HOME GOSSIP FOR THE EVENING STAR.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1820, 2 November 1874, Page 2

HOME GOSSIP FOR THE EVENING STAR.

(via. beindisi.)

London, Aiifjust 26th, 1874,. What constitutes a libel, or what decree of eccentricity is sufficient to cau«e an individual to be considered as a lunatic? These nice questions we arc hott—having settled all the races and all the regattas and come to the conclusion that Marshal Bazaine's escape was too wonderful to be quite genuine—puzzling over. In the Herbert and Welby-Pugin case, when we imagine the latter gentleman's powers of abuse have been quite exhausted he comes up fresh, and having decided one day that the proprieter and the editor of The Westminister Gazette must be lunatics to admit such scurrilous libels into their paper, we aro obliged the next day to consider the writer a Bedlamite too. What do you say of an individual who gets placards posted up calling another individual a "perjurer" a "slanderer" " a monkey who sought for cat's paws to do his dirty work with; " and telling him he " has not a hope left on earth," and need "not expect mercy hereafter?" To enter into the merits of this case would be to commence a volume, not a letter. It arose out of the building of a house called The Chimes, which Mr. Pugin had been employed to erect for Mr. Herbert; and seems likely to end in both gentlemen finding themselves provided in house accommodation at the expense «f the country; since Mr. Herbert confesses that his health of both mind and body has been seriously affected by the annoyance to which he has been subjected. "A plague on both your houses:" what between it and the Beecher-Tilton case over the water, we are not allowed to enjoy our little season of rest here, tnd are almost wishing we had gone away to Iceland with, the King of Denmark, and stayed there. The Skaptar Sokull is a fool to Mr. Welby Pugin when he gets into a passion. We have some smaller caies of "malice and all uncharitableaess " among us too, and not a few. We really all seem to have turned to in the dull times to abusing each other. If we could only take it good humouredly, or at least indifferently, we might make it a merry-go- rounder and turn a little money laying on " the biggest words" and " the longest sentences," but people are so foolishly sensitive. One Mr. Sweasey the proprietor of a music hall in Holburn being poetically aa well libellously inclined, and more practically than either, employed a comic singer to '• make up " as Mr. Odger the "working man candidate " and to sing a song in that character professing himself "a scamp." " From Cain to Sir Roger, from Brigham to Odger, you can't hold a candle to me as a scamp." So ran some lines of this touching composition, which touched a son of the aforesaid Mr. Odger so much that he raised a row, which resulted in a police case in which the defendants were discharged, and both they and the plaintiffs cautioned not to doit again. These are vulgar little matters, perhaps. Well, here has been Professor Tyndal in his position as, President, inaugurating the meetings of the British Association in Belfast, by three hours and a half of abuse of religion. In the stronghold of the strongest form of Christian faith the Professor has taken the opportunity to profess not only his own unbelief—that would be nobody's concern — but hi« opinion that all belief, and particularly Christian belief has been the cause of every misery mankind has suffered. These are not exactly the Pro» lessor's words, but they embody tho meaning of his words in rather less offensive language than he put it into. What his speech had to do with the business of the British Association no one has yet discovered. It has had something to do with the Belfast Presbyterians tjPugh. We who are—unfortunately, as Professor Tyndal no doubt thinks—Christians don't go about proving our "title orthodox by apostolic blows and knocks,'' thank God, at the present day; but all the same we cannot allow Atheism to knock us about neither. We must beg to remind Professor Tyndal that Christians, in the days of early martyrdom, were hot killed merely because people liked the killing o£ Christians, but because people were led to believe that Christians and ihe Christian religion had brought misery and iniquity upon the earth: that his declamation to that effect does not contain the shadow of an argument more valid than, we have no doubt, was presented to Nero or Diocletian ; and that we have to thank eighteen centuries of Christian progress for the fact

that, as far ns our lives and limbs are concerned, Professor Tyndal's accusation is harmless ; but that the justice and the temper of it is px-etty much the same as the justice and temper of those who cried, •' Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that ho shotild lire." The festivities attendant on British Association meetings have not suffered much. The conversaziones were brilliantly attended," we are told; but it is admitted that his oratory was rather a damper on the real purposes of the Association. He has not advanced science, or rather the study of scienco by it. Quite the contrary. He has frightened back many a timid inquirer. Mrs. Grey and Miss Lydia .Becker, in the educational section, came out strong as was to be expected; although Miss Becker had to admit that the ifchool Boards have especially failed in the thing they were especially wanted f or —the education and civilization of the young Arabs of our largo cities. Here in London we know indeed to our cost that so far from clearing this pest from our streets, and in any way reclaiming or instructing them, the School Board has rather increased the evil. In its zeal for " ad«nced education"—we ■?* ill charitably, say —it has broken up most of the ragged schools, and is energetically endeavoring to break them aIL "They don't come up to the standard/ of course not: not to the School Board standard, but probably they camo up to the capacities of those who were to be taught, and the School Board may possibly find that having brought all existing schools up to its standard they may prove as useless for training poor human beings of hereditarily low moral and mental development, as a racing trainer's establishment would' be for the bringing up of poor ■crews, which might be made capable enough for work suited to them, by a system of training suited to such work. Our spiritualist friends who were in high feather about a fortnight ago during their conference, suffered a most icnominous reverse the other day. If Iremember right I mentioned that, at that conference, one speaker explained to us the process of materialisation by means of which spirits are enabled to get bodies and voices. It is, according to that explanation, "by condensing chemical particles in the atmosphere," which, it seems, they then clothe themselves in "in successive layers ;" and, we were told by the same authority, " light prevents these particles from condensing;" the reason, no doubt, for dark seancei. Well, a miscreant in the shape of a grocer, one Mr. Auckland, of Newcastle upon Tyne, went to a dark seance in that city armed with a bull'seye, hidden under his coat, for the base | purpose, no doubt, of interrupting the process of condensation which might then be going forward. Whether his purpose! were suspected or not does not transpire, but it seems he was cautioned on admittance that the sudden introduction of light might—not as we should have supposed prevent condensation —but have the very disagreeable effect of bringing down on the heads of the~ party any already materialised article which might be floating in the air, especially a largo musical box, which was in the habit of taking such flights. Nothing daunted, however, the valiant grocer turned on his bull's-eye at a critical moment, and found some of the mediums, who had been supposed to be sitting with joined hands in a silent circle, rushing back to their seats from tile middle of the room; while the tapping which had been distinctly heard in that part of the room, and which had been said to be the announcement of the presence of a materialised spirit named Geordie, suddenly ceased. There can be n^ further doubt whatever of the truth of one theory of Spiritualism. The light stopped the condensation; for although a general row ensued, in which Mr. Auckland and his companions were rather roughly handled, not a spirit present had become materialised enough to be able to give any assistance to his or her friends. After the male Spiritualists had used their fists, in quite a material sort of manner, and the female Spiritualists had screamed and gone into hysterics, according to the fashion of females in general, a couple' of policemen dispersed the seance generally, spirits and all we may presume. The case came before a magistrate, who rather seemed to consider that the man who risked a broken head for the purpose of trying to prevent " the condensation of chemical particles " was very little less foolish than those who believe in all the performances of the particles when condensed.

In consequence of the dry summer we have been handed over as a prey to swarms of ants, and mosquitos not a few. The ants I can vouch for. Our food is full of them. They especially affect the bakers' and cooks' shops. The mosquitos are, most probably, exaggerated; as is also hydrophobia, although there have been m.ore cases of it, real cases, this year than for a very long period of time. The Bishop of Lincoln has again come out on cremation ; and this being the time when th» papers have room for everyone's say, we have had columns of complaint from the non-commissioned officers in our anMv no^ ""deed without justification. ThWmomaly of their position, and the smallness of their pay, are subjects worthy of consideration. An official rank which does not in the slightest degree raiie a man's social position is a burden and not an honour: and official rank of any sort which does not give. a man an income to make it respectable, gives him only the means to make it conternptihjp.,

The Real"Home Ikstjkance Company."—A good wife. We find the following item in an Illinois paper :—-"Mr.- —, who has been in retirement for a few weeks afte* marrying and burying three sisters, came up smiling to the altar again yesterday, baring begun on a new family.".