The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-03 00:00:00

Living in Perspective•

4).
(Miss MIJLOCK in Fraser for October.)
Smith has exactly five hundred a year. We all know
this fact—we cannot help knowing it, he being a salaried
official of Government. We also know—somehow, every-
body does know everything— that he has no private for-
tune, and that ho had the courage and manliness to marry
a woman without a halfpenny to hers. Nevertheless,
when he married he took a house, which, being in our
own street, we are aware must cost Min, rent and taxes
together, at least £llO a-year ; this- leaves him, for all
other expenses, just £390. A very comfortable sum if fairly
divided among the moderato necessities of life, but which
in these modern days, will certainly allow no extraneous
luxuries.

Yet we meet Mr. and Mrs. Smith continually in " so-
ciety"—ho well-dressed as usual, she in her beautiful mar-
riage gowns, which would be ruined by a common cab or
omnibus ; so we must conclude they come to these elegant
parties in a fly. (10s. per night; say, at lowest calcula-
tion, 30s. per week of carriage-hire. Poor Smith !) In
process of time wo are invited to Smith's own house, to
meet "a few friends at dinner." And every dinner—
counting the wine, the hired cook, the two waiters, and
all the inevitable extraneous expenses of a small household
giving a largo entertainment—must, we are certain, have
mulcted our poor friend of at least £l5. If he gives three
of them—there, at one fell swoop, goes £IS out of the £350,
merely eaten 'and drank, with nothing to show for it. And
Smith being an honourable fellow who will pay his trades-
men, though he should starve for it, we shrewdly suspect
there will bo sharp economies somewhere : that the
Gruyere cheese may result in family butter frightfully
salt, and that these elegant desserts will cause Smith to go
puddingless for days. Also, that the tall greengrocer in
white gloves, who didn't a bit delude us ink believing
that our friends kept a footman, will dwindle in daily life
to a slatternly Irish girl, who, being paid half the wages
of a good housemaid, is so incompetent a servant that
poor Mrs. Smith has to do half the work herself. Yet
there she sits, pretty young woman ! wan, but smiling ;
anxious to keep up the dignity of her husband's table, but
enduringagonies lest all should not go rightly.in the kitchen
which, in that household of £5OO a year, aping for one day
only the luxuries and conveniences of £5,000, is nearly im-
pos,lible. We are so sorry for her, our gentle hostess; and as
for our host, though we laugh at his jokes and praise his wino
wo feel as if all the time wo had our hand feloniously in
his pocket. But why—oh! why was ho so foolish as to
invite us to put it there ?
Why ? Because ho cannot see that he is living out of
perspective. That if ho asked really " a few frionds"---aot
acquaintances—to share the wholesome joint and nice
pudding which, I doubt not, Mrs. Smith gives him every
day, with perhaps a cozy " crack" over walnuts and wino
afterwards, we should not only enjoy our entertainment,
but respect our host a great deal more. For we should feel
that he was giving us real hospitality—a share of his own
bread and salt—the best he could afford; and, therefore,
just as valuable in its way as our best, though, we being
richer men, this may consist of turtle and champagne,
which, if he honours us by sharing, it is an honour; for
ho and his wire are well-born, well-bred, and altogether
charming and acceptable guests. Why should they not
believe this fact, and take their stand in society upon
higher ground than-potty rivalry in meats and clothes ?
Why not say, openly or tacitly, "We have just five hun-
dred a year, and we mean to live accordingly. We enjoy
society, but society must take us as we are. We will
attempt no make-believes ; we will not feast one day and
starve another ; appear en grand tenue at our neighbour's
house, and lounge about our own in shabbiness and rags;
have a large, well-furnished, showy drawing-room to re-
ceive our company in, and let our family sleep in upper
chambers, bare, comfortless, dirty—something between a
workhouse ward and a pigsty. Whatever we spend, wo
will spend levelly; then, be our income largo or small, we
shall always be rich, for we shall have apportioned our
spendings to our havings. The nobleman who is said to
have an income of a thousand a day can do no moro."

A DUBLIN MAGISTRATE'S REPLY TO

HIS ACCUSERS.

In reference to the recent extraordinary charge
of cruelty preferred against Mr. C. J. O'Donel of
the Head Police Court in Dublin, in having com-
mitted a little creature of three-and-a-half year* of
age to prison for fourteen days with hard labour
for the high crime and misdemeanour of vagrancy,
we are glad to find that the accused magistrate has
something to say for himself in his own vindication.
The following is Mr. O'Donel's own report of the
case in a letter addressed by him upon the subject
to the Under-Secretary at Dublin Castle :

" Capel-street Police-office, Sept. 27, 186 G.

"Sir,-1 have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
this day of the report of Mr. C. T. Gavin, Local Inspector
of the Richmond Bridewell, to the InspectOrs-General of
Prisons in reference to a child named Patrick O'Brien,
aged about four, whom, together with his sister and two
other children, I committed from the Head Police-office on
the 22d inst. to prison for 14 days for begging. In refer-
ence to these cases, I have to state that on two previous
occasions those children were brought before me on similar
charges, and on the first occasion I discharged them with
a caution. On the second occasion I had their relations
sent for, and some women who appeared and represented
themselves as such promised to keep them off the streets.
On seeing them again brought up a few days after-
wards, and being informed by the court serge4nt and.
other members of the police force present that they were
systematically driven out to beg, I felt urged, in mercy to
the children themselves, who looked starved and naked,
to commit them to prison, where, at least, they would be
fed; and whatever reluctance I felt in doing so was en-
tirely removed by the fact that when the children heard
where they were going to they cheered with delight, as if
the greatest boon had* been bestowed upon them. As to
the addition of hard labour' attached to the committal,
the statute leaves no option, and the words are printed in
the form of committal ; but in the case of a child such
words I consider wholly inoperative. In conclusion, I
beg to refer to Mr. Gavin's report,. in which, in describing
the child as ' a miserable, starved-looking creature,' be
suggests the best possible motive for a considerate magis-
trate to save the child, for however short a period, from a
condition so deplorable.-1 have the honour to be, Sir,
your most obedient servant, " C. J. O'DONEL.
" The Under-Secretary, Dublin Castle."

Referring to the above communication explana-
tory of the sentence imposed upon those poor little
Irish Toddles and Poddles, we find in the Dublin
Freeman of Monday the following observations in
support of Mr. O'llonel's self-vindication :
No one acquainted with Mr. Charles Joseph O'Donol,
the gentleman to whom this sentence has been attributed,
could for a moment think he would be guilty of such an
act ; and we therefore would not consider the matter.
worthy of special notice were it not that we perseive
some of our London contemporaries have fallen into the
error of accepting the statement of the paper in which it
first appeared as fact, and have very justly expressed, in
no measured language, their condemnation of it. The poor
children seem to have been entirely abandoned to misery
and the contamination of the streets, and having been be-
fore his Worship on two previous occasions, he appears to
have commiserated their lamentable state, and to, have
almost extra-judicially endeavoured to have them rescued
from their miserable position ; but his good intentions on
behalf of the little parentless children appear to have been
completely frustrated by the callousness of those who were
represented to be some relatives of their dead parents, and
when brought before him the third time, and having no
other means of affording them shelter, he sent them to pri-
son for vagrancy.

THE MANCHESTER REFORM BANQUET.—The date
fixed by the executive of the National Reform Union for
the forthcoming Reform banquet in the Freo Trade Hall is
Wednesday, Nov 21. We are informed that upwards of 20
members of Parliament have already accepted invitations to
be preout.—[Manchester Guardian.