The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-22

Inc governing body of that square,
inlie OF London known as the City, ia
chiefly devoted to keeping alive ancient
tradluons and customs, and -mainta in =
ilis lntact at its civic functions that
most sacred of things, the order Of
precedence. This fact lends particular4
appropriateness to the subject of the
new Tresco by Edwin A. Abbey in tho
courtyard of the Royal exchanges
which was unveiled the other day With
1nuch ceremony. 1t represents a mem
oraole incident In the history of theS'
Merchant Taylors and SINNERS COM,
panieS. Between these two ancient
sulios there was much jealousy and i.
rlVaIry, which often threatened to de-
Velop into riot and bloodshed as to
winch OF them was entitled to march
peIore the other in professions within
the city of London. Titled folk whose
lnherlted renown constitutes their solo
claim to distinction occasionally still
quarrel bitterly even NOWADAYS over
the same question of precedence The
Two companies in 14S4 submitted their
quarrel to the decision of the Lord
Mayor of that year, Sir Robert Biues-.
oen, and he for the "norishing of
masters, wardeyns and feolashipps
aforesaid, rendered this judgment:
That the masters and the Wardens
ShouId dine each year together at their
respective halls, the Taylors with thet
Sklnners on the Vigil of Corpus Christi.
and the Skinners with the Taylors on
the Feast of the Nativity of ST. John
Baptist; and as to precedency. each
company was to have that on each
alternate year, save that a mayor of
either should give that company pre-
cedence in his year of Office
The decree has been faithfully OBJ
served ever since and unbroken peas
ana love" have reigned between the
two 'Feolashipps." @a
The fresco, the thirteenth of the
SERIES reveals all the superb decorative
effect for which Mr.. Abbey is famous.5
AT the foot of the chair Of state of the
lord mayor, the two masters are de-
picted pledging one another in a loving
cup. Behind them is a gallery filed
with ladies'; in the left foreground is a.
herald in a tabard of the arms of the
two companies, bearing gilded tablet
inscribed with the toast which for the
last 420 years has been drunk by the
two companies when they dine togeth-a
er, Merchant Taylors and SINNERS.
Skinners and Taylors. Root and Branch,
and may they continue and flourish
forever
Ian Maclaren," author of "The Bon
ME Brier Bush,'' gave a lecture on
Kindness in Fiction" at Liverpool re-
Gently. in which he protested against
the lnhumanity of the novel of today
The note of kindness is conspicuous
ly absent from modern fiction" saide
DR.. Watson. I'm what are accounted
the best writers of today you will be
struck rather by want of sympathy"
Such writers-the lecturer went on
took the life Of the East End and drew
1t with remarkable accuracy of detail
and considerable power of description.
But they did not touch it with gentle
hand. They treated the life Of mean
streets and mean people much as an"
anatomist treated a body on the dis
secting table.
"Or," DR.. Watson proceeded, "such
writer's take the life of society, and be-
fore the reader puts the book down he
is left with the idea, probably errone-
Gus, that in what is called society there
is hardly one man who is honorable,@or
one woman who is chaste"
Tan Maclaren" expressed the opinion
that the three writer's of English fic-
tion who will most likely remain the
greatest-Thackeray, Scott and Dick
ens-are marked by the same note of
humanity. Hayden Church.