Don't!
[Illustration: 26.--MINERS' MANNERS, 1854.]
This famous _mot_ appeared in _Punch's_ Almanac for 1845, and Mr.
Spielmann states that it was "based upon the ingenious wording of an
advertisement widely put forth by Eamonson & Co., well-known house
furnishers of the day."
[Illustration: 27.--PLEASANT FOR THE YOUTH. BY LEECH, 1853.]
[Illustration: 28.--A SUPPOSITITIOUS RUSSIAN ACCOUNT OF OUR DISTRESS
DURING THE CRIMEAN WAR, 1854.]
As regards the source of this famous joke, Mr. Spielmann, with
characteristic thoroughness, gives a long account of the many claims to
its paternity, and finally makes this statement:--
... chance has placed in my possession the authoritative
information; and so far from any outsider, anonymous or declared,
paid or unpaid, being concerned in it at all, the line simply came
in the ordinary way from one of the Staff--from the man who, with
Landells, had conceived _Punch_ and shaped it from the beginning,
and had invented that first Almanac which had saved the paper's
life--Henry Mayhew.
[Illustration: 29.--A STREET-ARAB OF 1854.]
No. 27 is a very clever drawing by Leech--they are all clever of course,
but this seems specially good. The youth [on Westminster Bridge--time,
two on a foggy morning] white with fear walks on perfectly straight
without taking any notice of the rough who asks: "Did you want to buy a
good razor?"--but he _is_ taking a lot of notice though. The youth walks
exactly like one does walk when a beggar pesters as he slouches
alongside just behind one, but here the frightened youth has good cause
indeed for the shaking fear that Leech has by some magic put into these
strokes of his pencil. The "Reduced Tradesman" too is exactly good--but
let the picture speak for itself, it wants no words of mine.
[Illustration: 30.--OUT OF THE RAIN. 1854.]
There is an amusing "Russian" account, in No. 28, of our troubles at
home during the Crimean War; and No. 29 shows a street-Arab asking the
Queen's coachman, "I say, Coachy, are you engaged?"
[Illustration: 31.--BY LEECH, 1854.]
Glancing at Nos. 30 and 31, we see in No. 32 Leech's picture of the
heroic charge at the Battle of Balaclava, on October 25, 1854, with Lord
Cardigan leading his famous Light Brigade of Cavalry. Here are Mr.
Punch's lines on this gallant charge, which was subsequently
immortalized by Tennyson in his "Charge of the Light Brigade":--