The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-23 00:00:00

THE LUNCHEON

took place in the Town Hall at half past two. About
400 gentlemen sat down. The galleries were filled with
ladies, and Lord Calthorpe presided. A very handsome
chair was provided for the royal guest, who sat on the
President's tight hand, he having the Major on his im-
mediate left. During the luncheon, and subsequently
to it, there was an interesting musical performance. Mr.
Stimpqon presided at the organ ; and more than 200
voices took part in the choral selections, which included
the compositions of Mendelssohn, Meyerbeer, and other
eminent composers. The following choral ode, written
for the occasion by W. Bartholomew; set to music by
Mrs. Moun4ey Bartholomew, was sung in the course of
the proceedings at the luncheon :
WOMEN. Is glory only won
By deeds of valour done?
MEN. Though-glory's brightest rays
Adorn the victor's bays,
Its purest beams alight
On all who take delight
In wisdom's ways.
WOMEN. Is glory, then, the meed
Of every noble deed ?
MEN. It is : and they who strive
To see their country thrive
In arta, that civilise
And make the untaught wise,
Ix glory live.
Turrz. Thenlail, all hail, Prince Oonsort of Victoria 1
Hail, patron of the arts that dignify her crown.
May grace divine
Exalt her line!
Her glory and renown
Encircle thine

The Noble PRESIDENT; in giving the first toast, said—
May it 'Awe your Royal Highness, my lords and gen-
tlemen,—l beg to propose a customary toast—that of
" Her Majesty the Queen." (Loud cheers.) I say cus-
tomary, but I am convinced that in this place there will
be no want of heartiness in responding to it. We hive
great reason to be thankful for the blessings we enjoy
under the mild and constitutional sway of her Majesty,
and tar the bright example which she shows to all. I do
not hesitate to say, that beloved as her Majesty is as our
Sovereign, she is no less admired as a wife and mother.
(Loud cheers.) I beg to propose "Her Majesty the
Queen." The toast was followed by the national anthem,
which was sung with thrilling effect by a full choir, ac-
companied by the magnificent organ.
The Noble PRESIDENT, on again rising, said—My lords
and gentlemen,—l feel somewhat embarrassed in propos-
ing the next toast, inasmuch as it relates to the illustri-
ous Prince on my right hand. I will not offend or wound
his delicacy by saying in his presence what I might
otherwise have been tempted to do. But this I will say,
that Birmingham is deeply indebted to his Royal High-
ness for his presence here to-day, and I trust that the
building begun under such happy auspices will be ere
long completed, and that when completed the instruc-
tion and means of improvement will be imparted to the
working classes which the illustrious Prince is so anxi-
ous to promote. (Loud cheers.) I therefore beg to
propose without further preface, "The Health of his
Royal Highness Prince Albert." (The toast was re-
ceived with great enthusiasm.)
His Royal Highness PRINCE ALBERT said in reply—
My lord, I am much obliged to you for proposing my
health in such kind terms, and I cannot but be much
gratified by the cordial reception which you, gentle-
men, have been pleased to give to this toast. It
has been a great pleasure to me to have been able to
participate, in however trifling a degree, in a work
which I do not look upon as a simple act of wcrldly
wisdom on the part of this great town and locality,
but as one of the first public acknowledgements of a
princip • e which is daily forcing its way amongst us,
and is destined to play a great and important part in the
future development of this nation and of the world in
general—l mean, the introduction of science and art as
the conscious regulators of productive industry. The
courage and spirit of enterprise with which an immense
amount of capital is embarked in industrill pursuits, and
the skill and indefatigable perseverance with which these
are carried on in this country, cannot but excite univer-
sal admiration ; but in all our operations, whether agri-
cultural t r manufacturing, it is not we who operate, but
the laws of nature, which we have set in operation.
It is, then, of the highest importance that we should
know these laws, in order to know what we are about,
and the reason why certain things are, which occur
daily under our hands, and what course we are to pur-
sue with regard to them. Without such knowledge
we are condemned to one of three states :—Either
we merely go on to do things juat as our fathers did,
and for no better reason than because they did them
so—or, trusting to some personal authority, we adopt
at random the recommendation of some specifics il
a speculative hope that it may answer—or, lastly, e!d
!!
this is the most favourable case, we ourselves
.imrsiy;
upon certain processes; but this can only be
b utn7Zand
of an experience hardly earned and
comp y
From
which, after all, can only embrace a cdoenlpp liralraSvflY
space of time, and a small number of exp
progress ; for
none of these causes can we hope for much
o
aterials to work
the mind, however ingenious, has no
ens the causes
of pbenorn
with, and remains in presence
But these laws of nature
painting nti ng
thoseand regulating
th e
of which are hidden from it. of being discovered
—these Divine laws—are capableL. and
saugw, made our own.
and understood, and of being
d whilst science discovers
This is the task of science-and
teaches their application. No
and teaches these laws, art_•asignificant not to be capable of
pursuit is, therefore, toot
of a short
science and an art. The
becoming the subject both
with art •sculpture,
sometimes confounded in general),
rest are
application of the laws of form and labour,
rest on the
be alled the science
of the beautiful.
and what may .....
arbitrary theory They do not rest on any. on the modes
mfinoereadrtiffis
of producing pleasure .
than ,
pleasurable emotions, but follow fixed laws,
materia
• i world, because belonging partly to the sphere
of the ideal and our spiritual essence, yet perfectly ap-
pre.aa
s' ble and teachable, both abstractedly and histori-
cally, from the works of different ages and nations.
(Cheers.) No human pursuits make any material pro-
(causl difficult, rpeasrhathpesy, troelsaez et o
pro-
gress until science be brought to bear upon them. We
have seen, accordingly, many of
them slumber for cen-
turies ; but from the moment that science has touched
them with her magic wand, they have sprung forward
and taken strides which amaze and almost awe the be-
holder. Look at the transformation which has gone on
around us since the laws of gravitation, electricity, mag-
netism, and the expansive power of heat have become
known to us ! It has altered our whole state of exiiteace--
one might say the whole face of the globe I We ewe this
to science alone ; and she has other treasures in store for
us, if we will but call her to our assistance. It is sometimes
objected by the ignorant that science is uncertain
in
changeable; and they point to the many eiplocleiitheoriesa
which have been superseded by o:herd, as
d a_
, and atter
proof that
the present knowledge may be also
unsound,
all not worth having. But they are not aware that while
they think to cast blame upon _
-
or that is precisely
fact, the highest praise upon her.
and prejudice ; that the
the difference between science