The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-31 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JotrawAis.

A good many years ago I was placed, as curate, in sole
charge of a large rural parish in Surrey. It was the sort
of post I had been most desirous to obtain, as I may say
that "my heart was set" on getting married, and this
appointment enabled me to make arrangements for ending
an engagement of a long duration. It happened that, as
I came down to breakfast on a lovely June morning, my
worthy landlady told me "an old gentleman" had been
waiting in the kitchen a long time to see me. I felt
shocked at having kept him so long, and begged her to
shew him in at once, feeling somewhat relieved and
amused to find the " old gentleman" who entered in con-
sequence to be clad after all in peasant guise. There was
something very taking indeed in his appearance. He was
dressed in a snowy "round frock," clean and well-fittiee
corduroy breeches, and Yellow leather gaiters, fasts
down his legs by bright brass buttons, and meeting decent
highlows, presenting a phenomenon very rare so late in
the week as on Thursday, namely, the appearance of
having been blacked that morning. The man was a very
picture of cleanliness and respectability. And such a head
as he displayed! well formed, handsome, and covered with
snow-white waving hair. His face was very frank and
plearant, of a highly intellectual type, with blue eyes,
fresh rosy cheeks, and a tanned complexion, which became
him admirably. lle was a picture of kindly venerable
age ; and somehow as he appeared, framed in the doorway,
he seemed to realise au old ideal that, before I could open
my mouth to echo his respectful "Good morning," the
in selecting their office, the care they would take in buying " 'You are old, rather William,' the young man
"
a pound of tea, and that others consciously make the pur-
cried, seemed to flash through my brain. I felt that I
chase of a policy a speculation, and simply choose the was in the presence of a much worthier, if a lowlier, person
office than which offers the highest terms. It could scarcely
offended • myself.—"• I hope,
sir,"
upon you. I thought, as you" ho began, "you'll not be
be argued that the State should forbid men to make the by my intruding
were parson here, you'd think I did right in coming to
best bargain they can for themselves in insuring their
lives any more than in any other sort of investment; and, you."—" Well," I replied, "that depends of course on
on the other hand, to make improvidence of itself a title
what e
you have come for ; but you are very welcome."—
" "Have you come far this morning?"—" No, sir, no. I
to public protection would be not only a dangerous, but a
very impracticable, policy, slept at the Mariners' last night. I'm only just out .of
e
The Herald, after retracing the history of the mifortn-
the hospital, nd walked twelve miles from Guildford
rate company, says that really when one learns that a yesterday."—"And where are you on your way to now ?"
large life office was managed in this fashion one ceases to I asked.—" Why, sir, I'm walking my way back to home-
wonder at the fate that has overtaken it. Expensive pre-
ground. I come from Stockbridge, in Hampshire, where
my sons is settled. I live myself at Surbiton, and have
raises and a costly staff are elements of weakness ; but an
this dozen years, and I always go every year to see my
.annual income of £320,000 will stand a good deal if there
lads and my grandchildren, God bless them. But this
be nothing inherently and vitally unsound in other
year I was taken ill at Guildford on my way, and I've
details of administration. The great mistake of the
been near a fortnight there, and so my money ran out"—
Albert was its system of allowing its principal official
"And what do you mean to do now?"—" Well, air," he
a liberal percentage on all premium income, whether
answered, "I might have written to my lads to send
good or bad, thus giving him a direct interest in the
me some, but I thought I could make what I had do;
•acceptance of excessive risks and unsound lives. Pro- besides they're hardworking men themselves, and I
hably the medical officers had sufficient influence to pro-
couldn't find it in my heart to ask them for help. I keep
vent much mischief being done in this way by
a little market-garden at Surbiton, and indeed I thought
individual assurers, but they were utterly powerless to
I could manage with what I have, but I've run-short, and
check the wholesale importation of bad business by
so I,sir, thought I'dcome and advise with you, because you
amalgamations with offices neither strong enough nor
know, sir, as the Romans used to say, Necessitas non
sound enough to stand alone. The guarded language of
habet legem.'"--" How do you know the Romans ever
the report, taken in conjunction with the patent fact of
said that ?" I asked.—" What do the words mean?"—He
the company's failure, makes it only too probable that the
smiled benignly, as lie answered, "Necessity has no law ;
sum paid from the Albert's funds does not nearly cover
"—"
the Albert's losses through its adoption of that fatal it's Latin, sir. W here did you pick it up. "—" Well,
policy which made it little better than a mere aggregation sir, you'll think it strange, no doubt, to look how I'm
d
of rotten concerns, whose every premium, " loaded " withressed, and to know I'm a labouring man ; but I learned
Latin, sir, when I was a boy at the Holybourne Grammar
per centages to agents and others, was burdened anew
with an extra five. per cent. payable to the purchasing School, near Alton; and what's strange enough, the
gentleman who taught us was old Mr. Rogers, who
company's managing director. Clearly, every man who
was vicar of this parish afteiwards for a matter of
insures his life has an interest in demanding the most
thirty ycars."—" Have you had any breakfast yet ?" I
searching inquiry into the causes of such a catastrophe, "
" '
and we trust that whenever that inquiry shall take place, inquired, in Latin.— No, sir, th at I haven t, he replied
at once, in the same language.—" Here, Mrs. Wood," I
the blame will be neither sparingly nor tenderly laid upon
cried, "do a couple more rashers, and bring a cover
the right shoulders,
for this old gentleman !"—With many apologies for his
The Post thinks there is a portion of the population homeliness, the fine old fellow at last took a seat, and kept
which we can hand over to our colonies with equal benefit me interested in his quotations and conversation till he
to them and to ourselves. At the same time, it is pos. had had time •to lay in a very substantial breakfast. I
Bible that by overdoing emigration we might send them was delighted with the handsome old man ; I knew well
more hands than either they require or we can spare, and that what he meant by advising with me was simply
when there are zealots who urge upon the Government asking me to help him on his journey; but I looked
the advantages that would arise from spending one or forward with a sort of pleasure-to his coming to that part
two or three millions in promoting emigration, it is well of the subject, feeling, in my innocence (I was barely 24
to consider beforehand what the effect of such an expert- years old at the time), that to lend a trifle to a fair Latin
diture might be. The Government would not be jus- I scholar who. had spent a long life in daily labour
tified in creating in the colonies a want of immi- would he as great a privilege as to have handed
grants by clearing land- and founding communities. Cincinnatus a cigar. He had gone to work, he said, on
What it may fairly be asked to do is to facilitate the out- leaving school ; his friends had bad "no opinion" of
flow of those surplus hands for whom there is no pros- learning ;he was sent to the Grammar School because
pect of speedy employment at home. Rut tha maybeurue people nag a rignD to send sues. se.. esis—,
nee:, aeannd which its interference cannot safely extend. and his parents had been of those who take everything
It is not the business us ss-,l.—ato provide her colonies I they can get. He never forgot his Latin, he
with population. If she can spare them any hands said ; he hadn't got so much of a hold of Greek.
without detriment to her own industries, well and good. I " The truth is," he went on to say, " I was in hopes that
It so happens that at present her capabilities in this you might be kind enough to lend me the few shillings I
respect are considerable. It is, moseover, probable that shall want to get to my sons', and I shall be very proud
she will always have it in her power to contribute to her to send them back to you as soon as ever I get home. I'm
colonies a greater or less amount of surplus labour. And, not begging, sir, for I'd scorn not to pay my way, as I
when once the means of doing this have been so settled always have done through my life ; but I only wanted a
se.,.e
ment before he has exhausted his stock of money, there ! sir, I came to you." The preference was fiatterin'gcnougll can hardly be a doubt that, with proper encouragement, to be suBpieious ; but I was pleased with m y guest, an
all who have no present hope of success in England will
entertained by the 3% bole incident ;and my old gentleman
have at least the opportunity of turning their industry to took a most cordial leave of me, with the solid proof in his
account in another part of the empire. It is hard:y a tvaistcoat pocket that, his grammar-school education, sixty
question how far it would be safe to press emigration or seventy years before, had proved worth ten shillings
beyond 'this limit. The wealth of a nation consists as I
of lawful coin of the realm. A week and a fortnight
much:in its Population as in its cornfields and mines; andasked
followed by other weeks and other fort.
it would be a very short-sighted policy which, in order to 1
nights, and I often thought of old "Father William."
relieve the country of its surplus hands, would run the (As weekshad come and gone, and my half-sovereign had
risk of depleting its necessary strength.
gone and never came, I explained its loss by the regretful
The Standard says that the English and American supposition that the poor old man might have bad a
consuls at Cuba comprehend the force of a couple theatre. relapse of his illness, and even have died. I left my
Our readers will already have seen the story of their parish and my bachelor lodgings for a few weeks, and I
heroic conduct. Injured innocence in the person of a returned a married man, to setup house in the parsonage,
sailor, American by birth, English by extraction, was in 1 where just on such a morning as' Father William had
the grasp of tyranny. The victim's doom was sealed. made his appearance, and just a year afterwards, I was
He was condemned to die. The fatal moment greeted by our parlour-maid, in the very words of my
drew nearer and nearer. The last moment, as housekeeper of a year before, and told that "an old
we say, had arrived, and the hero tottered on the gentleman had been waiting a long time in the kitchen to
brink of the next world, when the soldiers, who I see me."—" Oh ! dear me, yes," said my wife, "I saw
stood with their muskets pointed at his breast, and their j such a nice, respectable-looking old man going round to
fingers already pressing on the triggers, were suddenly i the back door while I was dressing." I went to the
petrified by a voice which commanded them to "Hold!" kitchen to see him ; there was "Father William," beau-
This is not the plot of a drama at the Bowery Theatre or tiful as ever, only looking, if possible, more virtuous,
the " Vic," but a real incident which has just taken place venerable, and interesting than before ; I recognised him
in Cuba. The sailor was condemed to be shot by the . at a glance, though he bad forgotten me. I amused my-
Spanish authorities. "At the place of execution"—we self by waiting for his communication. He was not long
must fall back upon the exact language of Mr. Reuter's in making it ; word for word as he had done the year
agent, or once more the genius of melodrama will prevail before. He was on his way to his sons', he had been ill a
—" the English and American consuls protested I fortnight, his money had run short, he thought be should
against it, and wrapping themselves and the go and consult with the clergyman first, because, " you
Prisoner in their national flags stood in front of know, sir, Necessitas habet legcm,' as the Romans used
him, saying that if he was to be shot it must be to say."—" That's quite wrong," said I quietly.—" Why,
through them." Is it reasonable to assume that they sir? You know Latin, sir, don't you?"—" Oh, yes," I
accompanied so brilliant a deed with language of appro- , answered, " I know quite enough Latin to tell you
priate eloquence? To what is the prosaic character of I that whatever the Romans may have said, your
English life due if these things can be done in other quotation is quite wrong as regards your case.
countries? Is it only the necessary inspiration which is Necessity generally has no law, but there's plenty
needed amongst us? At any rate, the two consuls under- of law for pour necessity, you hoary-headed im-
stood the case with which they had to deal. Their I postor, unless, indeed, you be come to pay me the
splendid bit of claptrap was uttered at the right time and 1 money I lent you last year." He was certainly taken
place. It saved a life, and they, for their part, deserve aback, and my words evidently recalled our former inter-
equal credit for their gallantry and for the brilliancy of view to his recollection ; but, with admirable calmness,
their imagination. he replied, " You didn't hear all I had to say, sir. I
The Telegraph observes that to most of us the transition shouldn't have come this way only I wanted to bring you
from a eliMate which scorched, relaxed, and prostrated, the half-sovereign you was so good as to lend me ; and I
t 3 one which has nothing extreme about it, but is, on the had it for you, but being took ill again, I had to spend it,
whole, very enjoyable, is so grateful, that we are disposed and that's what made me not go to the house you were
to forget what we have really gained by the blazing sun- living in last year !"—" Cook," I said, " give this poor,
shine of the past week or two. We have been puffing, lying, miserable, old impostor some breakfast, and let
panting, fanning, fuming, melting in the sun, gasping in him go. lam sorry to see an old man who has had a
the shade; we have groaned under necessary tasks, or I good education hang down his white head in such shame
have languished in a dreamy indolence—lotus eaters to I for his bad character being found out ; but if he ever
any extent, desiring only to keep exertion and reflection shows his nose in this parish again, send for the policeman
equally remote. But, while we have been idle, Nature and give him in charge at once." A quarter of an hour
has been busy, and her processes have all worked in our afterwards I saw him slinking off (I believe he reviled the
favour. Fourteen precious days of cloudless heaven and cook for not making his coffee sweet enough), and that
torrid heat have saved our harvest from threatened ruin, was the last time I set eyes on "Father William," the
and transformed fears of scarcity into assurance of plenty. speaker of Latin.—From the Churchman's Shilling Maga-
Had the gales and rains of three weeks ago lasted a fort- I ziae•
night longer, the consequences would have been something
not pleasant to contemplate. But the danger was averted
just in time ; it was blown off by a strong nor'-wester,
and calm and sunshine followed. Then, as if by magic,
everything changed fur the better. The soaked fields
dried up, the plump ears ripened, the yellow tints of
plenty suffused the landscape—the sickle, the scythe, and
the reaping machine simultaneously inaugurated the
glorious festivals of " Ceres' golden reign." So vigorously
did human effort second the beneficent impulses of nature,
in garnering the precious fruits of the field, that, through.
out two-thirds of broad 121,eland, the interval of blazing
sunshine and parching airs, under vs!tich we have all
sweltered and gasped, has sufficed to place beyond all risk
the bulk of our cereal harvest.

A RESPECTABLE BEGGAR.

The Times remarks that the fuller the light thrown
on the conduct of the Albert, the more absolute appears
the mismanagement to which it has been abandoned for
the last dozen years. Its history may give ground for
apprehension as to the safety of other companies also ; but
it affords no ground for a panic on the subject of Life
Insurance generally. So far as is shown at present, the
unsoundness of the Albert might have been dis-
covered by a comparison of the assets with the
liabilities in any year since its solvency first
became doubtful. A catastrophe under such cir-
cumstances really makes no case for the Government
inspection which some of the hapless victims of the
Albert call for. If it were found to be impossible to
keep the managers of Insurance Societies within the
bounds of honesty and common prudence, there might be
cause for claiming the protection of the State for a kind
of investment which it is undoubtedly the public interest
to encourage. But no one who cares for the promotion of
an independent spirit in the community can reasonably
maintain that Government should be requirei to protect
private interests which the individuals themselves are
perfectly competent to protect for themselves. The
history of the Albert does not shew that the loss indivi-
duals have there sustained might not have been avoided
by the exertion of due vigilance on their own behalf, and
its downfall, at any rate, cannot be fairly turned into a
moral for a general system of State interference. The
truth is that some persons insuring their lives do not use,

LORD JUSTICE CLERK PATTON.—A telegram
from Scotland states that it is the Lord Justice Clerk's
brother, and not the Lord Justice Clerk, who died
suddenly at Glenlamond, whilst grouse shooting, on
Saturday.

The Daily News advises holiday-makers not to let their
travels be longer than their purse. Measure your cloth
before you start, and then cut your holiday suit accord-
ingly. Don't go to Italy if you can't afford to get further
than Switzerland, and don't go to Switzerland, if you
ought to have stopped at Margate, only for the dismal
pleasure of &pending the morning in the examination of
your bill, and the afternoon in sigiing over its sum total.

There i; no holiday in that. The Alps cannot help a
spirit dejected by such sordid consiclerat;ol:s. Forbear to
carry `•the ignoble melancholy which springa from pecu-
niary einbarras.neent " into the placid presence of Nature.
A second hiNt is, go where the change will be really
a change. Alter toe conditions of your existence for
a time. If you live in a crowded society, seek solitary
places • if pair ordinary days be spent much in solitude,
seek the reasonable companionship of your fellows. We
do not mean go to Baden, Spa, Homburg—hells upon
earth. There are cheerful places where men congregate
without seeking from morning to night to fleece each
other. Yet another piece of advice that we would venture
to offer is—don't take your work with you. Leave the
yoke at home. HOliday time is a time when you may
imitate Hylas without incurring his fate. Not only is
work done under such circumstances inferior work, but it
will injuriously affect the work to be performed when the
collar is once more resumed. A month's holiday, like a
night's sleep, should not be invaded by any ruder visitor/
§oft 4uciplacid dreams.

Colonel Nagle, the famous Fenian leader, has
just committed suicide in America. Nagle left America
to join the Brotherhood in Ireland in 1363, and he was
connected with the Jacknell expedition. He had been
in prison for two years, but was released as a naturalised
American. He is supposed to have destroyed himself
while in a state of insanity.
AN ILLUSTRATED DAILY NEWSPAPER. The
Californians now boast that they are doing—or at all
events attempting—a little more than any.other city in
the world. A daily illustrated paper has been started in
San Francisco. It is called The Illustrated San Francisco
Hem The daily numbers will, of course, be collected,
and published as a weekly. The daily contains eight
pages, is to a certain extent a newspaper, but is more of a
literary paper, ,Nith a strong Californian smack in it. The
illustrations are executed in the new process of zincography,
having very much the appearance of lithography. The
drawing is made direct ou a zinc plate, whitened and also
g
rougheucd, so that it has a grain like a lithograph stone.
It is then submitted to an acid bath, which eats out the
white parts. The only objection to the process is that
the faint, delicate greys come either whiter or
darker than the artist intended ; the acid undermines
them. The advantage of the process is that when the
plate is fixed on a suitable wooden block, it can be printed
with the letter-press. It would be impossible, in a city
like San Francisco, to get these illustrations up in wood
engraving. This new process is a comparatively quick
one. The drawing is made as rapidly as on paper, and
thirty or forty hours' chemical treatment, 4c., fits it for
• •. . •
ttiordigari—St. 49ugt r.