THE BISHOP AND THE BARMAIDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11484, 25 July 1899, Page 3

THE BISHOP AND THE BARMAIDS.

The following comical incident took place on one occasion when Bishop Temple (as he was then, now Archbishop of Canterbury) was presiding over the annual council of the Church of England Temperance Society. The business in hand was the concoction of the " report," into which certain matter supplied by some lady workers had to be dovetailed. The ladies were, apparently, not gifted with a sense of humour, for their contribution took this form:—"During the past year much attention has been paid to barmaids." This dubious way of putting it produced loud laughter from those present, who were all men. But the next sentence waa worse still. "In many cases this has led to their being visited in their own homes!" This was too much for the audience, who literally roared. When the hilarity had subsided a gentleman arose—a layman—and blandly asked who it was who had paid attention to the barmaids—was it Dr Temple? The Bishop smiled grimly and said, "Wo will pass on to the next paragraph." But the picture of the austere prelate " paying attention to barmaids" was so droll that it was some lime before the council could settle down to serious business.—J<l,A,P.