Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, July 8, 1914 — John Shaqi
Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, July 8, 1914Various
General
Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, July 8, 1914
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
When first, from care and toil set free,
I plunge into the summer sea
And bring a mouthful back with me.
* * * * *
Illustration: THE ANNUAL PROBLEM.
_Showing how helpfully the hoardings distinguish between the
characteristic features of various localities._
* * * * *
Illustration: A LONG-FELT WANT.
THE SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO MOTOR-CYCLES.
* * * * *
POLITICS AT THE ZOO.
Lord ROBERT CECIL'S comparison of the occupants of the Treasury Bench to
the monkeys at the Zoo has caused considerable excitement in Regent's
Park, and one of _Mr. Punch's_ representatives, assisted by an
interpreter, has taken the opportunity to sound some of the principal
inmates on the subject.
In the Simian section a certain amount of regret was expressed that Lord
ROBERT had not been more explicit in his comparison. Did he refer to
chimpanzees, baboons, gorillas or other species? But when all allowance
was made for this lack of precision the general impression was one of
satisfaction that a leading politician should have frankly admitted that
monkeys possessed qualities which entitled their human possessors to
high office and handsome salaries. It was felt that this admission
marked a great advance on all previous concessions to the claims of the
Simian community, and pointed irresistibly to the ultimate
grant--already long overdue--of Monkey Franchise throughout the Empire.
Baboons, it was well known, were already employed as railway porters in
Cape Colony, and chimpanzees had of late years appeared with great
success at some of the leading music-halls. In view of these facts the
further delay of the suffrage could no longer be justified. At present
we were confronted with the gross anomaly that a tailor, who was
admitted to be only the ninth part of a man, was given a vote, while the
monkey, man's ancestor, was denied even the fraction which was all that
a tailor deserved.
These views however were not shared by other _genera_ domiciled at the
Zoological Gardens. One of the oldest lions observed in a strepitous
bass that it was a great relief to him that his race had not been
degraded by any such comparisons. He had some respect for hunters, but
as for politicians he would not be seen dead with them at a pig fair.
Asked whether he had read Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALD'S account of his
lion-hunting exploits, in _The Daily Chronicle_, he professed ignorance
and even indifference. Speaking as an aristocrat he thought that a
Labour leader was not worthy to twist his tail. As for the conduct of
Mr. BERNARD SHAW in bringing lions on the stage, he thought it little
short of an outrage for an anaemic vegetarian to take liberties with the
king of the carnivora.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account