The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-28 00:00:00

THE OOMMERCIAL TIM VELLERS' ORPHAN
SCHOOL.

The anniversary of this excellent institution was cele-
brated last evening by a dinner at the London Tavern,
the Right Hon. th Lord Mayor presiding. It may be
desirable on the present occasion briefly to narrate the
origin of the Travellers' Orphan Schools. With the ex-
ception of the road-side inns, and the coachmen and
guards of the old four-in-hand, no class suffered more
severely from the formation of railways than the "commer-
cial gentlemen," i. e., those of the commercial body who
represented the houses who carried on businesr on the
principle of " the good old times." A guinea a day for
expenses, and a stay of four or five days or a week in a
town, was equivalent to the commercial traveller of fif-
teen or twenty years ago of chops for breakfast, a sirloin
of beef and a bottle of wine for dinner, and a devilled
turkey for supper. These things, however, became
changed by the formation of railways. Travellers were
more numerous ; less expenses were allowed ; the "com-
mission" principle was adopted, and travellers, like all
other people, must conform to.the spirit of the times.
The change in the position of the commercial traveller
became not less marked than that of the " helm" of the
stage coach, who, from levying is. each from a dozen or
twenty passengers for conducting them safely to the end of
as many miles, now finds himself the driver of a London
omnibus, earning 30s. or 40s. a week. The commercial tra-
veller was in many respects found indeed to be in a worse
Position than the knight of the whip. The "commission"
principle rendered it necessary that he should earn " his
dinner and pint of wine" before he could consume them ;
but if it should so happen that his orders taken proved
" bad debts," he must be content to have his dinner and
pint of wine deducted at the " settling day." All these
things rendered the position of the " commercial travel-
ler" one of uncertainty. Hence, some half-dozen years
since, some gentlemen connected with commerce, and
who had had the experience of a traveller's life, formed
the idea of establishing a school for the orphans of com-
mercial travellers. . The idea was an excellent one, and
it has prospered in a remarkable degree. The institu-
tion now numbers nearly 100 scholars, who are educated
and clothed, and otherwise supported in a most suitable
and praiseworthy manner, and has become one of the
perthanently-established benevolent institutions of the
metropolis. On the present occasion the Lord Mayor
presided, supported by the Sheriffs of the City, Mr. M.
Mines, M.P., Mr. Waddington, M.P., Mr. George
Moore, the Rev. Dr. Mortimer, &c., &c. In proposing
the toast of " Prince Albert and the rest of the Royal
Family," his lordship observed that his Royal Highness
iad a heart as large as any gentleman present, and he
vas sure that it was his Royal Highness's desire to
enable them to enter on the principle of unrestricted
3ompetition—(a laugh)—upon which they had entered,
by encouraging everything that conduced to the pro-
motion of education and science. (Cheers.) In pro-
posing the next toast, his lordship called the attention
of the company to the picture in the gallery, where
they saw about 80 or 90 as interesting boys and girls as
were ever assembled. It had been said by Mr. Moore
that 15,000/. was wanted to place their institution on a
proper basis, of which sum 10,000/. had been raised ;
and he did not wish them to consider how they should
contribute a shilling extra, but how they should raise
the 5,0001. (Cheers.)' He felt that the desired sum
might speedily be raised if the members of the great
mercantile firms and their travellers would contribute, as
was their duty. It had been said that there were in the
kingdom 30,000 commercial travellers, and he could only
say that, if such was the case, many commercial travel-
lers ought to be ashamed of themselves that they had
not yet contributed to the funds of this society. The
necessity for the establishment of an institution of this
kind must be apparent. In the first place, a commercial
man must be taken very much from his home, and, there-
fore, could not superintend the education of his children.
In the next place, it was requisite that he should be a
man of superior abilities, and of high integrity. And,
in the third place, as generally devoting his energies to
the services of persons of great wealth, it was felt that
he had a great claim upon their sympathy. (Cheers.)
It, had been his (the Lord Mayor's) lot to see the widows
of some of the highest and wealthiest mercantile men
reduced to poverty, and it was clearly the duty of all
who had been raore favoured by Providence to contribute
to the relief of those who had experienced adversity.
The list of subscriptions was then annogrlsed, which
included the following :—Mr. Brown, of the firm of
Morrison, Dillon & Co., 20 guineas; and Mr. Nicholson,
50 guineas. The children who are being educated in
the society's school during the announcement of the sub-
scriptions passed round the room. Their appearance
evidently excited much admiration, not unmixed with
feelings of sympathy.
Mr. WADDINGTON, M.P., congratulated the company
that all religious and political feeling had been merged
on the occasion of the establishment of the Com-
mercial Travellers' Orphan School, and that the
only unrestricted competition (laughter) —in which
they were embarked was that of vieing with each other
who should do the greatest amount of good. (Cheers.)
The LORD MAYOR said he would reciprocate the sen-
timent of his honourable Protectionist friend. Although
they differed upon political questions, he was sure that
they did not differ in this respect—in the desire
" To cast all care and sorrow round,
Till not an aching heart be found."
(Cheers.) The question before them was the money
question—(a laugh)—and how they sho,zild raise the
ways and means of carrying on their institution as they
wished, It was an important question, for but for the
money question. Disraeli would never have gone out,
and other persons would never have come in. (Laughter.)
As an illustration of what could be done, he might men-
tion that Miss Tance and Misses Alice and E. Dance
had collected the handsome sum of 1791. during the past
year in support of their institution.
Mr. MONCKTON MILNES said that all pasties having
now agreed to travel on that great high road of commer-
cial truth, free trade and unrestricted competition—
(laughter)—he hoped that it would never be asked
whether a man came to this conclusion in this month or
in that month— (cheers)—but that they should hence-
forward act harmoniously together. The body of com-
mercial travellers were to their employers what the Go-
vernment of this country were to the people. He could
remember the time when he had travelled by the stage-
coach in company with the commercial traveller, and
how he had thus acquired much information which had
been of service to him in future years.
The LORD MAYOR, in proposing the health of Mr,
George Moore, designated him as the Milton and Shak.
spere of their schools.

- Mr. MOORS returned thanks. He said that of the
15,0001. required for the institution, 10,6001. had been
already raised. Twenty-one acres of land had been pur-
chased, and the building for their schools had been con-
tracted for under the most judicious and advantageous
terms. During the past year the agent of their institu-
tion had collected 1,600/. in Manchester ; and in Liver-
pool, Glasgow, and another place, each 7001. The in-
come of the society during the past year had been
4,6001. against an expenditure of little more than
3,000/. ; so that if the great mercantile houses and com-
mercial travellers would but do their duty, the sum ne-
cessary to provide permanently for the education of
the desired number, 123 children, would soon be raised.
Several clergymen of the Church of England had in
a most commendable manner devoted their pulpits to
the cause of their institution. Collections had been thus
raised after two discourses, amounting to 1501. The
Archbishop of Canterbury had promised to preach in
favour of the institution at Bow Church on the 31st o
March, and he hoped on that occasion to see the Lord
Mayor and Sheriffs and others present. He should ob-
serve that the National Mercantile Life Assurance Com-
pany, the Goldsmith's Company, and the city of London,
had severally contributed 100 guineas to their institu-
tion, and that during the past year Mrs. Caffiey, had
obtained the enrolment of sixty-eight annual subscribers.
He (Mr. Moore) remembered what Mr. Nicholson had
once said to him, " George, the more you give, the more
you will get" He believed him. (Cheers.) He be-
lieved, further, that the only pleasure that did not wear
out was the pleasure of doing good, and with these
marks he would commend the Commercial Travellers'
Orphan Schools to their warm support.
The subscriptions were shortly afterwards stated to
amount to upwards of 700/.

The musical arrangements of the evening were under
the direction of Mr. Ransford, assisted by Miss Rans-
ford, Mr. W. E. Ransford, and Mr. Perren. Mr. Harker
was an efficient toast-master, and the entire proceedings
were in acdordance with the usual taste and liberality of
the London Tavern.

RUFUS'S SPUR.— At the " Queen's House," in Lynd-
hurst, is preserved a curious relic of antiquity (boast:
ing, perhaps, a much more venerable age than it has any
claim to) called " Rufus's stirrup." It has the form of a
stirrup, of very large dimensions, of steel, with an appear.
ance of gilding or lacker on some parts of it, the loop for
the leather being in a horizontal instead of vertical plate
of metal. A doubt is suggested as to its being a stirrup
of that date, on the ground that metal stirrups were then
unknown in England. Is this so ? The common tradition
which assigns it to the Red Monarch connects It also
with the cruel custom of " depeditation" practised on
mastiffs and large dogs found in the forest. It was said
to be the test of a dog's harmlessness that he was small
enough to pass through the stirrup. If he could not
pass the ordeal he was carried before the ranger, and
" depeditated" by means of a mallet and chisel. The
latter part of the process is described with minuteness by
the chronicler of the forest laws, who, however, makes
no mention of the test.—Notes and Queries.
ANTICIPATED CONFLAGRATION OF ROME.—Dr. Cum.
ming, in his " Apocalyptic Sketches," and many other
authors, have asserted, as their interpretation of some
parts of the Apocalypse, that Rome will be destroyed by
fire from heaven, or swallowed up by earthquakes, or
overwhelmed with destruction by volcanoes, as` tbe visi-
ble punishment of the Almighty for its Popery and its
crimes. lam unwilling to deduce any argument of this
kind from the prophecies which are unfulfilled ; but I
beheld everywhere--in Rome, near Rome, and through
the whole country of Italy from Rome to Naples—the
most astounding proofs, not merely of the possibility,
but of the exceeding probability, that the whole region
of central Italy will one day suffer under such a catas-
trophe. The soil of Rome is tufa, of a volcanic origin ;
the smell of the sulphur, which we found to be most dis-
agreeable, must be the result of volcanic subterranean
action still going on, At Naples, the boiling sulphur is
seen bubbling near the surfame of the earth. When I
drew a stick along upon the ground, the sulphureous
smoke followed the indentation ; and it would never
surprise me to hear of the utter destruction of the entire
peninsula of Italy.— Townsend's Journal of a Tour.
A HINT TO OYSTER-EATERS.—When too many oysters
have been incautiously eaten, and are felt lying cold and
heavy on the stomach, we have an infallible and imme-
diate remedy in hot milk, of which have-a-pint may be
drunk, and it will quickly dissolve the oysters into a
bland, creamy jelly. Weak and consumptive persons
should always take this after their meal of oysters.—Dr.
Evans.