SIMPLICITY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIII, Issue XV, 13 October 1894, Page 356

SIMPLICITY.

After the death of George Canning, the eloquent English statesman, there was erected to his memory a bronze statne of heroic size, with that green incrustation known as verdantique. One day Judge Taunton, coming out of Westminster Hall with Thesiger, the able lawyer, paused before the statue, and|began criticising it. He found fault with the likeness, and then with emphasis said : * Besides, Canning was not so tall!’ * No, nor so green.* retorted the witty lawyer. An English workman made a serious remark similar to the joke of the English judge. Doctor Blomberg, a clergyman, who bad been brought up with George IV., bought a bronze bustjof the king, and sent it tohis house in Yorkshire. The carpenter, while putting up a bracket for it to stand npon, asked if the bust was really a likeness of the king. On being told that it had a striking resemblance, the man exclaimed : * Well, sir, I had no idea before that the king was a black man.’ A recent book narrates that a party from the west of England was being shown over the British Museum. In one of the rooms the keeper pointed out a collection of antique vases, which bad been recently dug up at Herculaneum. * Dug up, sir ?’ echoed one of the party. ‘ Yes, sir.’ * What, out of the ground !’ * Undoubtedly.’ * What, just as they now are ?’ * Perhaps some little pains have been taken in cleaning them, but in all other respects they were found just as you see them.’ The wise man from Somersetshire turned to one of his companions, and with an incredulous shake of the head, whispered :

* He may say what be likes, but he shall never persuade me that they dug up ready-made pots out of the ground !’