Punch, or the London Charivari
Volume 105, December 16, 1893.
edited by Sir Francis Burnand
SEASONABLE SONNET.(By a Vegetarian.)Yes, Christmas overtakes us yet once more. The Cattle Show has vanished in the mists Of time and Islington, but re-exists In piecemeal splendour at the store. Here, nightly, big boys blue are to the fore With knives and choppers in their greasy fists; And now, methinks, the wight who never lists Yet hears the brass band on the proud first floor. High over all rings "What d'ye buy, buy, buy?" The meat is decked with gay rosette and bow, While gas-jets beckon all the world and wife. A cheerful scene? A ghastly one, say I, Where mutilated corpses hang arow, And in the midst of death we are in life. As They Liked It.—Weread of the recent success atPalmer's Theatre, New York,of As You Like It, with allthe parts played by women. Ofcourse, everybody knows thatthis was a complete reversal ofthe practice of the stage inShakspeare's own day, whenthe buskin was on the otherleg, so to speak; but we arenot told if the passage "Doubletand hose ought to showitself courageous to petticoat"was transposed to "Petticoatought to show itself courageousto doublet and hose." This Settled It.—"He maybe irritable," observed Mrs. R.,"but remember the old sayingthat 'Irritation is the sincerestform of flattery.'" |  ALL IN THE DAY'S WORK.Critic. "How's the Book going, Old Man?" Author. "Oh—all right, I fancy. The Press has noticed italready. Yesterday's Roseleaves hails me as the comingThackeray!" Critic. "Ah, I wrote that!" Author. "Did you really? How can I thank you? On theother hand, this week's Knacker says that I've been fortunatelyarrested by Madness on the road to Idiotcy!" Critic. "Ah, I Wrote that too!" |
A PLEA FOR PLEADINGS.
Dear Mr. Punch,—Last weekI begged for a chance for theBriefless, and the only reply hasbeen, that by a few strokes ofthe pen the Judges have ruinedand undone the Junior Bar. Ona day which will be knownhenceforth in the Temple asBad Friday, we read the newRules, by which in future it willbe possible to have an action—withoutpleadings! Statementof Claim, Defence, Reply, Rejoinder—alldisappear into abeggarly "Summons for Directions,"that can be drawn by asolicitor's office-boy. Of course,amongst the silks, the changewill, no doubt, be popular. Theselearned gentlemen can with alight heart and a heavy pocketwelcome the change, which willget rid of the pleadings whichit is merely a nuisance to read.But what is to become of uswhose business it is to drawthe