*5 



to see if he was artificial, I came to the conclusion that it 

 was just possible that these, two poor gentlemen were 

 either too feeble to crawl upstairs, or had been improvised, 

 like the model painted villages in the Crimea when visited 

 by Catherine II., to make a show of happiness and pros- 

 perity under adverse circumstances, — perhaps not adverse 

 after all, for Elizabeth Barrett Browning has observed that 

 you raise your best tulips out of dunghills ; and may not 

 Mr. Jones be the new nursery gardener who hopes to 

 cultivate Genius in an atmosphere of physical and moral 

 corruption ! 



While on this subject, we may quote from the Echo of 

 last December 12th, a paragraph describing an inspection 

 of the Den by Trustees : — 



"A cry of despair from the junior assistants in the early sum" 1 

 mer of the present year brought clown some of the Trustees of 

 the building — the Duke of Somerset, Lord Granville, and others — -to 

 inspect their rooms. It was summer. Due notice having been given, 

 the room was well aired. The Trustees were charmed. A healthy 

 man was produced and was questioned. The Trustees were still more 

 charmed, forgetting, probably, that on entering the Museum every 

 employe's tongue is tied, and that he dare not give evidence. Was 

 nothing done ? Nothing seemed necessary. Well-aired room, healthy, 

 contented men, respectful officials." 



That is just the point. No one has a word to' say 

 against the Trustees, except that they are generally men 

 with a good deal of other business to attend to. They 

 conscientiously try to do their duty, but they are systema- 

 tically deceived in this way by such men as Mr. Jones and 

 Mr. Rye. Is it possible that a man, known to have per- 

 petrated such an insult as a deliberate deception on the 

 Trustees, can retain his position for a day ? For a man 

 who would do such a thing once, will be always doing it. 

 Indeed the World, the other day, in an article, in which 

 it happily described Mr. Jones as " Jack in Office," had the 

 following significant paragraph on this very point : 



