Mr. Punch's History of Modern England, Vol. 4 (of 4).—1892-1914Graves, Charles L. (Charles Larcom)
History
Mr. Punch's History of Modern England, Vol. 4 (of 4).—1892-1914
Graves, Charles L. (Charles Larcom)
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901 -- Humor
Old Age Pensions are shown in 1908 as having already become a millstone
round the neck of the Government; and in that form Mr. Asquith is seen
tying them to the person of Mr. Lloyd George as a presentation to be
worn by all Chancellors of the Exchequer in perpetuity. "Several of our
contemporaries," _Punch_ observes, "are devoting their columns to an
explanation of the best way to obtain an Old Age Pension. _Mr. Punch's_
advice is: _Don't save_."
[Illustration: THE SLUMP IN MANNERS
MR. ASQUITH: "_He_ wouldn't have stood this kind of thing. I
wonder whether I ought."]
On the much-vexed question of Chinese Labour, _Punch_ sided
against its critics, and his cartoons in 1906 represent Sir Henry
Campbell-Bannerman forcing unwelcome freedom on the Chinese coolie.
Ignorance of Imperial questions on the part of the Labour Party is
a frequent theme of comment. In the same year we find an article
describing an imaginary tour in the Colonies by Mr. Keir Hardie and
Mr. Philip Snowden. Mr. Keir Hardie spent two months in India in
1907, and the reports of his speeches, which he declared to be gross
exaggerations and fabrications, led to vehement protests in the British
Press. His biographer states that "for a full fortnight Keir Hardie
was the most violently detested man throughout the English-speaking
world. Even _Punch_ joined in the vituperation with a cartoon by Linley
Sambourne, which showed Britannia gripping the agitator by the scruff
of the neck and apostrophizing him: 'Here, you'd better come home.
We know all about you there, and you'll do less harm.'" _Punch's_
adverse comments were not merely pictorial, and though Mr. Keir Hardie
laid himself open to criticism by his angularity, his vanity and such
remarks as "India to-day is governed by a huge military oligarchy," his
courage and sincerity passed unrecognized.
Strikes and trade depression furnish themes for comment in 1908. In one
cartoon Trade is shown as a lean and ill-favoured goose that has lost
confidence in herself; in another, an engineer going back to work after
seven months' stoppage, meets a cotton-spinning girl just coming out,
and is credited with the admission that his action has done no good to
himself or anyone else.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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