The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-31 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, IS4I

An enviable distinction awaits the man, or the
body of men, who shall place the question of Free
Trade beyond the pale of politieal faction. This
achievement may be yours! You have been compelled,
without distinction of party, to reduce the rate of
wages paid to your workmen. Think ! if it be not
your duty to deliberate upon that system of commer-
cial policy which presses you down upon the
operative, and compels you to diminish his hard
earnings? Never must it be said that you cannot
suspend party animosities more readily to improve
than to impair the condition of your depen-
dants. Let your regard for their welfare constrain you
to 'met without distinction of party to confer together
upon a subject in,which you are all equally interested.
Banish from your counsels every party predilection.
Let no man's opinions upon Church or State policy be
invaded or compromised. Regard him as a traitor to
your interests and his own, who, at such a conference,
shall breathe a syllable about Tory, Whig, or Radical.
In a word, enter upon the consideration of the question
of protection in the same dispassionate temper in which
you deliberate each in his own concern upon the rate of
wages, and you will separate in one mind upon the sub-
ject. Thenceforth we should be united as a trading
community upon commercial matters, although sepa-
rated into parties as before upon other public ques-
tions. Political contests might still be waged amongst
us, but the combatants would range themselves under
banners bearing the same motto of—Free Trade and no
Monopoly. Mr. Cobden concluded by eloquently call
ing on the other manufacturers to unite for their own
protection.

MODE OF RECEPTION IN TO THE
ORDER OF THE TEMPLE.
Being asked as to the mode of his reception, he states
that when William de la More, the Master, held his
chapter at the Preceptory of Temple Bruyero in the
county of Lincoln, he sought of the assembled brethren
the habit and the fellowship of the order ; that they
told him that he little knew what it was he asked, in
seeking to be admitted to their fellowship ; that it would
be a very hard matter for him, who was then his own
master, to become the servant of another, and to have
no will of his own ; but, notwithstanding their represen-
tations of the rigour of their rules and observances, be
still continued earnestly to seek their habit and fellow-
ship. He states that they then led him to the chamber
of the Master, where they held their chapter, and that
there, on his bonded knees, and, with big bands clasped,
he ag.in preyed-for-the- habit end the fellowship of the
Temple ; that the Master and brethren then required
him to answer questions to the following effect :—Whe-
thee he bad a dispute with any man, or owed any debts ?
whether he was betrothed to any woman ? and whether
he had any secret infirmity of body? or knew of any-
thing to prevent him from remaining within the bosom
of the fraternity ? And having answered all these ques-
tions satisfactorily, the Master then asked of the sur-
rounding brethren, " Do ye give your consent to the
reception of brother Walter ?" who unanimously au-
swered that they did ; and the Master and the brethren
then standing up, received him, the said Walter, in this
manner :—On his bended knees, and with his hands
joined, he solemnly promised that he would be the per-
petual servant of the Master, and of the order, and of
the brethren, for the purpose of defending the Holy
Land. Having done this, the Master took out of the
hands of a brother chaplain of the order the book of
the Holy Gospels, upon which was depicted a cross,
and laying his hands upon the book and upon the cross,
he swore to God and the blessed Virgin Mary to be for
ever thereafter chaste, obedient, and to live without pro-
perty. And then the Master gave to him the white
mantle, and placed the coif upon his head, and admitted
him to the kiss on the mouth, after which he made him
sit down on the ground,"and admonished him to the fol-
lowing effect : that from thenceforth he was to sleep in
his shirt, drawers, and stockings, girded with a small cord
over his shirt ; that he was never to tarry in a house
where there was a woman in the family way ; never to
be present at a marriage, nor at the purification of wo-
men ; and likewise instructed and informed him upon
several other particulars. Being asked where he bad
passed his time since his reception, he replied that he
had dwelt three years at the preceptory of Blancradok
in Scotland ; three years at Temple Newsom in Eng-
land ; one year at the 'Temple at London ; and three
years at Aslakeby.—Addisorr's History of the Knights
Templars.

ASSOCIATION FOR THE RELIEF
OF THE POOR OF THE CITY OF LONDON,
AND PARTS ADJACENT.—GOALS AND PO-
TATOES FOR THE POOR.
Yesterday the Committee of this most excellent Insti-
tution, which renders the most valuable assistance to
the poor every winter, assembled at the Mansion-house ;
Alderman Kelly in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said the general distress throughout
the metropolis required that the friends of humanity
shoiild assemble in numberless Committees for the pur-
pose of more effectually assisting the industrious poor,
now that a severe season might be reasonably expected
to set in. The opening of the City Kitchen, in New-
street, Blackfriars, on last Monday week, hi already
contributed, in no small degree, by the issue cl tickets,
to relieve the distress of many families, who r.. 0„ red, by
the arrangements made for their benefit colt)!s aid pota-
toes at a very low price indeed.—(Hear, ar)He felt
great pleasure in stating, that since the) curifpittee
had last assembled, he had received from the Goldsetths'
Company 30 guineas, from the Mercers' Company 26
guiaeas, from Messrs. Truman and Hanbusy 10 guineas,
from M. La Forest 5 guineas, besides many suiller
contributions.- (Cheers.)
Alderman GIBBS announced that besides the surr
above-mentioned, Messrs. Willis and C',lo. had sent t)
the charity 101. 10s., Messrs. Barclay, Perkins, and Co:;
bad sent 101. 10s., and Messrs. Whitbreld and Co., had
sent 15/. 155., and Alderman Kelly hsd paid in his
annual subscription of Si. ss.—(Cheers.)
It appears that last year the distribufion of coals and
potatoes commenced eight days later 'than it has com-
menced in the present, and that during the interval be-
tween that time and the 22d of March, 22,516 bushels of
coals and 268,992 pounds of potatoes were delivered to
the poor applicants by tickets from thesubscribers.
The Committee consists of the following gentlemen
besides the Lord Mayor the Pr' ~!int, and Alderman
Kelly the Vice-President and Treat ,r :—Alderman Wil-
son, Alderman Gibbs, Rev. John L ding, A.M., Mr. B.
Farrand, Mr. Dorneford, Mr. Hartoell, Deputy West-
wood, Mr. Simpson, Mr. J. Farrard, Mr. T. Lott, and
Mr. J. Phipp, all of whom had actively engaged in ren-
dering the charity as serviceable as possible.
The Committee, which receives vast assistance from
the benevolent exertions of the Lsrd Mayor, adjourned
till Thursday next, when they will assemble at the Man
sion House.

In addition to the other candidates for the City
Pleailership, Mr. Thomas has,. we understand, been pro-
posed by his friends.
NEW POST-OFFICE 'ARRA NGEMENT.—Yes-
terday afternoon, for the first time, a plate with the words
" Post-office," and the number Of the house, in black
letters, were affixed on the lamp-posts, and other most
convenient places, as near as thepossibleato late swe vaekrea 1 rien-
ceiving-houses in the metropolis.
waggish fellow
tiedthei DISGRACEFUL
country,cSoGr cord secretly eCca rEseFht lyrLtt o wayfrthße ficir neck of telti a
e
a number of young men and women present were goino-
on merrily with some sport, the wag pulled the cord',
when the corpse started up in the bed, making the clothes
to fly off ; the whole party rushed to the door, crying for
mercy upon them, and knocking each other over in the
hurry, when at length some people came to their assis-
tance, who afterwards discovered the cause of their ter-
ror.—Perth Courler

same price as that paid to you by the foreigner ; they
pay you the same amount in money only for a piece of
cotton which the German or American pays, whilst you
are compelled by law to give them 40 per cent. more
money for their corn than you might buy it for in Ger.
many or America.

Above all, Gentlemen, remember that your work-
people are compelled to compete with the foreign arti-
san, although their food costs them 40 per cent. more
than the price paid by the latter. There is no protec-
tion for your operatives. The law which raises the
price of their bread does not enhance the value of their
labour. The manufacturer and spinner abroad buy their
cotton at the same price as yourselves ; they sell their
goods in the neutral markets alongside your own.
It is obvious, then, that your operatives must
produce as cheaply as the foreigner. How is this
effected ? By greater toil, activity, and skill ; by
doubling their spinning frames, increasing their speed,
and every other expedient which gives augmented
value to their labour. Still we are told that the
English workman earns higher money wages than his
Continental competitor. True, and we have seen how
he does so ; if he did not, he would fail to secure an
equal quantity of food. But they who tell us that
wages are lower on the Continent than in England,
because the a eekly earnings there are less, forget alto.
gether to take into account the difference in the
quality of the workmen. If we would make a fair
comparison between the wages of the English and the
foreign artisan, we must consider not only;the time
they work, but compare the result of their labour.
If measured by this standard, the English operative
will be found to be the cheapest workman in Europe.
If you will examine the subject dispassionately, and
with the same absence of party political feeling with
which you adjust the rate of wages, you will arrive at
the unanimous conviction that you are the victims of
partial legislation ; and you will feel that your duty to
yourselves, your dependents, and your country, calls
upon you to unite in a struggle to secure the un-
doubted birthright of Englishmen--Equal laws. You
are not required to enter upon a contest for the triumph of
this or that political party, to seek constitutional changes,
or to array yourselves against the authority of the
executive Government ; you are merely called upon to
endeavour to place yourselves upon an equality, before
the laws, with a body of your fellow-subjects who have,
by their influence over the legislature. encroached
upon your rightful interest. Contests like this, between
different bodies of citizens, must often occur in every
free country ; and it is only by keeping a vigilant guard
over their own interest that the different sections of
such a community as ours can long preserve themselves
from injustice.