speeches-literary & social-第33章
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But Mr。 Pepys; whenever he committed any slight act of remissness;
or any little peccadillo which was utterly and wholly untheatrical;
used to comfort his conscience by recording a vow that he would
abstain from the theatres for a certain time。 In the first part of
Mr。 Pepys' character I have no doubt we fully agree with him; in
the second I have no doubt we do not。
I learn this experience of Mr。 Pepys from remembrance of a passage
in his diary that I was reading the other night; from which it
appears that he was not only curious in plays; but curious in
sermons; and that one night when he happened to be walking past St。
Dunstan's Church; he turned; went in; and heard what he calls 〃a
very edifying discourse;〃 during the delivery of which discourse;
he notes in his diary … 〃I stood by a pretty young maid; whom I did
attempt to take by the hand。〃 But he adds … 〃She would not; and I
did perceive that she had pins in her pocket with which to prick me
if I should touch her again … and was glad that I spied her
design。〃 Afterwards; about the close of the same edifying
discourse; Mr。 Pepys found himself near another pretty; fair young
maid; who would seem upon the whole to have had no pins; and to
have been more impressible。
Now; the moral of this story which I wish to suggest to you is;
that we have been this evening in St。 James's much more timid than
Mr。 Pepys was in St。 Dunstan's; and that we have conducted
ourselves very much better。 As a slight recompense to us for our
highly meritorious conduct; and as a little relief to our over…
charged hearts; I beg to propose that we devote this bumper to
invoking a blessing on the ladies。 It is the privilege of this
society annually to hear a lady speak for her own sex。 Who so
competent to do this as Mrs。 Stirling? Surely one who has so
gracefully and captivatingly; with such an exquisite mixture of
art; and fancy; and fidelity; represented her own sex in
innumerable charities; under an infinite variety of phases; cannot
fail to represent them well in her own character; especially when
it is; amidst her many triumphs; the most agreeable of all。 I beg
to propose to you 〃The Ladies;〃 and I will couple with that toast
the name of Mrs。 Stirling。
SPEECH: LONDON; MARCH 28; 1866。
'The following speech was made by Mr。 Dickens at the Annual
Festival of the Royal General Theatrical Fund; held at the
Freemasons' Tavern; in proposing the health of the Lord Mayor (Sir
Benjamin Phillips); who occupied the chair。'
GENTLEMEN; in my childish days I remember to have had a vague but
profound admiration for a certain legendary person called the Lord
Mayor's fool。 I had the highest opinion of the intellectual
capacity of that suppositious retainer of the Mansion House; and I
really regarded him with feelings approaching to absolute
veneration; because my nurse informed me on every gastronomic
occasion that the Lord Mayor's fool liked everything that was good。
You will agree with me; I have no doubt; that if this
discriminating jester had existed at the present time he could not
fail to have liked his master very much; seeing that so good a Lord
Mayor is very rarely to be found; and that a better Lord Mayor
could not possibly be。
You have already divined; gentlemen; that I am about to propose to
you to drink the health of the right honourable gentleman in the
chair。 As one of the Trustees of the General Theatrical Fund; I
beg officially to tender him my best thanks for lending the very
powerful aid of his presence; his influence; and his personal
character to this very deserving Institution。 As his private
friends we ventured to urge upon him to do us this gracious act;
and I beg to assure you that the perfect simplicity; modesty;
cordiality; and frankness with which he assented; enhanced the gift
one thousand fold。 I think it must also be very agreeable to a
company like this to know that the President of the night is not
ceremoniously pretending; 〃positively for this night only;〃 to have
an interest in the drama; but that he has an unusual and thorough
acquaintance with it; and that he has a living and discerning
knowledge of the merits of the great old actors。 It is very
pleasant to me to remember that the Lord Mayor and I once beguiled
the tedium of a journey by exchanging our experiences upon this
subject。 I rather prided myself on being something of an old
stager; but I found the Lord Mayor so thoroughly up in all the
stock pieces; and so knowing and yet so fresh about the merits of
those who are most and best identified with them; that I readily
recognised in him what would be called in fistic language; a very
ugly customer … one; I assure you; by no means to be settled by any
novice not in thorough good theatrical training。
Gentlemen; we have all known from our earliest infancy that when
the giants in Guildhall hear the clock strike one; they come down
to dinner。 Similarly; when the City of London shall hear but one
single word in just disparagement of its present Lord Mayor;
whether as its enlightened chief magistrate; or as one of its
merchants; or as one of its true gentlemen; he will then descend
from the high personal place which he holds in the general honour
and esteem。 Until then he will remain upon his pedestal; and my
private opinion; between ourselves; is that the giants will come
down long before him。
Gentlemen; in conclusion; I would remark that when the Lord Mayor
made his truly remarkable; and truly manly; and unaffected speech;
I could not but be struck by the odd reversal of the usual
circumstances at the Mansion House; which he presented to our view;
for whereas it is a very common thing for persons to be brought
tremblingly before the Lord Mayor; the Lord Mayor presented himself
as being brought tremblingly before us。 I hope that the result may
hold still further; for whereas it is a common thing for the Lord
Mayor to say to a repentant criminal who does not seem to have much
harm in him; 〃let me never see you here again;〃 so I would propose
that we all with one accord say to the Lord Mayor; 〃Let us by all
means see you here again on the first opportunity。〃 Gentlemen; I
beg to propose to you to drink; with all the honours; 〃The health
of the right hon。 the Lord Mayor。〃
SPEECH: LONDON; MAY 7; 1866。
'The Members of the Metropolitan Rowing Clubs dining together at
the London Tavern; on the above date; Mr。 Dickens; as President of
the Nautilus Rowing Club; occupied the chair。 The Speech that
follows was made in proposing 〃Prosperity to the Rowing Clubs of
London。〃 Mr。 Dickens said that:…'
HE could not avoid the remembrance of what very poor things the
amateur rowing clubs on the Thames were in the early days of his
noviciate; not to mention the difference in the build of the boats。
He could not get on in the beginning without being a pupil under an
anomalous creature called a 〃fireman waterman;〃 who wore an
eminently tall hat; and a perfectly unaccountable uniform; of which
it might be said that if it was less adapted for one thing than
another; that thing was fire。 He recollected that this gentleman
had on some former day won a King's prize wherry; and they used to
go about in this accursed wherry; he and a partner; doing all the
hard work; while the fireman drank all the beer。 The river was
very much clearer; freer; and cleaner in those days than these; but
he was persuaded that this philosophical old boatman could no more
have dreamt of seeing the spectacle which had taken place on
Saturday (the procession of the boats of the Metropolitan Amateur
Rowing Clubs); or of seeing these clubs matched for skill and
speed; than he (the Chairman) should dare to announce through the
usual authentic channels that he was to be heard of at the bar
below; and that he was perfectly prepared to accommodate Mr。 James
Mace if he meant busi