The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-26 00:00:00

POLICE IN 1 ELLIGENCE.

MARY LEB ONE.

Yesterday Mr. William Grenly, landlord of a
house in Ogle-street, appeared before Mr. RAWLIN-
SON, to show cause why he rook forcible possession
of a portion of his own premises, occupied by Mr
Benjamin Pye, a knight of the pole, introduced a
journeyman tonsor therein, and proceeded to shave
the customers, without his, the said Mr. Benjamin
Pye'a, consent or approbation.
Mr. Benjamin Pye stated that he occupied a shop
and small room in Mr. Grenly's house, carrying on
the art and mystery of shaving; and on Sunday
morning last, being obliged to be absent for several
hours—to wit, from seven until eleven—when he
reached his establishment he was thunderstruck at
finding the shop open—a brother of the craft in pos-
session—the fire lighted—a mountain of lather on
the table—the chins of most of his customers beard-
lees, and the new occupant lathering away at the
few that rerniiini d. Although Mr. Benjamin Pye
came in only at the " eleventh hour," he thought
he had a right to shave the remainder; but the land-
lord thought otherwise, and so did the landlord's
journey man; therefore t he landlord continued to pocket
die pennies, and the journeyman continued to unhir-
su e the hairy chins of the customers, until' there
remained not a chin to be shaved, nor a penny to
pocket ; and he, Mr. Benjamin Pye, was obliged to
look on at this unwarrantable encroachment upon
his rights and razors.
" Really," said Mr. RAWLINSON, " I think you
ought to be much obliged to your landlord, for
taking care of your customers' chins in your absence."
" But why should he take all the money ?" ex-
claimed Mr. Pye.—" Oh, I think that was only
fair," replied Mr. RAWLINSON : " 6 the labourer is
worthy of his hire;' I don't see why a barber is
not cqually so."
" But only think of using my fire, my soap, arid
my razors," said Mr. Pye, who looked upon it as by
no means a laughing matter; " does your Worship
call that nothing ?"
" But only think, Mr. Pye, of leaving a customer
to carry about all Sunday a week's beard upon has
chin," returned Mr. RAWLINSON ; " do you call that
nothing ?"—" But he made a forcible entry," re-
sumed Mr. Pye.
Mr. Grenly being called on to explain this affair
about " the forcible entry," replied that between
nine and ten o'clock on Sunday morning he was a
little astonished at finding a crowd of unwashed
artisans, with beards as black as Jews, collected
round the shop door; and on inquiring the cause,
several voices exclaimed that " the barber had
hanged himself!" Mr. Grenly became a good deal
alarmed, and hastened to the room up stairs belong-
ing to Mr. Pye, which he broke open, where he
was happy to find that the opinion entertained by
Mr. Pye's customers, that he had laid violent hands
upon himself, was totally groundless. His next
object was to allay the fears of the customers, who
finding Mr. Pye was still able to perform his tonso-
rial duties, declared, one and all, that they should
and would be shaved by Mr. Benjamin Pye's razor,
and Mr. Benjamin Pye's alone; so, finding them
determined not to go away unshorn, at length he
opened the shop, called in another barber, and pro-
ceeded to do Mr. Benjamin Pye's work by proxy.
" But, ifuo be I had hanged myself," said Mr.
Pye, " youlcould have seen it through the window,
without breaking in the door."
" I diilut.t know in what part of the room you
might have tucked yourself up," replied mine host ;
" you might have hanged yourself up the chimney
for all I knew."

" Really I don't see what injury you have suf-
fered," said Mr. RAWLINSON ; " the landlord has
been very kind, in my opinion, to keep your
CLlStornels."

" Jest so," continued the landlord; " I tell you
what, Sir (turning to the complainant), you have
no more gratitude than a barber's block."
" Besides, young man," observed Mr. RAWLIN•
SON, " do, for a moment, consider the injury this
person (M,. Grenly) was likely to sustain. His
shop had acquired a character for barbarisiag of
superior quality. Now, if the admirers of your
razors found that they could not enjoy the luxury of
an ' easy shove; on Sunday morning, at your shop,
they would go elsewhere ; and, as this is the age of
intellect, they might find blades as keen as yours;
thus the shop would lose the character your superior
skill in operating has procured for it, and the land-
lord would find the value of his premises deteriorated.
Now, Si,, I would recommend you to attend on a
Sunday morniug betimes. There is a great moral
responsibility resting upon a barber to take care that
los customers' chins should be lathered in proper
time, that they may get early to church. My advice
to you then is that you have your razors stropped,
your water hot, soap ready, and begin early. Stick
to your lather, S:r, stick to your lather."
And so saying, the Worthy Magistrate dismissed
the summons.