San Andreas independent., 1860-12-22
THE PARLoR ORATOR.
BY DICKENS.


New road, when we began to feel rather thirs-
ty, and disposed to rest for five or ten minutes.
so, we turned back toward an old, quiet. de-
cent public house, which we remembered to
have passed but a moment before lit was not
far from the City road) for the purpose of So
lacing ourselves with a glass of ale. The
house was none OF your succeed, French pol
ished, Illuminated palaces, bnt a modest pub
lie house of the old school, with a little old
bar, and little old landlord who. with
wife and daughter of the same pattern. was
comfortably seated in the bar aforesaid.
Won't you walk into my parlor, sir 2" said
the young lady, in seductive tones.
You had better walk into the parlor. sir"
said the little old landlord throwing his chair
back, and looking round one side of the screen
to survey our appearance.
You had much better step into the parlor.
sir" said the little old lady, popping out her
head on the other side of the screen.
The parlor was an ancient, dark looking
room, with an oaken wainscoting, sanded
floor, and high mantlepece The walls
were ornamented with three or four old colo
red prints in black frames each print repre-
sentlng naval engagement, with a couple of
men-of-war banging away at each other most
vigorously, while another vessel or two were
blowing up in the distance, and the foreground
presented miscellaneous collection of broken
masts and blue legs sticking out of the water
AT the furthest table, nearest the fire. with
his face toward the door at the bottom of the
room, sat stoutish man of about forty, whose
snort, stiff, black hair curled closely round
broad, high forehead, and face to which
something besides water and exercise had
communicated rather, ,infamed appearance
Hg was nOly on.rr, ~.kl~
on the ceiling, and had that confident, oracu-
lar air which marked him as the leading poli-
tician, general authority, and universal anec-
dote relator of the place. He had evidently
just delivered himself of something very
weighty; for the remainder of the company
were putting away at their respective pipes
and cigars in kind of solemn abstraction as
if quite overwhelmed with the magnitude of
the subject recently under discussion.
On his right hand sat an elderly gentleman
with white head and broad brimmed brown
hat; and on his left, sharp-nosed. light
haired man in a brown surtout, reaching near
ly to his heels, who took Whit at his pipe
and an admiring glance at the red faced man,
alternately.
Very extraordinary said the light-hair-
ed man, after puse of five minutes A mur-
mur of assent ran through the company
Not at all extraordinary-nota at ALL" said
the red-faced man, awakening suddenly from
his revery, and turning upon the light-haired
man the moment he had spoken.
Why should it be extraordinary ?-why is
it extraordinary ?-prove it to be extraordi-
naryl"
"Oh, if you come to that said the light
haired man.
Come to that p calculated the man with
the red face; "but we must come to that
We stand, in these times, upon a calm intel
lectual attainment, and not in the dark recess
of mental deprivation. Proof is what re-
quire-proof and not assertions, in these STIR
ring times. Every gen emn that knows me
knows what was the nature and effect of nv
observations, when it was in the contempla-
tion of the Old street Suburban Representa-
tive Discovery Society, to recommend can
didate for that place in Cornwall, there-I for
get the name of it. sMr. Snobee,' said Mr.
Wilson, lis a fit and proper person to repre-
sent the borough in Parliament Prove it.,
said ]. The abolitionists of the National
debt, the unfinching opponent of pensions,
the uncompromising advocate of the negro the
reducer of sinecures and the duration of Par
liaments the extender of nothing but the suf-
frages of the people, says Mr.. Wilson. Prove
it, says |. His acts prove it, says he
Prove Mem,' says |.
And he could not prove Them" said the
red faced man, looking round triumphantly :;
and the borough didn't have him and if you
carried this principle to the full extent, you'd
have no debt, no pensions, no sinecures, no
negroes, no nothing. And then, standing upon
an elevation of intellectual attainment, and
having reached the summit of popular pros
ppritv Won p,iuht hid da6opco to tba ,ot;o,,
of the earth, and erect yourselves in the proud
confidence of wisdom and superiority This
is my argument-this always has been my ar
gument-and if l was member of the House
of Commons tomorrow, I'd make 'em shake
in their shoes with it." And the red faced
man having struck the table very hard with
his clenched fist, by way of adding weight to
the declaration, smoked away like brewery
"Well p said the sharp-nosed man, in
very slow and soft voice, addressing the COM
pany in general, 81 always do say, that of all
the gentlemen l have the pleasure of meeting
in this room, there is not one whose CONVEX
sation like to hear so much as Mr.. Rogers,
or who Is such improving company"
Improving companyW said Mr.. Rogers,
for that was the name of the red faced man,
You may say I'm improving company, for
I've improved you all to some purpose, tho,
as to my conversation being as my friend Mr..
Ellis here describes it, that is not for me to
say anything about. You, gentlemen, are the
best judges on that point; but this will say,
when | came into this parish, and first used
this room ten years ago, don't believe there
was one man in it who knew he was slave,
and now you all know it, and writhe under
it. lnscribe that upon my tomb, and | am
satisfied"
Why, as to inscribing it on your tomb
said a little green-grocer with rather chub-
by face, of course you can have anything
chalked up as you likes to pay for, so far as
it relates to yourself, and your affairs, but
when you come to talk about slaves, and that
there abuse, you'd better keep it in the family,
COS l, for one, don't like to be called them
names night after night"
You are slave" said the red faced man,
"and the most pitiable of all slaves"
"Werry hard, if I am" interrupted the
greengrocer, for | got no good out of the
twenty million that was paid for Emancipation,
any how"
IA willing savep' calculated the red faced
man, getting more red with eloquence and
contradiction" resigning the dearest birth
right of your children-neglecting the sacred
call of liberty-who standing imploringly be-
fore you. appeals to the warmest feelings of
your heart, and points to your helpless infants,
but in vain"
Prove it ~ said the green-grocer
Prove it p sneered the man with the red