[Illustration: Hold your Jaw!]
At the dinner of the Nottingham Mechanics' Institution, the other night,
Mr. PHELPS, the American Minister, advocated the establishment of a
Professorship of Silence in schools and colleges. Good! There is too
much latitude given to jabberers and chatterers in the present day.
Politicians do nothing but prate, and the talking man nowadays has taken
the place of the working man. We might begin our reform in the House of
Commons. The Sergeant-at-Arms might appoint a beadle to bridle the
tongues of the everlasting talkers, and an official with a large
extinguisher should make them harmless after they had bored the House
for five minutes.
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TO SEVERAL CORRESPONDENTS.--"Fox the Quaker." It is not true that the
birthday of this excellent man is celebrated in his native place by an
annual "meet." Fox was occasionally hunted, but though a Quaker, it is
not on record that he ever quaked. Our Correspondents' mistake arises
probably from Fox having been a man of _pax_. But in this case his
memory would be honoured by all card-players.
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