XV. There the peace of God for ever XVI. None can tell the exultation- Is heaven-with angels there to reign, XVII. Just Judge, vouchsafe, I do implore Thee, Thou whom I seek, whom I desire, JOHN FRANCIS WALLER. Spider Subjects. It would take too much room to give specimen lives of the six Johns. They are answered by seven Spiders. Sintram and Water Wagtail note the two SS. John of Scripture. Water Wagtail and Jaqueline chose S. John Chrysostom; Sintram, Water Wagtail, Cirro Cumulus, John Wickliffe; Sintram, Clover, Jaqueline, John Knox; Sintram, Water Wagtail, Clover, Bubbles, Ignoramus, Jaqueline, John Milton; Clover, Ignoramus and Jaqueline, John Sobieski; Bubbles, Nightingale, Clover, Don John of Austria; Clover, John Duke of Bedford; Bubbles and Ignoramus, Duke of Marlborough; and Sintram has also chosen Prester John, John Eliot, John Keble, John Coleridge Patteson, John of Gaunt; Bubbles, Nightingale, Ignoramus, and Cirro Cumulus has Ziska and Huss; Ignoramus, Fra Angelico, La Fontaine, Kepler, Mozart, and Calvin; Bubbles and Ignoramus, Locke; Jaqueline, Oberlin; Nightingale, John of Salisbury, John Comnenus, John of France, John I. of Portugal. Arachne rather objects to taking persons, who, like Fra Angelico, Wolfgang Mozart, and Coleridge Patteson, never used the name of John. Gray Squirrel, Wandering Jew, and Perseverando answer Mrs. Grundy. MRS. GRUNDY. If Arachne had asked me this question some years ago in my young days, my answer would have been very simple and unhesitating, "Not at all;" but now I am really a gray squirrel, I am not quite sure there may not be some good even in Mrs. Grundy. Of course it depends on what subjects you consult the important old lady. It must never be on that of right and wrong, though of course there is no subject that has not a right or wrong, still there are many questions which it is easier to class as suitable or unsuitable, usual or unusual, and on some of these Mrs. Grundy, i.e. the general public opinion and custom, is a fairly safe guide. It must be a clear matter of principle to make it ever right for a woman to make herself conspicuous. All honour to pioneers; they earn the everlasting gratitude of their sex, but they are by nature quite out of the pale of Mrs. Grundy. It is on the little every-day matters of society and etiquette that Mrs. Grundy is to be consulted. It's too absurd,' says Miss Lily, 'to be as particular as mamma is about leaving cards the very right day, when I want to do so and so. I hate Mrs. Grundy.' Now, very often these unwritten laws of society are the concentrated experience of several generations, and are a code of signals that often save manners, if not the more important Christian charity. Miss Lily would no doubt announce to the proposed new acquaintances to their faces even, or certainly within hearing of common friends, that they are, in her opinion, bores or Philistines, and so effectually prevent further overtures of acquaintance. Mamma follows Mrs. Grundy's behests, leaves her cards on the third day without going in, and preserving her own character of a courteous lady as effectually bars any intercourse she may not approve of for herself or daughters. The swing of the pendulum is going as far the other way. Mrs. Grundy may have been the misery and terror of the past generation, but I greatly doubt if Arachne will find that her young Spiders entertain very much respect for her, except as an historical character. GRAY SQUIRREL. HOW MUCH OR HOW LITTLE ATTENTION SHOULD BE PAID TO MRS. GRUNDY. Violet. To begin with, Who was Mrs. Grundy? There is no necessity to ask who she is, horrid old woman! All the multitude of people, with prying eyes and sharp disagreeable tongues, who gossip about other folks' affairs which are no concern of theirs. Mary (consulting her Reader's Handbook). The original Mrs. Grundy was a farmer's wife in Morton's old comedy of Speed the Plough. It does not appear that she was a great talker; but the point seems to be the concern which her neighbour, Dame Ashfield, had for her opinion. This is evidently the speech which has made her name a proverb, "If our Nelly were to marry a great baronet, I wonder what Mrs. Grundy would say." Violet (looking over her shoulder). To which her husband answers, 'Why don't thee letten Mrs. Grundy alone?' Sensible man! I wish he would come and talk to mamma. Mary. Something has put you out, dear; what is it? Violet. You know that Mr. Delisle was going to take us out on the river this evening, and Mrs. Blake had promised to chaperone us; and now she cannot come, so we can't go. It does seem such nonsense! There is her sister ever so much older and more staid than she, but of no use, simply because she isn't married. The Misses Primmins would look out from between their curtains, I suppose, and say, 'Look, there are the Misses Browne going off with young Delisle!' Let people talk, I say; what does it matter so long as one isn't doing anything wrong? Mary. I acknowledge that Mrs. Grundy is sometimes rather a tyrant. Violet. The question is, Why should we obey her? Half our pleasure is spoilt, innocent amusements interfered with, and poor mamma dragged to dances where she has nothing to do but watch us at a distance and yawn, only because we are such slaves to that conventional old dame. There is no use your smiling, Mary; I am very cross, and will have it out. Now you may tell me what you have to say on your side. Mary. To a certain extent I agree with you. It is quite absurd the way some people are afraid to do anything out of the beaten track, even to have an opinion of their own, for fear of what the neighbours will say. Still I think Aunt Caroline is right in being particular about what she lets you do. A girl does lower herself in the eyes of other people by disregard of conventionalities. You remember Miss Goodwin, lively Polly,' as she used to be called, and the way gentlemen used to talk about her, and to her. One would not care for a young man to treat one in that free-and-easy way certainly. But then it was her own fault; she was so fast. Violet. Oh no. Mary. That was exactly the point of my remark. There was no harm in the girl, but her 'fastness' consisted in setting Mrs. Grundy altogether at defiance. Violet. By which she got more fun, but less respect; you think one has to make one's choice between the two? Mary. I do, and the latter affects our influence on others, our servants, for instance, and our Sunday scholars-in fact any one who from age or position is likely to look up to us for an example. They are apt to misunderstand us if we do not, as S. Paul says, 'Abstain from all appearance of evil,' and 'provide things honest in the sight of all men. Those Violet. After all it is Mrs. Grundy who is to blame though. objections would cease to exist if it were an understood thing that everybody should judge for himself, and do what he (or she) thought right. Mary. And then you think society would be in a perfect state? I cannot say that I do. Of course things are drifting in that direction, but I am old-fashioned enough in my notions to think it is not improving people. It seems to me that the removing of walls and fences is rather dangerous work. It is all very well at first, when only a few peaceable sheep and lambs walk over and graze quietly on the other side, but a herd of wild cattle may come by and by. Violet. Oh, Mary, you are so fond of metaphor! Who are the wild cattle that you expect to come rushing in when Mrs. Grundy is killed, or rather when we leave off minding what she says ? Mary. A great many people who are kept in check by her now will go to all kinds of extremes, and it will be impossible for people who are nice to know whom they ought to associate with. Popular opinion is a very powerful deterrent agent, and such is certainly required to keep society in good order. Violet. Dear old Socrates! You do not always respect Mrs. Grundy though yourself. You shocked her terribly the other evening when you went out after dark to sit up with poor old Mrs. Jarvis, to say nothing of the time when you walked down the High Street in the middle of the afternoon with those two dirty little tramps by the hand. I shall never forget the faces of the Boytons and Mr. Dunlop ! Mary. In both those instances it was quite unavoidable. I could not let Mrs. Jarvis die, and those children lose their chance of leaving their drunken old father for a comfortable home, for the sake of appearances. Violet. Mrs. Grundy, then, must not be allowed to interfere with an act of real kindness for others. Mary. Certainly not; that is an instance where Vox Populi and Vox Dei differ, and in such cases there is no question which is the one to be followed. I think Gertrude behaved not only rightly, but nobly, when she had poor Edith Blackwell to stay with her, though everybody talked about it so, and some people actually cut her. Violet. Yes. Now we are talking the matter over seriously, I suppose it comes to this. In any case of real importance, especially if it be one of right and wrong, we must not mind what people may say about us, but where only one's own pleasure is concerned (with an air of resignation) we ought to regard conventionalities for the sake of others, and also from self-respect. Mary. It seems so to me; but of course it is impossible to draw a hard and fast line; so much depends upon a person's circumstances, that after all each can only decide what Mrs. Grundy's claims upon him are for himself. WANDERING JEW. BOTANICAL SOCIETY. Fumaria, Sagina, Manchia, the subject for April, brought about half our members into the field. In the exercises it is a consolation to have to report that quality in some measure compensates for quantity. But it is rather disheartening to find so many, month after month, continuing inert. The May subject-certain families of the Leguminosa-must surely be sufficiently tempting to attract the least enthusiastic student of botany. The packets that have already come to hand are, indeed, very promising. Will members take notice that it is always allowable to introduce specimens of any allied families in addition to those assigned to the month, provided that they have not been previously given as subjects. VERTUMNUS. SPIDER QUESTIONS. The history of the conquest of Ireland under Henry II. Notices to Correspondents. May 22nd, 1882. MADAM,-Your last number gave a short account of an occasional outing given by a lady to some old women from a neighbouring country workhouse. You would be doing a great kindness to many poor old creatures if you would very briefly draw attention to the fact that the London workhouses contain many old women to whom it would be very easy to show the same sort of friendly attention. Many of the permanent inmates have outlived, or have out-wearied, all their friends; they feel their lives are failures, and they fear others think so too; they simply remain in the workhouse waiting for the end. They may go out on Sundays at times if they please, but nobody cares to receive their visits, and it is mournful to see them moping aimlessly about the streets and gardens. Perhaps some of your London readers might not object to invite four or five to come to their house for an hour on a Sunday afternoon. They are easily entertained; a little tea and cake and a kind welcome fully content them. If any one can sing, so much the better. The master of any workhouse would gladly deliver any lady's invitation, and would select, if asked, the well-behaved and utterly friendless. The poor old souls go away partially reconciled to the human race and talk and think of the feast for weeks. Yours faithfully, A LONDON GUARDIAN. |