[At the Annual Meeting of the Curates' Augmentation Fund,
Archdeacon KAYE, of Lincoln, urged the desirability of
imposing some limitation to the number ordained to the
Ministry of the Church of England, as three-fifths of the
Clergy were in poverty.]
"Oh, sad indeed it is to think,"
Quoth good Archdeacon KAYE,
"That though our Clergy are so 'High,'
So low should be their pay!
"They fly to money-lenders' lures,
To speculative chances;
Advancement they appear to lack.
And so they get advances.
"This 'Discipline of Clergy' Bill
On us is rather rough;
Surely the bills our tradesmen bring
Are discipline enough!
"A fresh supply of Rectories
Must really soon be found;
All would be _square_, if once there were
Sufficient to go _round_.
"To get the Clergy out of their
Pecuniary holes,
The sole and only cure I see
Would be--a Cure of Souls!
"'One man, one Vicarage!'--the cry
To stir a thoughtless nation;
But just at present let us try
Restricted Ordination!"
"Free Trade in Curates!" shout our girls,
Responsive from their pew;
"You say there are too many, but
_We_ know there are too few!
"Think of the budding Candidates
For Orders, whom, no doubt,
This limiting of out-put would
Excessively put out!
"If Curates now are destitute,
A brighter future beacons;
'Tis only fair that all should share
The stipends of Archdeacons!"
* * * * *
[Illustration: HONORIS CAUSÂ.
[The University of Dublin has decided to confer the Degree of D.C.L.
on Mr. HENRY IRVING.]
_J.L.T._ (_to Dr. Irving_). "I SAY, HENRY,--'SCUSE MY GLOVE,--I'VE
BEEN A DON MYSELF, DON'TCHERKNOW. I CAN GIVE YOU A TIP OR TWO ABOUT
PLAYING THE PART!"]
* * * * *
A GIFTED BEING.--The _Daily Telegraph_ of June 11, in giving us
some news from Cambridge about the Mathematical Tripos, had this
paragraph--
"The Senior Wrangler, Mr. PHILIP HERBERT COWELL, son of Mr.
H. COWELL, Privy Council Bar, was born in 1870, and was
previously educated at Rev. E. St. JOHN PARRY's School, Stoke,
Slough."
Now didn't such a start in life as being educated "_previously_" to
being "born," give Mr. COWELL a somewhat unfair advantage over the
other competitors? Very few come into the world with such a chance.
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness
thrust upon them," says SHAKSPEARE. But to come into the world, like
MINERVA, armed _College-cap-à-pie_, is, as _Dominie Sampson_ would
have said, "Pro-di-gi-ous!"
* * * * *