The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-23 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.—An unusual episode at the Liverpool
Assizes deserves some passing attention. Upon the
jury taking their seats in the box on Monday, a
Quaker, who was among their number, kept his hat
on. This irregularity disturbed the equanimity of
the Judge, Mr. Baron Bramwell, and he requested
the removal of the hat. The Quaker urged that
conscience compelled him to keep it on. The Judge
replied that " conscience no more compelled him to
keep his hat on than it did his shoes, and that he
must have respect for others," and threatened to
fine him £lO if he did not take off the hat. "It is
a reverence for the Almighty," said the juryman,
which compels me to keep it on." " Don't be non-
sensical," retorted the Judge ; " your reason is dis-
creditable to common sense." The Quaker persisted,
and the Judge at length fined him £lO and ordered
him to leave the box. " Any person," he added,
" with such nonsense in his head is not fit to sit upon
a jury. I shall call upon him again to-morrow, and
if he still persists in his nonsense I shall fine him
again." This is a singular scene for the present day,
and one could hardly have believed that it was still
possible for a man to be fined £lO because he held
It a point of conscience to wear his hat in a court of
justice. There are few places, perhaps, where old
forms and ceremonies have lingered so long as in
Courts of Law; but one might have thought such a
piece of punctiliousness as this beyond even the
most scrupulous observer of customs " whereof the
memory of man runneth not to the contrary." In
this instance, such scrupulosity is peculiarly absurd,
for if the juryman had succumbed to the judicial
remonstrance, and by taking his hat off had re-
tained his seat in the box, he would immediately
have proceeded to assert a peculiarity of far greater
importance, in which he would have been dis-
tinctly protected by the law. Being a Quaker,
he would, of course, have objected to be sworn,
and Baron Bramwell would then have been
obliged, in obedience to an express statute, to
accept his affirmation in place of his oath. When
the law has thus expressly recognised and allowed
the scruples of Quakers in a matter of real im-
portance, there is not only an absurdity, but even
an impropriety, in the representative of the law re-
fusing to respect a far more insignificant scruple.
But the judge appears equally unfortunate in all the
observations by which he justified his proceedings.
" Conscience," he told the man, " no more com-
pelled him to keep his hat on than it did his shoes."
This is a mere equivocation, and in the ordinary
sense of the words is simply contrary to the fact.
When we speak of conscience, we mean individual
conscience, and no general principles of right and
wrong. Every man has some peculiarities of con-
, cience, just as he has pecularities of digestion and
of ways of thought. Baron Bramwell has some
ways of thinldngpeculiar to himself, and is no doubt
conscientious about some points on which his neigh-
bours feel no scruples at all ; but the fact that their
consciences allow them to do a certain thing does
not alter the fact that his conscience forbids him to
do it. The Quaker's conscience did not compel him
to keep his hat on. It is a mere matter of fact. The
conscience may be a very silly conscience, but it is
a conscience nevertheless. Just so with the sum-
mary reply, " Don't be nonsensical." A judge
ought to have known that such an observation was
as much beside the mark as it was unbecoming the
courtesy of the bench. He must have heard of
Quakers before, and must have known perfectly
well that they have no intention of being " nonsen-
sical," but pretend to justify their peculiarities, and
among them this one of keeping on their hats, upon
reasonable grounds. Their sense is not the general
sense, or, in other words, it is not common sense,
but they believe it to be sense nevertheless. Indeed,
if we discussed the abstract sense of the matter, we
should be half inclined to take the Quaker's side ;
for there is certainly more to be said for a Quaker's
hat than a Judge's wig. But, in fact, there would
be just as much reason in calling a Quaker " non-
sensical" for refusing to be sworn as for keeping his
hat on, and in either case such an epithet would be
as much out of place as if the Speaker were to tell
a Roman Catholic not to be " nonsensical" when
he presents himself at the table of the House of
Commons and objects to the Protestant oath.
Nor was it more to the point to tell the jury-
man that he " must have respect for others."
Respect lies in the motive, not in the form of an
action, and there is no more disrespect shown by a
Quaker in wearing his hat than by an Oriental in
wearing his turban. But when the Judge added
that no person with such nonsense in his head was
fit to sit on a jury, he was equally rude, and still
more mistaken. It is perfectly possible, and a
matter of very ordinary occurrence, for people with
nonsense, and particularly religious nonsense, in
their heads to be quite capable of serving on a jury.
Any one who has lived in the world as long as a
Judge must have learnt that nothing is more com-
mon than for people without any nonsense in their
heads to be exceedingly stupid, and for others who
have extraordinary nonsense in their heads to be
extremely acute. The observation, again, is pecu-
liarly unhappy in this particular instance, for
Quakers are notorious for their extreme acuteness
and common sense in all matters of ordinary life.
If it is necessary to point out any other " nonsen-
sical" features in the Judge's proceeding, they will
be found in the insignificance of the occasion.
What is the importance of a stray Quaker that his
hat should be thus exposed to the animosity of a
Judge's wig ? A more distinguished Quaker than
Mr. Josiah Carson is said to have once kept his hat
on in the presence of Charles 11. The King ob-
served it, and took his own off. " Friend Charles,"
said the Quaker, ' put thy hat on." The King
replied that it was usual for only one person to
wear his hat in that room. Charles 11. knew how
to manage a little difficulty of this sort much better
than Baron Bramwell. Indeed, if there is a hope-
less task, it is to force a Quaker to abandon his
peculiar crotchets. The law gave it up long ,ago,
when it allowed Quakers to substitute an affirma-
tion for the usual form of oath, and Baron Bram-
well had much better follow its example. We
trust he will reconsider his intention of re-enacting
the same useless and indecorous scene. The hat
will only damage his wig, and the wig will do no
harm to the hat.

DAILY NEWS.—The Industrial Exhibition move-
ment in London having now made the complete
circuit of the compass, halting for a display at each
of the cardinal points, we may briefly advert to some
of its features, and endeavour to ascertain what is
to be learned from the experience of twelve months.
A year ago Woking Men's Exhibitions were only
an idea. Some people thought it a very vain and
empty idea, which could only be indulged at the
price of much disappointment and loss. Those
who, in the confidence of fuller and more exact
knowledge, dared to set these sinister prognostica-
tions aside, may now fairly recall the difficulties
they encountered in the scepticism of lukewarm
friends, and compare predictions with results. That
some mistakes should be made was only natural,
and every generous mind will regard them favour-
ably. What can be done has been shown, and the
demonstration is not impaired by the fact that in
one or two instances the earlier success has not been
repeated. The project of the first Working Men's
Exhibition arose from the feeling that the skill which
gave the chief attraction to the Great Exhibition
of 1851, and to others which have been held since,
was not sufficiently referred to its actual possessors.
In a certain sense, all exhibitions of arts and
manufactures are Working Men's Exhibitions, but
neither in Hyde-park nor at South Kensington
three years ago were the names of the art work-
men at all recognised. The temporary employer
was everything, and the artist nothing. It was as
if a chalice of Cellini had been exhibited in the
sole name of Pope Clement. It was natural that
this should be regarded by many workmen as un-
fair, though whether the institution of Working
Men's Exhibitions supplies the best corrective of
the evil may be doubted. We question whether
many of the cunning workers who made our great
exhibitions so brilliant have since exhibited in their
own names. The interests of capital and skill are
best promoted in affiance. Still the idea, having
been warmly. .embraced, became fruitful. Bodies of
working men in various parts of London, assisted
by good advisers, took the work in hand, and the
result exceeded all expectation. The exhibitions
furnished a striking proof of mental activity among
those who labour with their hands, and their skill
showed a facility of production, exercising itself
not only in the channels prescribed by the ordinary
laws of supply and demand which must govern the
directions of the employer, but disporting itself
often with much grace in the by-ways of industry.
The first exhibition of this order was opened in South
London, and the second in North London, and it
is in them that most success has been achieved.
They had the advantages of novelty on their side,
but that is far from explaining their success. They
were well planned ; their originators had carefully
calculated the means at their disposal, and under-
took no more than they could accomplish. They
avoided speculation, and entered into no engage-
ments fatal to the freedom of their management.
Their administration was marked by a simplicity of
aim which preserved it from many errors, especially
from that of relying on extrinsic attractions adverse
to the character of their enterprise, and therefore
likely to hinder its success. The working classes
took pride in the scheme, and both exhibited freely
and went in families to pay their money, and see
what had been done by men and women of their
own order. All this gave a strong distinctive cha-
racter to those exhibitions, and caused them to be
visited by members of other classes who were will-
ing to pay liberally for admission. But all exhibi-
tions have not been so fortunate. That which was
closed on Monday at the Floral Hall, and which, as

originally projected, was designed to represent the
industry of the West-end, has failed to pay expenses,
and has entailed a debt of £l,OOO, being more than
half the receipts from all sources, a deficiency
which will probably have to be made up by the
subscribers to the guarantee fund. The committee
appear to have made a mistake in the choice of
a place of exhibition. The Floral Hall could of
course only be hired for a very large sum, and it
does not appear what advantage was to be gained
by holding the Exhibition there. A bad bargain
seems also to have been made with Mr. Gye, who
was not only to have £l,OOO, with one-fourth of the
receipts, for the use of the hall, but had besides the
right to fix the rate of admission. A shilling was
the price he appointed, and the consequence was that
the working classes were shut out of their own ex-
hibition while it was in its freshness. Then, further,
a " musical performance" was instituted, contrary
to the covenant of the tenancy, and disputes arose,
leading to the interdiction of concerts. The com-
mittee had departed from the simple idea of the
earlier exhibitions to speculate on making theirs
attractive by the hackneyed devices of the showman.
With failure and disappointment came recrimina-
tions, and what we fear we must call appeals to
charity. It was complained that the upper classes
had not done their duty—as if they are not always
ready to pay for seeing what is worth looking at,
and as if they had any further duty to perform in the
matter. Then, if we remember rightly, an applica-
tion was made for the favour of a visit from some of
the younger members of the Royal Family ; and
when this failed, some large firms were canvassed to
buy bundles of tickets as a mode of assisting the
concern. All this is very derogatory to the inde-
pendence of the working classes, and strangely in-
consistent with the self-sustaining spirit in which the
earlier exhibitions was conceived and administered.
Without inquiring further into the causes of this
particular failure, we may express a hope that great
care will be taken to prevent a repetition of it in any
future exhibitions that may be meditated. In these
days every fruitful idea is in danger of being discre-
dited by excessive or ill-understood application.
Emulation, the desire to excel in merit, has given US
some good exhibitions, but the spirit of imitation
which seeks to reproduce the outside show where the
soul is not; will prove the parent of bad ones. Society
at the present day is infested with imitators who live
by consulting what they fancy is the humour of the
hour, and when these men resolve that there shall be
a Working Men's Exhibition, the very ease with
which they find implements and materials ready to
hand is a source of temptation. There are stock
chairmen and stock committee-men, just as there
are stock objects of exhibition, which these men
know exactly and at all times where to find. It is
desirable that all parties should understand what the
public will encourage with its patronage. It would
be a great mistake to suppose that these exhibitions
are, so to speak, the order of the day, that they form
a want of the times, and must be got up—well, if
possible—but in any case must be got up. The
fact is quite otherwise. If Exhibitions like those of
South and North London spring unexpectedly out
of the spontaneous action of the class in the name
of which they appear, and are vindicated by the re-
sult, the public will applaud the energy and skill .
and power of combination of which they are the
evidence, and gladly recognise in them the promise
of social progress ; but let North-West-by-West and
South-by-East London rest in peace, nor fear that
anybody will think worse of them if they should not
see their way to hire halls and challenge all comers
to a competition of skill. Exhibitions belong to a
class of undertakings that are to be judged strictly
by success. Much is forgiven to those who do their
best in difficult situations which they have not sought,
but little sympathy is extended to those who fail and
injure others in the mere act of self-assertion.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

LIVERPOOL-TUESDAY.

At to-day's market there was a moderate attendance of
town dealers and of millers from the country districts,
who bought largely of wheat at the prices of Tuesday last.
Flour also in good demand, and prices fully supported.
Oats not dearer, but oatmeal brought is per load advance.
Beans and peas improved is per qr. Indian corn met only
a moderate inquiry ; prime qualities of European and Ame-
rican brought full prices, but inferior wore rather lower.
The weather continues fine.