The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-01 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1841.

sufficient creature of worldly success—the igno-•
rant Bashaw of life, wearing his bravery as an
ordained and necessary part of himself. To him
there is no such power as Providence. It is part
of the world's destiny that he should be vre-
cisely what he is. He is the begotten of fate,
and owns no obligation to vulgar fortune." Mr.
Poole's " Phineas Quiddy" does not diminish in
interest- as the tale proceeds, and abounds in
shrewd, worldly reflections, that show that the
author is a close and caustic observer of every-
day life. The " Manager in Search of a Star"
is exceedingly laughable, but the character of.
the hero, Mr. Bajazet Gag, and the details of
his adventures, are a little too much exagge-
rated. By way of extract, we quote the com-
mencement of Mr. Hood's sketch of the " Sea-
Totall er :"
" I'll tell you what it is," said the President of the
Social Glassites, at the same time mixing a fresh tum-
bler of grog—rather stiffer than the last—for the subject
of Temperance and Tea-totalism had turned up, and he
could not discuss it with dry lips. "I'll tell you what it
Temperance is all very well, provided it's indulged in
with moderation ; and without injury to your health or
business ; but when it sett; a man spouting, and swagger-
ing, and flag-carrying, and tea•gardening, and dressing
himself up like a play-actor, why he might as well have
his mind unsobered with anything else."
" That's veo true," said the Vice President—a gentle-
man with a remarkably red nose.
" I have seen many 7reatotal Processions," continued
the President, " and I don't hesitate to say that every
man and woman amongst them, was more or less in-
toxicated—"

" Eh, what ?" asked a member, hastily removing his
cigar.

Yes, intoxicated, I say, with pride and vanity. What
with the bands of music, and the banners, and the rib-
bons, and maybe one of their topsawyers, with his white
wand, swaggering along at their head, and looking quite
convinced that because he hasn't made a Beast of him-
self he must be a Beauty. Instead of which, to my
mind, there can't be a more pitiful sight than a great
hulking fellow, all covered with medals and orders, like
a Lord Nelson, for only taking care of his own precions'
health, and trying to live long in the land; and particu-
larly if he's got a short neck and a full habit. Why the
Royal Humane Society might just as well make a pro-
cession of all the people who don't drink water to excess,
instead of those objects that do, and with ribbons and
medals round their necks, for being their own life-pre-
servers !"

"That's very true," said the Vice. " I've seen a Dias.
ter Grand of a Teatotaller with as many ornaments
about him as a foreign Prince !" -
" Why lonce stopped my own grog," continued the Pre-
sident, " for twelve months together, of my own accord,
because I was a little wheezy; and yet never stuck even
a snip of ribbon at my button-hole. But that's modest
merit,—whereas a regular Temperance fellow would
have put on a broad blue sash, as if he was a Knight of
the Bath, and had drunk it all up instead of swimming
in it."

" That's very true," repeated the Vice.
" Temperance is, no doubt, a virtue," said the. Presi-
dent, " but it is not the only one; though, to judge by
some of their Tracts and Speeches, you would think
that because a Totaller drinks Adam's ale, he is as inno-
cent as our first Parents in Paradise, which, begging
their pardons, is altogether an error, and no mistake.
Sin and strong drink are not born relations; though they
often come together. The first murderer in the world
was a water-drinker, and when he killed his poor bro-
ther, was as sober as a judge."
" If that arn't true," exclaimed the red-nosed Vice,
" I'll be pounded !"
"It was intemperance, however," said the President ;
" because why ? it was indulging in ardent passions and
fermented feelings, agin which, in my huMble opinion,
we ought to take Long and Short Pledges, as much as
agin spiritous liquors. Not to mention the strong
things that come out of people's mouths, and are quite as
deleterious as any that go into them—for example, pro-
fane swaaring, and lying, and slandering, and foul lan-
guage, and which, not to name names, are dealt in by
parties who would not even look at Fine Old Pineapple
Rum, or Cream of the Valley.'
" That's correct, anyhow,' said the Vice ; and he re-
plenished his tumbler.
"To be sure, Temperance has done wonders in Ire-
land," continued the President, " and to my mind, little
short of a miracle—namely, repealing. the Old Union of
Whisky-and-Water,—and which would have seemed a
much tougher job than O'Connell's. However, Father
Mathey has accomplished it, and instead of a Parliament
in College Green, we are likely to see a far stranger
sight, and that's a whole County of Cork without a bottle
to it."

" Humph I" ejaculated the Vice, and took a liberal
draught of his mixture. "But they'll take to party
spirit in loo."
" Like enough," said the President : " for when once
we get accustomed to strong stimuluses, we find it hard to
go without 'em, and they do say, that many of those par-
ties who have:left off liquors, have taken to opium. But
the greatest danger with new converts and prostelytes, is
of their rushing into another extreme."