The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-31 00:00:00

BANQUET AT THE ➢LANSION HOUSE.

It is the pride and boast of the citizens of London
that its various corporations are noted for their
hospitality. Englishmen as a rule are reserved, not
hospitable ; but our character as a nation is in some
way redeemed by the good deeds of the City's
institutions. And so it happens that when a distin-
guished foreigner visits this country, or a great
governor returns to his home, the Lord Mayor,
as the centre of all the corporations, calls together
the aldermen, and all among the great who are likely
to respond, to,dine with the guest whom it is meet
that we should honour. On Monday the guest was
Sir John Lawrence. In the banquetttng hall of the
Mansion House the Governor-General of India was
publicly welcomed by the Bishop of Gloucester,
Field Marshal Sir John Burgoyne, Lord George
Lennox, Lord George Hamilton, M.P., Sir John Hay,
M.P., Captain Grosvenor, M.P., Sir John Lubbock,
and all the talent of the City authorities. Amongst
the speakers to toasts were Sir John Burgoyne,
Admiral Hay, and the Bishop of Gloucester; but of
course the speech which excited most attention was
that of Sir John Lawrence himself. Sir John Bur-
goyne entered a feeble protest against the reduction
of the naval expenditure, but nothing else was said
above the usual order of post-prandial speeches. Sir
John Lawrence told the diners that he was elated
when he received the appointment of Governor-
General of India, but was happy and contented to
resign ; and he then went on to say in a few general
sentences that his task had been a difficult one.
" I need hardly tell you that India is a vast
country, filled with many great races anta-
gonistic to each other in many respects—in
feelings, and wishes, and aspirations. That country
is governed by strangers and foreigners, and by a
fraction of its native population, and it is not neces-
sary for me to expatiate on the difficulty of governing
such a land, attempting to reconcile its inhabitants
to a foreign rule, of raising a revenue sufficient to
maintain the supremacy of the Crown, and at the
same time of making the people satisfied and con-
tented with their lot. It is an undertaking from
which any man might shrink without disgrace,
although a philanthropist might be impelled by high
aspirations to attempt it, and a statesman might be
forgiven if he failed completely to accomplish it."
Sir John has accomplished it, and is fairly entitled to
all honour in respect of it.

MR. SAMUEL MORLEY ON THE WORKING CLASSES.

Mr. Morley gave an interesting address on Mon-
day, near Nottingham, on the working classes, at the
opening of a fine arts industrial exhibition. He
agreed thoroughly with the establishment of such
institutions, as likely to raise the working man.
What else, he asked, could be done to make the life
of the artisan more elevated ? One way was to
make his home more attractive. But how could that
be done? 'The more the working classes were brought
into contact with that which was pure and noble
the purer and more elevated would their lives become.
He had long thought it would be a good thing if
music were introduced into the homes of our working
classes. In travelling in Germany he had often heard
part singing in the cottages of the poor, and he was
persuaded that if they could introduce the
same in England it would have a very improving
and ennobling effect. Doubtless. But does not
Mr. Morley see that the homes must in some sort
become attractive before the part singing can be car-
ried on ? While a father is in the public-house and his
eldest son in the skittle-alley how can part songs be
learnt ? The elevation of a home is a gradual work.
Singing will not come by itself, but must spring in
some' degree out of the family being together, and
having something to do in common. If there is
not the singing or something to amuse, the family
is not likely to be brought together . very fre-
quently. It is a question of culture, of gradual
development. Family life cannot be, as Mr. Morley
seems to infer, forced into action by the outward
application of some art which has not grown
up out of its immediate requirements. Mr.
Morley went on to offer his opinions on
strikes. The rich were as much dependent upon the
poor as the poor were upon the rich. In this spirit
he had come to regard strikes as a crime except
under the most special circumstances, being of
opinion that with regard to masters and workmen
who were indisposed to come to an agreement that
they were guilty of a criminal act. This was evi-
dently intended to cut both ways, but the employer
j of labour is very palpable indeed.