The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-11-08

Tesms & si4 e moHgsSs gsss. e g sass.e'. ssns.
infested by bands of Mohocks who
one to purchase flowers and
lying pigs at premium, was by one
the Strand. Even in
that one street, ferocious and dirty
griffin was usually to be found who
devoured one chorus girl daily, land
preferred them from the Gaiety) while
the presence of the law courts would
act as deterring influence on certain
of the aristocracy. Hence 1t was that
Alfred Austin so feelingly wrote: "F0r
East is East, and West Is West, and
never the twain shall meet" 1t seems
q pity that this charming couplet was
only quoted three times in the Com
mons debate on the bill-there seems
some danger of its being neglected.
The opening up of the Thames to
bathers changed all this. Whereas.
formerly noble lords and members of
the aristocracy generally had the great
est difficulty in penetrating so far east
as the city and were usually so far
overcome by the perils Of tie journey
that they would even fall asleep at
directors meetings, it is now quite Q
common event to see three dukes
breakfasting off the same barrow in
the Mile End Road. Nor has the bene-
fit to the East End been much less
marked, tho, of course, the lower
classes could hardly be expected to
profit to the same degree as the legis-
lators themselves, this being contrary
to the spirit of the British law. But it
is, nevertheless, quite usual nowadays to
see two or even more voters swimming
past the House of Parliament, at which
they are permitted to look on payment
of sixpence. One impudent fellow
who dared to shake his fist at the build
ing was very properly hailed before the
courts for zese m0jeste, and would
doubtless have received severe sem
tence, but for the fact that he was
wanted in Berlin for the same offense.
The scene on the opening day will be
long remembered November 5th, the
Gunpowder Plot day, ESQ called because
it was on this day that Charles III.
observed to the Duchess of Portsmouth
"Put your trust in me, madam. and
keep your powder dry') was proclaimed
a holiday and at the appointed hour,
the Lord Mayor and the Lord Chan.
cellor, in their official bathing-robes,
representing the Cities of London and
Westminster respectively, stepped on
to the specially platform and
together annihilated the distance two
feet and half) between them and the
waters of old father Thames. Follow
ing this, the massed bands of the
Thames Penny Steamboat feet struck
up, "See, the Conquering Hero Comes, :"
with siren accompaniment and the
display concluded with an internation-
al swimming race in which the unprec-
edented success of the English
contingent, who obtained fourth place
(the first three being Americans), was
particularly flattering to the national
love of sport.
Foreign comment on the Magma
Charta of the English race have had
surprising tendency to belittle its inn
portance. In America, for instance,
President Roosevelt, on being inter-
viewed, remarked: 81 have nothing to
say on the NATTER" which, in itself,
was surprising. VIM. j. Bryan was Of
opinion that the Act should have in
cluded some provision for municipal
ownership of the river, suggestion
which was carried still further by Henry
Watterson. G. B. Shaw gave out that
if every Englishman were to take his
copy of Shakespeare in with him when
he went swimming and forget to bring
it back, more leisure would be obtained
. to read the works of English classics,
, Shaw, for example.
Much more might be said Of the
effect of this measure, which has
brought more closely together the elite,
the elected and the electors. thus h&r-
monizing apparently irreconcilable ele-
, ments, and had filled gap in the life
of the Londoner Of which, at times, he
, was only too sadly aware, but the decla-
rations of the Liberal Prime Minister,
in its simple language, will serve as q
fitting climax to this modest attempt
to describe the great achievement.
Sir Henry Campbell -Bannerman said,
speaking ct Little Mudley-on-the-
Marsh: "We have peopled the sands Of
Thames, and it. upon this foundation
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