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    EXTRAORDINARY NARRATIVI [The following m...

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    Removed, Mrs. Dickens Und Several Other ...

    _vmcidte is , labour at the command of skill . ( ' Hear , hear , ' J * " ? . _Splause . ) Our first father was ordained to live by _^ esweat of tho brow ; but the brow is the domain of _. _Viuffht and the moment that labour begins , thought is wakened . Not that wo value all labour alike ; we estiate its worth , not according to the amount of work that done hv the hands , but according to the degree of inteliLcnce which is brought to bear upon the work . If labour He ' thc origin of all capital , bodily labour is only the raw anaterial , and mind is the great manufacturer . _Gentlemen wherever we look , we shall find that even the _com-Tnercial prosperity of the people is proportioned to the decree in which mental energy controls physical force . It _f $ this intellig ence which has enabled England to grasp _tfhe wealth of the world with one hand and to diffuse it

    _-flrith the other throughout thousands of reproductive _channels . If , at this moment , we could annihilate in the interior of Bussia a number of people equal to the population of Manchester , the loss would be scarcely felt beyond a province ; but if we could strike Manchester from the map of these isles , the link that unites together the ends of the world would be snapped asunder . In one case we should only destroy men , and in the other case we should destroy ideas . ( Applause . ) The ships that carry your goods from haven to haven bear with them not only cotton—they hear _civilisation . And here it is that we authors may boast that we contribute even to the

    material wealth that freights those vessels ; because you owe more of that wealth to the ideas which you and your forefathers have gathered from books than you do to all the mines of Peru . Well , then , gentlemen , if it is to mental labour that kings owe their _purpla , and havens their vessels , and markets their merchandize , you cannot wonder that we , a . handful of authors , not craving honours or needing aiA for ourselves , are still inspired with a sense of the dignity of our class , in the great hierarchy of mental labour , and do desire to lift above the chance of degradation _, all those who adorn and ennoble the order to which wc braloag . This is the main object of the guild . "

    After setting forth in detail the main purposes , he wound up as follows : — " Gentlemen , you all remember that story of . Aladdin , which we have read in our childhood , in which a poor youth descended into a cavern , and brought back from its recesses an old lamp . Accidentally he discovered that by the mere friction of the lamp a mighty genius appeared at his command . Awed b y the terrors of the spirit he had summoned , he at first only ventured to apply its powers to satisfy his common and his humblest wants—to satisfy mere hunger and thirst . But gradually accustomed to the presence of the gigantic agent , he employed it to construct palaces , to amass treasures , to baffle armies , and to triumph over foes , until , at the close of the story , the owner

    of the wonderful lamp is the sovereign of a peaceful empire , _aissured to his remote posterity . Gentlemen , that story is the type of labour at the command of knowledge . ( Etear , hear . ) When we first find the lamp , we are contented to apply its genius solely to our common physical wants ; but as wo are accustomed to the presence of that spirit wo have summoned , we find we have obtained a secret which places the powers of earth , air , and ocean , at the command of man . ( Applause . ) That genius , left to itself , would be a terrible and a threatening minister , because that genius hero is only rude physical force , but to him who possesses the lamp , the genius is a docile and a benignant minister ,

    _hecauso here physical force is the slave of intellectual will . ( Hear , hear , and applause . ) Now , gentlemen , in that _samo physical force—which in tho phrase of the day is fiomctiines called the power of tho masses '—lies a grave problem for all thoughtful men to resolve . ( Hear , hear . ) Knowledge has brought us face to face with it ; and knowledge must either instruct that forcu , or it -will deetroy tho iuvokor . May , then , therefore , all thoso who possess that knowledge , who are gifted with the lamp , use it only for generous and useful purposes , so that the genius whoso Htrength could rouse thc earthquake , and whose breath could bring down tbo storm , may only como to enrich tho treasury and assure tho empire . ( Cheers . )"

    Reciprocal toasts wero the order of the evening ; and in response to his own health , Sir Edward proposed that of the Mayor , who presided over thc banquet . The Mayor briefly responded , und in his turn gavo " The Amateur Company of tho Guild of Literature and Art , coupled with tho name of Mr . Charles Dickons . " ( Loud applause . ) Mr . Diokens thanked Manchester for what it had done in behalf of the Guild , and the hearty reception it hud accorded to the performances of the amateur eoinpany beforo the Guild was established . Ho spoke » _lso most affectionately of his comrades , who hud proved lhat , on the stage and off the stage , men of imaginative pursuits could co-operate as steadily and as staunchl y um any other order of men : —

    " I bave now tho great gratification , with tho chairman ' s leave , of proposing to you to drink " Prosperity to the lyUneheHtcr Athonamm . ' " ( Applause . ) I cannot disguise rom you | , liat I feel a kind of ardent godfatherly _uatishiclion in proposing the toast , for I can never forget that hud the honour of presiding over the first of its groat _I ' motiiigH . ( Cheers . ) 1 can never forget , that , I am ono oi nn honorary life members , and that my parchment , of « _n"Mineni , in that , capacity occupies a proud position upon stud

    'iy y wall at , home . ( App lause . ) In short , 1 belong _« . _» the family , and ] cOntemplate tho family greatness tonight with a glow of family pride . ( Applause . ) Long _leretoro , | most sincerely pray , may the Manchester _thciiuiiuii llourish , a pattern to the rising enterprise and eiier . r y of England , and a vigorous branch of that groat "rial tree which , under the name and form of such iiiHtitu-> oiih , haw happily for all sorts and conditions of men struck 4 ( H _,. l : oo , H deej ) into _ihin land . ( Applause . ) Long may l _umical divisions and parly _ditioonuions bo forgotten horo

    Removed, Mrs. Dickens Und Several Other ...

    —( hear , hear)—and very long may my old friend Mr . Crosby , in the character of an allegorical hon , lie down with the radical in the form of an allegorical lamb on this peaceful neutral ground . ( Laughter and applause . ) Long , very long , may the Manchester Athenaeum mcrease and prosper , work and strive—a noble emblem of the wonderful place in which it rears its head ; and long may its young men , generously united to advance generous objects , render such faithful public serv ice as they have rendered to the Guild of Literature and Art . ( Applause . ) I beg to call upon you to drink "Prosperity to tho Manchester _Athenseum . " ( Cheers . ) Mr . Watkin responded ; Mr . Frank Stone acknowledged " Science and the Fine Arts / ' and Dr . Bardsley proposed the " Periodical Literature of England . "

    A more fitting respondent to this toast could not have been selected than the originator of the Penny Magazine : — " It is not without a feeling of awe that I have looked for some time upon what is the characteristic of the periodical literature of the present day . I have seen it from a very small beginning , and there now goes forward in the parcels from the London booksellers , which have grown throughout tho land with infinite ramifications , periodical literature for which the people of England pay a million per annum . I speak not of that which is to come afterwards , " tho press" —that is , the newspapers—but I speak of the periodical literature simply . It is a good

    thing , or it is an evil thing . I do trul y believe it is a great thing . I do believe that what is evil in it , and there is evil in it , will be corrected by what is good in it . I do believe that the good will extinguish the evil , and that the periodical literature of England , which I have to speak of , will be an emblem of the growing refinement and educated spirit of the nation . Gentlemen , I cannot speak of literature without associating with it the great object in connexion with which I have the honour to be your guest this day . I do believe , if there is anything to be deplored in our periodical literature—if there is anything that is wanting in its character—if there is anything that has a tendency to lower the moral feeling of England , it is this : that there are some men who are so pressed by their necessities and their position , that they are ready to

    do any work that is presented to them in the shape of mere hireling service . If there be an institution which is to rescue such men from their unfortunate condition , and to rouse them to feel the great responsibility that every man ought to know that he wields—it is an institution which shall place them in independence , and say to them , ' For God ' s sake , never degrade yourselves by writing against your conscience , for a mere venial payment of your pen , ' which shall extend to these men some effectual relief . We should teach the people to discard all that is poor and mediocre in literature , and to make our periodical literature the opening key , to the great bod y of the people , of the treasures of past times . It cannot be said of the people of Manchester , that—Knowledge to them her ample page ,

    Rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unfold . That cannot bo said of the people of Manchester , when you open the doors of your Free Library . I beg to propose to you ' Tho Free Library of Manchester . ' " Other toasts were proposed , concluding with the " Lancashire Witches ; " and Mr . Charles Dickens , and the jovial actors , painters , authors , lawyers , and manufacturers went their ways about midnight . The Manchester Free Library was formally opened

    on Thursday . Sir John Potter presided over the inaugural meeting ; and among the company the Earl of Shaftesbury , tho Earl of Wilton , tbo Bishop of Manchester , Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton , Sir J . Stephen , Mr . _CHUrles Dickens , Mr . _Monckton Milnes , M . P ., Mr . John Bright , M . P ., Mr . W . Brown , M . P ., Mr . Thackeray , Mr . Charles Knight , Dr . Vaughan , and Mr . Felkin ( Mayor of Nottingham . ) Among tho ladies present wero tho Countess of Wilton and tho Hon . Misses

    Egerton . Most of tho gentlemen addressed short speeches to tho audience , either in proposing or supporting resolutions .

    Ar00704

    Extraordinary Narrativi [The Following M...

    EXTRAORDINARY NARRATIVI [ The following marvellous story is told by the _Ipswieli Express . We submit it , without alteration or comment , to tho consideration of our readers . ] Many of tho allegations connected with tho following extraordinary narration have for somo time been known to us , but up to tbe present period wo have for many reasons preferred remaining silent regarding them . It is our painful duty to allude to a very remarkable case , many of tbo features of whicli are so abhorrent , from their apparently profane connexion with religious subject _^ that wo could wish wo had been spared tho duty of * detailing them .

    Sliottiahum is a quiet village in Suffolk , distant , from Ipswich thirteen miles , from Woodbridgo five miles . Asaph Squirroll ( a small tea dealer ) and his wife have long resided there , and were believed to be honest , industrious , arid worthy people . Amongst their faultily was an interesting girl named Elizabeth , who , iu fact , is the heroine of our tale . Whilst a mere child this girl gavo evidence that sho possessed a very superior mind . At ton bIio was placed under the care of Mr . Osborne the village Kchoolmaster _, who soon perceived tbat bis pupil was a girl of great natural ability . 8 ho was attentive to her studios and whilst others were at play sho would bo closely engaged in poring over tho book * , that composed Mr . Osborne ' s library . Having a religious turn of mind , Hho read upon all theological points . Mho also made herself itcminintud with the English poets , with histo ry , with parts of botany , and with phonography . Ia Juno , 1860 , at tho

    Extraordinary Narrativi [The Following M...

    age of twelve , she left the school from illness , occasioned , it is said , by too close attention to her studies . Her illness assumed the shape of a spinal affection , for which she had the best medical advice , and was subsequently sent to the East Suffolk Hospital , in Ipswich , where she remained about six weeks . She then returned home , became worse , and lock-jaw set in , depriving her , as it was alleged , of the power of swallowing . She lived on suction , milk being poured down her throat ; but the quantities were so smafl that her death was daily expected . She , however , to the astonishment of her friends and the villagers , continued to live on , although it was said she did not take a morsel of solid food . At Midsummer , 1851 , she recovered from her lock-jaw ; but it was alleged that she had previously been

    seized with blindness and deafness—faculties which she did not regain . The way in which she had lived began to be talked of , and some excitement was occasioned amongst the gossips of the neighbouring villages . But at about this time the writings and speeches of the child occasioned considerable interest , which was heightened by the assertion , that she still ate no food . Persons living in the locality came to visit her , and found the patient in a humble apartment , supported on her bed by pillows , with a countenance which most of them called " angelic , " but which certainly was remarkable for its singularly devotional cast , and for the great intelligence which beamed from it . Although it was alleged she could not see , her eyes remained open , and but little defect could be observed

    in them . To her visitors who sympathised with her she would say , when lamenting her deafness and blindness , that " what she had learned during health were the tools she had to make use of during her illness . " Every hour that passed away added to the excitement , and spread her fame wider and wider from her nativo village . At all hours of the day parties wended their way to her cottage , and no sooner had they gazed on the child than they wero interested in her—an interest that had a strange dash of mystery in it when they were assured that for nearly two years not a particle of solid food had passed her lips . But the moment she began to speak she fairly enchamed the sympathies of her hearers . For the most part her remarks applied to religious subjects , on which she would descant

    with a beauty of language , power of thought , and devotion of mind , to which old divines could make little pretension , and she became to be regarded as a being who had some direct mission to accomplish on behalf of Deity . Her intellectual and devotional powers wero developed to their utmost whenever sceptics or infidels were within range of her voice . On secular subjects , also , her remarks were clearly and powerfully given , and also manifested an intimate acquaintance with the topics on which she dwelt . Her parents were equally astonished with others , and ever solemnly protested that her assertions regarding abstinence from food were religiously correct . Her statement regarding herself and her alleged peculiar condition was , that she had seen a vision of angelsone of which number had

    , consented to become her constant attendant and guardian . Lest she should not be believed , she frequently prayed earnestly that God would grant to her and her visitors some immediate manifestation , which should convince all that she was really the object of God ' s especial favour . After a time her prayer was answered in this wise—whilst her visitors were deeply engaged in devotional exercises , a ringing noise was heard , as if proceeding from a small tumbler glass that stood somo distance from her . The sound excited tho attention of those who wero present , who listened in wonder to her statement , that whenever it sounded it was swept by the invisible wings of thc angel that attended herand was a direct manifestation from

    , heaven of the presence of God . Often and often did this mysterious ringing occur , _« and always when they wero most devout ; but tho visitors were unable to account for it . Sho often , although deaf , expressed much anxiety that it should ring , and after its peculiar sounds had been heard she seemed bathed in a sort of ethereal inspiration , during which her thoughts flowed from her lips , burthened with devotion and religious zeal . During a considerable part of her peculiar state sho gavo evidence of great sensibility of touch , being , as it was asserted , enabled to read any person ' s letters by running her finger over the lines , and deciphering by tho same alleged means the phonogruphic characters that were printed on letter wafers .

    Amongst those who visited her were not a few who endeavoured to defect whether or not nny imposition was practised . Some of these attended day after day , but all wero fairly beaten , and camo away convinced tbat it waa physically , intellectually , and reli g iously , a genuine case . Rather moro than three months since , sho and her parents stated that tho milk caused to _alford ber any nourishment , and that , in fact , from that time she left oil" taking any sustenance at all , neither food nor drink passing her lips _Vinitors closely watched her , and were convinced that she was really living on from week to week without partaking

    of any kind of nourishment . The excitement out of doors , and throughout many parts of tbo county , was now at fever heat . Medical men , clergymen , dissenting ministers , ( Tarriago aristocracy , gig , cart , and foot , folk , alike shared in the intense desire to gaze on this extraordinary child , and to listen to tho words which fell from her with as much weight as if she really had indisputable credentials that she was an orach ) from heaven . On being asked when and bow this mystic scene would end , sho replied , "Oh ! in my triumphant entrance into glory !'

    Somo gentlemen in Ipswich , who bad become deeply interested in the ease , at length felt that it was quite time that some systematic effort should ho mado to test , it to itu fullest extent . These gentlemen judged that , an eight _daya ' trial would nettle tho matter as to whether or not she partook of any kind of nourishment . Accordingly , two females of good character were selected , at , the earnest entreaty oi tho father of the girl , who wero instructed to keep watch over her for eight days arid eight nights , it being an instruction that the room should never bo left , without one of them being present . Threo weeks since they commenced their _fask , receiving their instruct ions from a modical man , and at the end oi eight days returned to Ipswich

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 4, 1852, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_04091852/page/7/