The Atherstone, Nuneaton, and Warwickshire Times. — 1883-10-20 (Atherstone, Warwickshire, England)

WARWICK "MOP.  That the old Englisn fair is now an institution of the past, it must with sorrow or joy—according to opinion—be admitted. The object of the fairs has almost entirely been banished by the introduction of other means whereby the wants of the farmers and others are more than amply satisfied. In bygone days these gatherings were of absolute necessity, and looked upon by those more immediately concerned as one of the indispensable institutions of the country. And EC indeed they were, but only because, no other or better means of trading and hiring were known, far less introduced. Modern inventions have been guilty of the murder of many of our "rare old institutions' and present indications tend to impress us still deeper, that soon many more and "sweeping reductions" are likely to take place. "Reform" is ever the cry and the still more gasconading howl for"liberty"walks hand in hand beside it. Although in many particulars the former is often-times a necessity, results go far to prove that the latter, being dealt out in uncounted bucketfuls, is doing for the nation far more harm than good-hearted and well intentioned Liberals and Radicals care to admit, but which must undoubtedly have its own effect. "Liberty" and "Reform" are two good things but they can with greater force be made very bad things indeed, and their being so persistently and blindly forced upon us portends no very hopeful future. You must pay your labourer higher wages and grant him more liberty 80 that he may have more money to spend in drinking beer and more time and opportunity to drink it in. But the Warwick "mop" is not an emblem of Liberty, it represents to us, in a faded fashion, what in former days was one of England's glorious gatherings, and which are now fast becoming quite i nvicible. Time was when these fairs lasted for weeks together, now they are held for a day or two at the most, and that only on suffrage of a grubbing monopoly of avaricious traders, whose purees for the time are likely to suffer to the total of a few shillings. At Nottingham, for instance, the famous "goose" fair originally lasted for 14 days, now its utmost stretch is three, and 80011 it will have been banished to make way for increasing commerce, and for lorry's laden with merchandise. From the crowded crossing, from the corners of streets and turning of alleys, the parting genius of these "Olde English fayres" is "with sighing sent." The poets and: romat e'cal writers, when they would most feelingly paint a picture of our old fairs are with reluctance compelled to the times long before they were, to get even a notion of what they should write or limn. The"mop" at Warwick commenced on Friday and was continued until Saturday night: during its "celebration" two oxen were roasted whole, and eaten small. As usual there were some shows—another passing paveant of former day amusements, certainly not the most elevating form of it—and a host of country visitors travelled to the old-fashioned county town to help in the amusements of the day. There was unhappily a lot of dissipation, and the Police Court on Monday had within its walls some of the ordinary loafers ever present at such gatherinzs, as well as a sprinkling of erring townsfolk& 'rho "mop" is becoming less popular every year, and we may expect soon to hear of its total abolition--a consuination which the majority of:people ate devoutly wishing for.