Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London LifeKirwan, Daniel Joseph
History
Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London Life
Kirwan, Daniel Joseph
London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- Social life and customs
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
TO BE OPENED BY "A PROTESTANT."
CHAIR TO BE TAKEN AT NINE O'CLOCK.
SUPPER FROM EIGHT TILL TWELVE.
BEDS. PRIVATE SITTING-ROOMS.
There was a venerable looking old fellow in the chair when we entered
the Discussion Forum, who lifted a pair of gold rimmed spectacles from
his nose to take a look at us. This was the chairman of the meeting,
and shortly after we sat down he cried out to a tall person with a
short grey raglan coat who was speaking and perspiring at the same time.
"Mister Chowley I will and cannot allow you, sir, to trample on the
religious feelings of any man present in this harmonious meeting. We
are all brothers here, sir, and the individual who disturbs our peace
and quietness, should be to us all as the 'Eathen and the publican,
sir." (Hear, hear.)
The tall man with the raglan, who did not like to be suppressed so
easily, had taken his seat for a moment much against his will, but now
he arose slowly and scornfully looking around him, spoke, with one
hand leaning on a chair behind him, and another hand in his breast, as
follows:
"Gentlemen, this his an age of science if it is an age of hanythink.
Wot does my honorable and noble Roman Catholic friend wish to advance
has an argument. Does he mean to tell ME, with my heyes hopen in
this here blessed Nineteenth Century, which we are all so proud
of, and whose blessed light is the moving cause of so much mental
brilliancy--does he mean to tell me for a moment that the miracle of
the transposition of water into wine at the wedding of Cana wos han
hactual fact. Why gents it his altogether impossible--and no reasonable
man in this Nineteenth century can for a moment believe it possible.
Wot would Galileo, Kepler, Faraday or sich bright lights of the
Nineteenth century say to sich stories? Why gents, there is a chemical
change which would have to take place before such a translation,
and this chemical transformation could not take place without the
assistance of other substances. (Hear, hear.) And gents, as far as the
infallibility of the Pope is concerned, why I have only to say in the
words of the poet, hand I mention no names, that a piece of fat pork
might stick in his gullet as soon as it would stick in mine, and that's
all I think of infallibility and fat pork, with the blessed light of
the nineteenth century before me." (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Chowley here sat down, thoroughly satisfied with himself and
auditory, who applauded him to the echo. Then a member of the Roman
Catholic persuasion answered him in a long and splendid oration, which
seemed to thoroughly convince every one present that the Catholic side
was right, and the Protestant one a most diabolical doctrine. After
each man had done his little speech, it was curious, nay amusing, to
hear the adherents of either party comment upon the previous argument.
"Oh! I say," said a Presbyterian, "didn't he smash the old Pope
neither."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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