C 218 ] [FEB. 



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)rf;t IT NOTES OF THE MONTH ON AFFAIRS IN GENEEAL. 



SAVINGS IN ST. SAVIOUR'S. Parish economy is often as bad as parish 

 extravagance. The London Bridge Committee, and the parish-dignita- 

 ries of St. Saviour's, have been laying their apologies for heads together, 

 in order to bring about the demolition of a beautiful portion of one of 

 the most beautiful and antique pieces of architecture in existence the 

 the Church of St. Mary Overy, Southwark ; the resting-place of Gower, 

 the father of English poetry, of Philip Massinger, and of other rare and 

 revered benefactors to our literature. It seems that the Spiritual Court, 

 or the building called Our Lady's Chapel certainly one of the most 

 remarkable of the many architectural beauties of the edifice is a little 

 in the way; according to the elevated notions of the Nashes of Tooley- 

 street ; and as uniformity, in the opinion of such persons, takes place of 

 every other architectural consideration on earth, of course our Lady's 

 Chapel must give way, that decorations, in the form of new wine-vaults 

 and a lamp-post, may figure among the ornaments and utilities of the 

 Surrey side of the bridge. Mr. Weston, " the banker," was by far the 

 loudest and most enlightened supporter of the pulling-down principle ; 

 telling the parishioners, in the true spirit of a borough-banker, that 

 " they should not allow any nonsense of national pride to deter them 

 from merging all objects in their own advantage/' Architecture and 

 antiquity are fine things, but, as Mr. Weston says, we must look "to 

 the present times, and to ourselves." The demolition of this magni- 

 ficent appendage to the church would be a pecuniary saving to the 

 parish ; he had made the " calculation" with considerable nicety, and 

 found that the "householders would be gainers'* by its destruction. 

 That is, Mr. Weston, as the occupier of a spacious dwelling, would 

 save six shillings upon his next church-rate ; and the other inhabitants 

 of the parish would average an advantage of eleven-pence each. We 

 recommend Mr. Weston to propose, at the next meeting, the pulling 

 down of the church altogether ; it would realize a sum sufficient to 

 enable the whole parish to live tax-free for a twelvemonth. We our- 

 selves would give something for a nail from Massinger's coffin 



Luckily, however, there were some spirited and sensible people at that 

 and other meetings, and discussion is to precede the demolition. 



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" PECULIARITIES" OP THE PRESS. We never could find out what 

 those people are made of, who lay down a newspaper and say " there's 

 nothing in it." We pity the news-lover who travels from the Advertiser 

 to the Albion (farther he cannot go), and cries fe 'tis all barren." To 

 us every column is a casket of gems. The most shocking accident, or 

 the most horrible offence, will often provoke very ludicrous associations, 

 simply by the manner in which it is set forth. The stereotyped phraseo- 

 logy of the press is to us a standing joke a perpetual and never- to-be- 

 exhausted spring of " rational entertainment." Is there an unusual 

 shower of rain in any village within five hundred miles of London? of 

 course, its like was not known (< in the memory of the oldest inhabitant." 

 Does it happen to take place in town instead of the country ? of course, 

 " the metropolis was visited by one of the most awful/' &c. Is there a 

 chimney on fire ? of course, the " devouring element" blazes through 

 a long paragraph. Is a straw-bonnet-maker's apprentice robbed of her 

 reticule, or exposed to the indignity of having her veil gently thrown 



