in their power to become so more and
more. Let us seek to encourage this feeling.
Let us seek to make it understood " that these
are not vulgar people," as has been wisely
remarked, " merely because they live in small
cottages and lowly places; but those are vulgar who,
by their thoughts and deeds, strive to shut out any
view of beauty." There are vulgar rich men as well
as vulgar poor men. Being poor is not of itself a dis-
qualification for being a gentleman. To be a gentle-
man is to be elevated above others rather in senti-
ment than situation. And the poor man, with an
enlarged and pure mind, may be happier, too, than
his rich neighbour without this elevation. In the
mechanic refined tastes are virtues. A partiality
for art and literature not only imparts to him their
native dignity, but raises him higher by contrast with
the prevalent tastes of his class, and by association with
the difficulties he has overcome in their pursuit.
Nay, the mere vulgar manifeStations of ease and
comfort—the carpet, the clock, the hardwood tables,
and the easy chairs ; the clean linen, the good coat
measured for the workman himself, not the cast-off
finery of a richer man—are so many indications of
good social habits and securities to society ; and,
what is more important to the workman's family,
against the dog-fight, and the gin-palace. Ebenezer
Elliott, the mechanic poet, as he is termed, thus
describes, with a masterly hand, the contrast between
the home of the industrious and intelligent working
man and that of the dissolute and improvident :-
1
You seek the home of taste, and find
The proud mechanic there,
Rich as a Kin?. and less a slave,
Throned in his elbow chair.
Or on his sofa reading Locke
Beside his open door,
Why start ? Why envy worth like his
The carpet on the floor ?

You seek the home of sluttery ? •
" Is John at home ?" you say,
" No, sir, he's at the Sportman's Arms,'
The dog•-fight's o'er the way."
0 ! lift the workman's heart and mind
Above low sensual sin ;
Give him a home, the home of taste ;
Outbid the house of gin.
3
O ! give him taste, it is the link
Which binds him to the skies,
A bride of rainbow thrown across
The gulf of tears and sighs.
Or like a widow's little one,
An Angel in a child,
That leads him to her mother's chair,
And shows him how she smiled.