Exhibition of 1851, held in Hyde Park, on the initiative of the late
Prince Consort, who borrowed the idea from the State-supported
Expositions at Paris. The Prince proposed that an exhibition of colossal
proportions should be held in London, in a building specially designed
for the purpose, and that it should be open to competitors from all
nations, so as to form a veritable "world's fair." The scheme was
entered into with alacrity by the public. All sorts of representative
men cordially supported the Prince. A big banquet was given by the Lord
Mayor of London in the Mansion House, on March 21st, 1850, to the
municipal magnates of the kingdom, at which the success of the
undertaking was practically assured; and later on a similar feast was
given in the ancient city of York, at which the Prince again eloquently
and effectively pleaded for the accomplishment of the task to which he
had set his hand. A Royal Commission was appointed to manage the
undertaking. Hyde Park was fixed upon as the most appropriate site for
the building, and Sir Joseph Paxton, though not an architect, was
honoured with instructions to design the fabric--that magnificent
Crystal Palace, which was subsequently removed to a permanent and
commanding position at Sydenham, and which is familiar to every London
resident and visitor. It was formed chiefly of iron and glass, being
1,848 feet long, 408 feet broad, and 66 feet high; crossed by a transept
108 feet high, and also 408 feet in length, for the purpose of enclosing
and encasing a group of noble elms. Within, the nave presented a clear,
unobstructive avenue, from one end of the building to the other, 72 feet
in span, and 64 feet in height. The wings, exterior to the centre or
nave on each side, had also galleries the same height, the wings
themselves being broken up into a series of courts each 48 feet wide.
The number of columns used in the entire edifice was 3,230. There were
34 miles of gutter for carrying off the rain-water to the columns, which
were hollow, and served as water-pipes; 202 miles of sash-bars, and
900,000 superficial feet of glass, weighing upwards of 400 tons. The
building covered about 18 acres of ground, and, with the galleries, gave
an exhibition surface of 21 acres, with eight miles of tables for laying
out goods. The building cost L176,000; and though the plan was not
accepted until the 26th of July, and the first column not fixed until
two months later, the edifice was virtually completed by the 1st of the
following January, on which date it was delivered over to the Exhibition
Commissioners to be fitted up for its destined purpose. The Crystal
Palace excited universal admiration for its wonderful combination of
vastness and beauty, and when it was fully furnished, and opened to the
public, on the 1st of May, 1851, the visitor felt as if he had entered a
fairy-like scene of enchantment, a gathering-ground of grace,
brightness, and delight.
It was a splendid sunny morning, and the assembled multitude was
brilliant in the extreme. The Queen, accompanied by the Prince Consort,
walked in procession through the immense aggregation of treasures,
followed by an imposing array of eminent British and foreign
notabilities. It has been truly said that within the giant palace of
glass were then massed representatives of all the people and productions
of the earth--a grand presentment of wealth, intelligence, and
enterprise. There were over 17,000 exhibitors, some 3,000 of whom
received medals of merit. The Exhibition remained open until the 15th of
October, altogether 144 days, during which it was visited by 6,170,000
persons. The greatest number present in any one day was 109,760, on
October 8th. On one occasion 93,000 were within the palace at the same
moment, which surpassed, it is said, in magnitude, any number ever
assembled together under one roof in the world's history. The charges of
admission to the Great Exhibition were practically the same as those
obtained at the recent South Kensington "shows," and the whole affair
was so well managed and successful in every point that at its close a
surplus of L150,000 remained, after paying all expenses.
FACTS ABOUT OCEAN STEAMSHIPS.
Mr. John Burns contributed to a recent number of _Good Words_ a paper
entitled "Something about the Cunard Line," which contains some
interesting facts with regard to the equipment and working of ocean
steamships. Taking the _Etruria_ as a sample of the present vessels of
the Cunard fleet, he states that her consumption of coal is 300 tons per
day, or twelve tons per hour, or 466 lbs. per minute. For a single
passage across the Atlantic (which takes seven days) she requires the
following provisions--12,550 lbs. fresh beef, 760 lbs. corned beef, 5
320 lbs. mutton, 850 lbs. lamb, 350 lbs. veal, 350 lbs. pork, 2,000 lbs.
fresh fish, 600 fowls, 300 chickens, 100 ducks, 50 geese, 80 turkeys,
200 brace grouse, 15 tons potatoes, 30 hampers vegetables, 220 quarts
ice-cream, 1,000 quarts milk, and 11,500 eggs. The groceries for the
double voyage include 650 lbs. tea, 1,200 lbs. coffee, 1,000 lbs. white
sugar, 2,880 lbs. moist sugar, 750 lbs. pulverized sugar, 1,500 lbs.
cheese, 2,000 lbs. butter, 3,500 lbs. ham, and 1,000 lbs. bacon. The
quantities of wines, spirits, beer, &c., put on board for consumption on
the double voyage comprise--1,100 bottles of champagne, 850 bottles of
claret, 6,000 bottles of ale, 2,500 bottles of porter, 4,500 bottles of
mineral water, 650 bottles of various spirits. Crockery is broken very
extensively, being at the rate of 900 plates, 280 cups, 438 saucers,
1,213 tumblers, 200 wine glasses, 27 decanters, and 63 water bottles in
a single voyage.
The Cunard ships, it is further stated, traverse yearly a distance equal
to five times that between the earth and the moon.
In the course of a year the fleet consumes 4,656 sheep, 1,800 lambs, and
2,474 oxen, besides 831,603 eggs; and among other articles of
consumption are 11/2 tons of mustard, 13/4 tons of pepper, 7,216
bottles pickles, 8,000 tins sardines, 15 tons marmalade, 22 tons
raisins, currants, and figs, and so on through a long list, finishing
with 930 tons potatoes, 24,075 fowls, 4,230 ducks, 2,200 turkeys, 2,200
geese, 31,312 tablets Pears' soap, 3,484 lbs. Windsor soap, 10 tons
yellow soap. The coal burned during the year amounts to 356,764 tons,
which, if built as a wall four feet high and one foot thick, would reach
from Land's End to John o' Groats.
ORPHAN BESS.
I am sure that most of our young friends know the meaning of the word
"orphan"; and perhaps among the numerous readers of the LITTLE GLEANER
are some that are orphans themselves. But if some of the younger ones do
not understand what is meant by the word, we must tell them that, when
children have lost both parents by death, we call them orphans. Very sad
indeed it is to lose both father and mother while young, for no earthly
friend can really fill their place. It is of such a child that I am
writing a few words, and I trust that our little readers will indeed
feel thankful to God if He has spared them both parents, and granted
them happy and comfortable homes.
It is more than ten years ago since I first saw her whom I now call
Orphan Bess, and her baby sister. The first great shadow had then fallen
upon her home, and I had to attend the funeral. This was in March, 1878.
A very pale, fragile child our little maid was then, and her baby sister
was more delicate still. She then sat on the floor, wondering at the
tears of her mother, frightened at the strange faces and people that
came to bear her father away, and trying to still the baby, which was
wailing in the saddest tones. Oh, how unfit to be thrown on the
world--the cold, rough world--without the strong arm of the father, and
only the mother to shield! But a Greater Arm than the earthly father
supported and maintained, and they were not left alone.
A few months later the baby died, and Bess and the mother were left
again.
Years rolled on, and the mother and child struggled on together, and the
promise of Him who cares for the widow and fatherless was proved
faithful and true in their needs.
But a darker cloud than ever now came, when the mother laid down and
died. Ten years had rolled away, and in March, 1888, this great blow
came upon Bess. These years had made a great change in our little maid,
and when we saw her on the day of the funeral she seemed much
altered--still pale and thin, small and fragile, and very deaf. I have
seen many affecting sights and many sorrowful cases in my journey
through life, but as we stood around the grave of the departed mother
and father of Bess, in St. Thomas's churchyard, at Woolwich, on the 17th
of March, 1888, I saw the saddest sight of all. The open grave,
containing the remains of the father; the coffin ready to be lowered
into it, containing the dead mother; and the pale, thin, deaf orphan,
standing alone in the world. The blinding snow fell around, and the wind
blew piercingly through the graveyard. A large crowd of strange faces,
and the chief object of interest the orphan child. What wonder, then,
that the child, frightened and trembling, should turn her face away from
the coffin and crowd, and hide her sobs in the dress of a kind woman
near? Alone in the world now, yet not alone.
The hymn commencing, "For ever with the Lord," is sung softly, and as
the strains are heard, we remember that "the Lord liveth." Though father
and mother are dead, yet "the Lord liveth," who has promised to look to
the orphan, and whose eyes are ever upon the needy. What a position to
occupy! No father, no mother, no home, unable to hear, a helpless orphan
girl cast upon the world! The words of the poet came into my mind at the
moment--
"What is home without a mother?
What are all the joys we meet,
When her gentle smile no longer
Greets the coming of our feet?"
I have omitted one matter, and that is, Bessie's mother was my sister;
and the thought came with power into my mind, while I stood at the
grave, that while the Lord blessed me with ability and strength, we
could share our bread with Bess sooner than see her want.
Father and mother may die, and they must die, but there is One that
cannot alter and that cannot fail.
I trust our young friends who read these few lines are interested in our
little maid; and if any are living in St. Leonards or Hastings, they may
sometimes see a thin, pale girl of twelve years, small for her age, with
dark hair, cut short, sharp nose, and keen grey eyes. This is Orphan
Bess. Not without friends now, for the Lord has already raised up kind
friends and strong arms to help her, and made room for her in many
hearts. May the Lord show her further favour by granting her His grace
is our sincere prayer, comfort her on earth "as a mother comforteth her
children," and be her everlasting Portion in heaven.
Gleaners, you that have fathers and mothers, remember they are your best
earthly friends, and think of desolate Bess. Gleaners that are orphans,
remember "the Lord liveth," and that He careth for you.
J. D.
"MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB."
The well-known verses beginning, "Mary had a little lamb," were founded
on actual circumstances, and the heroine, Mary, is still living. About
seventy years ago she was a little girl, the daughter of a farmer in
Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.
One spring, the farmer brought a feeble lamb into the house, and Mary
adopted it as her especial pet. It became so fond of her that it would
follow her everywhere.
One day, it followed her to the village school, and, not knowing what
else to do with it, she put it under her desk and covered it with her
shawl. There it stayed until Mary was called up to the teacher's desk to
say her lesson, and then the lamb walked quietly after her, and the
other children burst out laughing, so the teacher had to shut up the
little girl's pet in the wood-shed until school was over.
Soon after this, a young student, named John Rollstone, wrote a little
rhyme about Mary and her lamb, and presented it to her. The lamb grew to
be a sheep, and lived for many years, and when at last it died, Mary
grieved so much for it that her mother took some of its wool, which was
"as white as snow," and knitted a pair of stockings for her to wear in
remembrance of her darling.
Some years after the lamb's death, Mrs. Sarah Hall, a celebrated woman,
who wrote many books, composed some verses about Mary's lamb, and added
them to those written by John Rollstone, making the complete rhyme as we
know it.
Mary took such good care of the stockings made from her lamb's fleece
that, when she was a grown-up woman, she was able to give one of them to
a bazaar in Boston. As soon as the fact became known that the stocking
was made from the fleece of "Mary's little lamb," every one wanted a
piece of it; so the stocking was ravelled out, and the yarn cut into
short pieces. Each piece was tied to a card on which "Mary" wrote her
full name, and these cards sold so well that they brought the large sum
of L28 towards the bazaar fund.
LORD, I have tried how this thing and that thing will fit my spirit. I
can find nothing to rest on, for nothing here hath any rest itself. O
Centre and Source of light and strength--O Fulness of all things--I come
to Thee!--_Arthur H. Hallam._
UNDER THE LONDON STREETS.
It is true that there are tubes beneath the London streets, but with one
exception, they are not used for the transmission of letters, but for
telegrams only. This exception is a tube between Euston Station and the
General Post Office, through which a few day mail-bags to and from towns
on the London and North-Western are sent. The Post Office authorities
find that these tubes are quicker than carts, but their speed is not so
great as is usually supposed. From seventeen to thirty-five miles an
hour is the average, but with more powerful engines it is believed that
eighty miles an hour could be attained. The longest tube in London is
two miles three hundred and thirty-nine yards in length. Originally
there were only seventeen pneumatic tubes in operation, the longest
being that which went to Fenchurch Street, namely, nine hundred and
eighty yards. The second in length was that to Leadenhall Street--six
hundred and fifty-nine yards. The diameter of the tubes varies from one
and a half inches to two and a quarter inches. The telegrams are placed
in little leather cases, called "carriers." The time taken in
transmission to Fenchurch Street is, by atmospheric pressure, one minute
five seconds; by suction the speed is somewhat slower--one minute twenty
seconds.
The steam engine used at the General Post Office is forty horse power.
For sending one of the carriers from forty to fifty yards not more than
four or five seconds is necessary. The most complete tubes in London are
those under the streets between Temple Bar and the General Post Office,
a distance of 1,333 yards. The tubes form what may be called a pneumatic
railway, with an up and down line. In these tubes telegrams are sent
which sometimes are not sent by electricity at all. Thus, if any one
wishes to wire from Cheapside to the Temple, his message is placed in a
carrier and sent under the streets.
SYMPATHY.
"_Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep._"
When childhood's joyous voice resounds
With innocent delight,
Check not the infant mirth, nor put
Those happy smiles to flight.
Add to the joy while it remains,
For on in riper years
Those eyes, now beaming with delight,
May be suffused with tears.
When on the ocean's stormy deep
The voyagers are tossed,
And seem, in that one stormy hour,
To think all hope is lost--
If they secure the haven reach,
And lose their fears and cares,
While they rejoice their homes to gain,
Mingle thy joy with theirs.
And is thy neighbour mourning now
The loss of kindred dear?
Then give thy sympathy, and drop
Upon the grave a tear.
Or knowest thou an orphan, left
To tread this world alone?
Speak words of comfort, lend thine aid,
Or take the wanderer home.
Tell of the loveliness and bloom
Of Nature to the blind;
Tell of the joys of heaven, and thus
Shed light upon the mind.
Then sympathize with every one,
And the commandment keep--
"Rejoice with them that do rejoice,
And weep with them that weep."
M. E. C.
FORWARD INTO LIGHT AND LIBERTY.
"JESUS ONLY."
When Father Chiniquy reached his much-loved people, after he had left
the Church of Rome, it was on a Sabbath morning, and they were assembled
for worship. The bishop had telegraphed to them to turn away their
priest, but when they saw him, they received him joyfully, and crowded
round him to know what the bishop had really said. Entering the chapel,
he told his large congregation how and why he was a priest no longer,
assuring them that he would leave them, but not until they bade him
depart. All were deeply affected, but no one spoke, and when he again
appealed to them to bravely rise and tell him to go away, he saw their
countenances beam with love and joy more eloquent than words; and when
he offered to remain with them--the free Christian minister of a
Christian people, united by the love of God and His Word--they all arose
in token of their approval, and a thousand people left the Church of
Rome on that eventful day. And still the movement spread, till nearly
all who had loved and followed him as he had gradually taught them the
truths of the Gospel, followed him seeking the full light and liberty of
God's Word, leading him, and all who heard of it, to exclaim, "This is
the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes."
As might have been expected, they did not see everything at once. There
was a splendid group of statues, representing the Virgin Mary learning
to read at the feet of her mother, and before these statues both priest
and people had often prayed. Chiniquy longed to remove them, with the
pictures and crosses which hung on the walls of the chapel, but was
afraid to do it too quickly. One Sunday, however, after preaching from
the text, "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image," he remained
behind to pray, and, looking up at the images, he said, "My good ladies,
you must come down from that high position. God Almighty alone is
worshipped here now. Your reign has come to an end." A thin, strong,
silken cord secured them on their pedestals. He cut the cord, and, as he
expected, the very next Sunday, when the people knelt to pray, the
images gave a couple of jerks, and then fell down, and were smashed to
fragments on the floor, the people laughing, and saying to one another,
"How foolish to pray to these idols to protect us, when they cannot take
care of themselves!" The other images, crosses, and pictures were soon
cleared away.
The most of the people soon learned to reject purgatory, but some still
clung to their old belief, and Chiniquy would not too suddenly disturb
it. When "All Souls' Day" came round, and collections were usually made
for those in purgatory, two boxes were provided--a white one to receive
contributions for the widows and the fatherless children, and a black
one for offerings for the dead. But those who put money into the black
one were asked kindly to say how their gifts could be conveyed to their
dead friends, as in every case he had yet heard of, the priests had kept
them for their own bread and butter. A general smile followed that
announcement, and thirty-five dollars were put into the white box for
the living, and nothing at all into the black one for the dead.
So, one by one, all the false doctrines of Rome were renounced, and a
few months after, six thousand were banded together under the name of
"Christian Catholics."
Rome, however, would not thus easily lose so many of its children, and
another bishop thought he would try to win them back again. He appointed
a day to visit them, with a number of priests, and found a strong,
large platform prepared for his reception, and a great number of people
assembled together to see and hear. As he approached, the American flag
was hoisted over the chapel, and the people shouted, "Hurrah for the
flag of the free and the brave!" This alarmed the priestly visitors, but
Chiniquy hastened to assure them that they would not be injured, but
they, on the contrary, would be received in the most courteous way.
The bishop then alighted from his carriage, the priests gathered round
him, and his grand vicar told the people to kneel down and receive their
bishop's benediction. No one moved. He repeated his request still more
loudly, when some one answered, "Do you not know, sir, that we no longer
bend the knee to any man? It is only before God we kneel"; and all the
people said, "Amen."
Forbidding their own beloved Pastor Chiniquy to speak, the bishop then
tremblingly addressed the crowd. He was evidently staggered by the
people's courage. Having abused the "wicked, rebellious priest" who had
led them away from Rome, he concluded by begging them to return to their
holy Mother Church, and asked who would guide them in the ways of God if
they forsook the Church of their fathers? After a solemn silence, an old
farmer, raising his Bible over his head, exclaimed, "This Bible is all
we want to guide us in the ways of God. We do not want anything but the
pure Word of God to teach us what we must do to be saved. As for you,
sir, you had better go away, and never come here any more."
The bishop having failed to gain the people, tried to forcibly prevent
Chiniquy from speaking. This was too much for the congregation, and it
was only for his sake, and at his urgent request, that they allowed the
unwelcome visitors to depart unmolested. They retired, defeated and
annoyed, and the bishop soon afterwards became a lunatic.
Thus God preserved His servant and His people in the hour of trial, and
though many other difficulties arose, His Word continued to accomplish
His purposes of love and grace; and like another Luther, Pastor
Chiniquy, though often in peril and doomed to death, has lived on to a
ripe old age, covered and shielded by the shadow of the Almighty. There
may we also live and rest.--_Jottings on_ "_The Life and Work of Father
Chiniquy_," _by Cousin Susan_.
RARE AND COSTLY BIBLES.
The special feature at the recent sale of the Earl of Crawford's library
was the disposal of old and rare editions of the Bible in various
languages. The most important lots were as follows:--
The "Bishops'" Bible, a revision of the "Great Bible" undertaken by
Archbishop Parker and eight other bishops, black letter, folio, 1568. It
is sometimes called the "Treacle" Bible, from the words, "Is there no
_tryacle_ [instead of 'balm'] in Gilead?" L70 [sold to] (Quaritch).
Second edition of the German Bible, _circa_ 1466, L86 (Quaritch); first
edition of Luther's Bible, L51 (Quaritch); the Mazarin Bible, or the
Gutenberg Bible--the first edition of the Bible, and the earliest book
printed with movable metal types; a rare and much-sought book, two
volumes, printed by Gutenberg and Fuest about 1450, L2,650. This book was
put up at L695, for which price this particular copy was sold thirty
years ago. The book will remain in this country. Sir John Thorold's
copy, a few years ago, fetched L3,900. Another Latin Bible, two volumes,
first edition, with a date beautifully printed upon vellum, folio, 1462,
L1,025 (Quaritch); Biblia Slavonica, the Ostrog edition, 1581, L73
(Quaritch); the Virginian Bible, by John Eliot, with Psalms in metre,
two volumes in one, quarto, 1685 and 1680, L40 (Quaritch); first
edition of the Welsh Bible, from the Wepre Hall Library, 1588, L60
(Quaritch); Block Book, Apocalypsis Sancti Johannis, forty-eight leaves
printed from wooden blocks, in colours, and the xylographic text in
brown ink, bound up with other matter in the old oak boards, folio,
_circa_ 1430. This rare and curious volume is generally considered as
being the second attempt in xylographic printing, the priority being
given to the Ars Memorandi. Block books are supposed to have preceded by
nearly twenty-five years the discovery of printing with metal types, and
the workmanship is attributed to the press of Laurence Coster at Harlem.
This specimen was put up at L100, and after a keen competition between
Mr. Ellis and Mr. Quaritch, it was secured by the latter for L500. The
day's sale realized upwards of L7,000.
A NEW TELEPHONE.