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The Freemason's Chronicle, Oct. 6, 1894: Page 5

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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Jumbled Metaphor.

commonplace language and draw upon his stock of metaphor , but we should hardly be prepared to accord to the sturdy , honest , and generally unimpressionable sailor , a skilful use of the same kind of expression under trying circumstances . Bufc the following instances of figurative language , uttered by Sir John Boscawen Savage , and Admiral Trunnion , had a very inspiriting effect upon the men under their command , and caused

them to fight with an energy which meant success . At the Battle of the Nile , the former , who commanded the marines of the Orion , thus addressed his men : — " There , " pointing to the long , low coast line , " is the land of Egypt , and , my lads , if you don't fight like madmen , you'll find yourselves in the house of bondage to-morrow . " "Boys , " said Admiral Trunnion , when his fleet closed in combat with the Dutch fleet under Admiral de Winter , " you see a severe winter approaching , and I advise you to keep up a good fire . "

Sir Boyle Roche , the Irish Member of Parliament , excelled in the use of metaphor . His sayings come upon us now in that form which writers of the present day term " chestnuts , " and I am prepared to admit that many may be apocryphal , but still , as some of those attributed to him are exceedingly witty , they are worthy of a place hero . " It is tho essence of a metaphor that it should be literally false , " says a writer ( E . A . Abbott , M . A . ) , and Sir Boyle

Roche was faithfully obedient to this requirement . It was he who said " I smell a rat , and can see it hovering in the air . " One day when opposing a ministerial motion he expressed himself thus : — "I wish , Mr . Speaker , that this motion was at the bottom of the bottomless pit . " He once observed that " England certainly was the mother country , and therefore he would advise England and Ireland to live in filial affection together like sisters as they are , and ought to be . "

Upon the question of smuggling practices in the Shannon , ho advised that" there should be two frigates stationed on the opposite points of the mouth of the river , and there they should remain fixed , with strict orders not to stir , and so by cruising and cruising about they would be able to intercept everything that should attempt to pass between . "

Addressing the House ho is reported to have uttered these memorable words : — " You say that we should pass tho Bill for the sake of posterity . What has posterity ever done for us , I should like to know ? Honourable gentlemen may laugh , but I beg to assure them that by posterity I do not mean our ancestors , but those who came immediately after them . "

Upon another occasion he said : — "My loyalty has been questioned . Sir , I allow no man to question my loyalty ; I stand prostrate at the foot of the throne . " A rumour was abroad that the French were about to invade Ireland . "If , " he said , " those foreign villains are allowed to

land on our shores , they will attack the glorious fabric of our Constitution , and bring its foundation stones about our ears . They will then break into this legislative Hall , cut us all into pieces , and throw our bleeding heads on that table to stare us in the very face . "

According to the " Spectator , " " Sir Boyle Roche was of the ancient family of the Do La Rusaes of Fermoy ; was member for Traleo from 1775 , and was created a baronet in 1782 . He commenced one of his speeches in the Irish House of Commons as follows : — ' Mr . Speaker , it is the duty of every true lover of his country to give his last guinea to save the remainder of his fortunes . '

And another began : — ' Sir , single misfortunes never come alone , and the greatest of all national calamaties is generally followed by one much greater . ' A letter of his is preserved , supposed to have been written during the rebellion of ' 98 , though it is doubtful if he ever pufc so many " bulls " together on paper . It is as follows : — ' Dear Sir , —Having now a little peace and quiet , I sit down to

inform you of the bustle and confusion we are in from the bloodthirsty rebels , many of whom are now , thank God ! killed and dispersed . We aro in a pretty mess , can get nothing to eat , and no wine to drink except whisky . When we sit down to dinner , we are obliged to keep both hands armed . While I write this , I have my sword in one hand , and my pistol in the other . I concluded

from the beginning that this would bc the end , and I am right , for it is not half over yet . Afc present there aro such goings on that everything is at a standstill . I should have answered your letter a fortnight ago , but I only received it this morning . Indeed , hardly a mail arrives safe without being robbed . No longer ago than yesterday , the mail coach from Dublin was robbed near this town

the bags had been very judiciously loft behind , and by great good luck there was nobody in the coach but two outside passengers , who had nothing for the thieves to take . Last Thursday an alarm was given that a gang of rebels in full retreat from Drogheda were advancing under tho French standard ; but they had no colours nor any drums except bagpipes . Immediately every man in the place ,

including women and children , ran out to meet them . We soon found our force a great deal too little , and were far too near to think of retreating . Death was in every face , and to it wc went . By the time half our party were killed we began to be alive . Fortunately the rebels had no guns , except pistols , cutlasses , and pikes , and we had plenty of muskets and ammunition . We put them all to the sword , not a soul of them escaped , except some

that were drowned in an adjoining bog . In fact , in a short time nothing was heard but silence . Their uniforms were all different , chiefly green . After the action was over we went to rummage the camp . All wo found was a few pikes without heads , a parcel of empty bottles filled with water , and a bundle of blank French commissions , filled up with Irish names . Troops aro now stationed round , which exactly squares with my ideas of security . Adieu ! I have only time to add that I am yours in great haste . —B . R .

P-S . —If you do not receive this , of course it must have miscarried ; therefore I beg you to write aud let me know . '" The temperance terms teetotal and teetotaler , originated in the stuttering exhortation of Richard Turner ( Dicky Turner ) , an operative of Preston , who , while addressing a meeting of abstainers in September 1833 , observed that " Nothing but t-t-t-total abstinence ¦ will do , " Jacob Livesay , another temperance advocate , said he

Jumbled Metaphor.

remembered him iu one of his speeches making the following extraordinary appeal : —" Let us be up and doing , comrades 1 Let us take cur axes on our shoulders , and plough the deep till the good ship of temperance sails gaily o'er the land ! "

" The injudicious use of metaphor , " says " Vanity Fair , ( March 1883 ) , " caused much merriment in the House of Commons . Tlie speaker was an Irishman , a staunch opponent of Sunday Closing and of Permissive Bills , and personally a considerable benefactor to the revenue . He was criticising the Irish Attorney

General ' s answer to Mr . Parnell . ' The facts , ' said the honourable member , ' relied on by the Attorney General are strange . His statement is a strong one . Now , Mr . Speaker , I can swallow a good deal . ( ' Hear ! hear ! ' ' Quite true ! ' ' Begorra ! you can ! ' and roars of laughter . ) I repeat , I can swallow a good deal !—( ' hear I hear ! ' and fresh volleys of laughter , as inattentive members

learnt from their neighbours what it was all about)—but I can't swallow that . ' The incident reminds one of an equally amusing interruption to a speech of Baron de Worms . The debate had to do with the Jews . The baron had just remarked , ' We owe much to the Jews , ' when there came a feeling groan from a well-known member in his back corner , ' We do ! ' "

Colonel Saunderson , the doughty champion of tho Orange cause , onco remarked in the House of Commons that Mr . Dillon " had fired a barbed arrow at Colonel Caddell in order that somo of the mud might stick ; " and about four years ago a contemporary referring to the proprietor of " Truth , " said that " Mr . Labouchere had talked of the ' bleatine of a bruised worm . '"

An orator at one of the University Unions fairly revelled m metaphor when he declared that " the British lion , whether it was roaming the deserts of India or climbing the forests of Canada , would not draw in its horns or retire into its shell , " and a certain Irish editor was affected with similar earnestness , who exclaimed when speaking of the wrongs of his country : — " Her cup of misery has long been overflowing , and it is not yet full . "

In July 1891 , Sir Richard Temple , ex-govenor of Bombay , speaking in the House of Commons on the Education Bill , caused much merriment by his use of metaphor . Adverting to the bravo old voluntary school he said " hereafter it will not be able to keep its

head above water , being obliged to strike its flag to tho pirates of the School Board ; " but when he spoke about hon . gentlemen opposite drumming certain things into their ears " every night for the last ten days , " the House very nearly went into convulsions .

" Book of Rarities , " by Bro . Edward Roberts P . M . We shall bo pleased to receive particulars of Masonic meetings for insertion in our columns , and where desired will endeavour to send a representative to report Lodge or other proceedings .

Ad00502

CRITERION RESTAURANT . EAST KOOM , DINNERS & SUPPERS A LA CARTE . WEST EOOM , FROM 12 TO 3 , Academy Luncheon at 2 / 9 per Head , "Le Diner Parisien , " 5 / - ; Supper , 4 / - inatrwmerttal Music . GKAND HALL , The Popular 3 / 6 Dinner Is Served at SEPARATE TABLES , 6 to 9 p ra ., Dnring - which lhe Celebrated "SPIERPON" ORCHESTRA , WILL PERFORM .

“The Freemason's Chronicle: 1894-10-06, Page 5” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 7 Aug. 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fcn/issues/fcn_06101894/page/5/.
  • List
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Title Category Page
THE SCHOOL QUARTERLY COURTS. Article 1
CONCERT AT THE GIRLS SCHOOL. Article 1
SOUTH WALES. Article 2
CHESHIRE. Article 3
SOMERSET. Article 3
MASONIC HOMES. Article 3
SOUTH AFRICAN EDUCATION FUND. Article 4
RUSHING CANDIDATES. Article 4
JUMBLED METAPHOR. Article 4
Untitled Ad 5
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 6
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
GIRLS SCHOOL. Article 7
BOYS SCHOOL. Article 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Article 7
Masonic Sonnets, No. 103. Article 7
REPORTS OF MEETINGS. Article 8
NEXT WEEK. Article 12
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Jumbled Metaphor.

commonplace language and draw upon his stock of metaphor , but we should hardly be prepared to accord to the sturdy , honest , and generally unimpressionable sailor , a skilful use of the same kind of expression under trying circumstances . Bufc the following instances of figurative language , uttered by Sir John Boscawen Savage , and Admiral Trunnion , had a very inspiriting effect upon the men under their command , and caused

them to fight with an energy which meant success . At the Battle of the Nile , the former , who commanded the marines of the Orion , thus addressed his men : — " There , " pointing to the long , low coast line , " is the land of Egypt , and , my lads , if you don't fight like madmen , you'll find yourselves in the house of bondage to-morrow . " "Boys , " said Admiral Trunnion , when his fleet closed in combat with the Dutch fleet under Admiral de Winter , " you see a severe winter approaching , and I advise you to keep up a good fire . "

Sir Boyle Roche , the Irish Member of Parliament , excelled in the use of metaphor . His sayings come upon us now in that form which writers of the present day term " chestnuts , " and I am prepared to admit that many may be apocryphal , but still , as some of those attributed to him are exceedingly witty , they are worthy of a place hero . " It is tho essence of a metaphor that it should be literally false , " says a writer ( E . A . Abbott , M . A . ) , and Sir Boyle

Roche was faithfully obedient to this requirement . It was he who said " I smell a rat , and can see it hovering in the air . " One day when opposing a ministerial motion he expressed himself thus : — "I wish , Mr . Speaker , that this motion was at the bottom of the bottomless pit . " He once observed that " England certainly was the mother country , and therefore he would advise England and Ireland to live in filial affection together like sisters as they are , and ought to be . "

Upon the question of smuggling practices in the Shannon , ho advised that" there should be two frigates stationed on the opposite points of the mouth of the river , and there they should remain fixed , with strict orders not to stir , and so by cruising and cruising about they would be able to intercept everything that should attempt to pass between . "

Addressing the House ho is reported to have uttered these memorable words : — " You say that we should pass tho Bill for the sake of posterity . What has posterity ever done for us , I should like to know ? Honourable gentlemen may laugh , but I beg to assure them that by posterity I do not mean our ancestors , but those who came immediately after them . "

Upon another occasion he said : — "My loyalty has been questioned . Sir , I allow no man to question my loyalty ; I stand prostrate at the foot of the throne . " A rumour was abroad that the French were about to invade Ireland . "If , " he said , " those foreign villains are allowed to

land on our shores , they will attack the glorious fabric of our Constitution , and bring its foundation stones about our ears . They will then break into this legislative Hall , cut us all into pieces , and throw our bleeding heads on that table to stare us in the very face . "

According to the " Spectator , " " Sir Boyle Roche was of the ancient family of the Do La Rusaes of Fermoy ; was member for Traleo from 1775 , and was created a baronet in 1782 . He commenced one of his speeches in the Irish House of Commons as follows : — ' Mr . Speaker , it is the duty of every true lover of his country to give his last guinea to save the remainder of his fortunes . '

And another began : — ' Sir , single misfortunes never come alone , and the greatest of all national calamaties is generally followed by one much greater . ' A letter of his is preserved , supposed to have been written during the rebellion of ' 98 , though it is doubtful if he ever pufc so many " bulls " together on paper . It is as follows : — ' Dear Sir , —Having now a little peace and quiet , I sit down to

inform you of the bustle and confusion we are in from the bloodthirsty rebels , many of whom are now , thank God ! killed and dispersed . We aro in a pretty mess , can get nothing to eat , and no wine to drink except whisky . When we sit down to dinner , we are obliged to keep both hands armed . While I write this , I have my sword in one hand , and my pistol in the other . I concluded

from the beginning that this would bc the end , and I am right , for it is not half over yet . Afc present there aro such goings on that everything is at a standstill . I should have answered your letter a fortnight ago , but I only received it this morning . Indeed , hardly a mail arrives safe without being robbed . No longer ago than yesterday , the mail coach from Dublin was robbed near this town

the bags had been very judiciously loft behind , and by great good luck there was nobody in the coach but two outside passengers , who had nothing for the thieves to take . Last Thursday an alarm was given that a gang of rebels in full retreat from Drogheda were advancing under tho French standard ; but they had no colours nor any drums except bagpipes . Immediately every man in the place ,

including women and children , ran out to meet them . We soon found our force a great deal too little , and were far too near to think of retreating . Death was in every face , and to it wc went . By the time half our party were killed we began to be alive . Fortunately the rebels had no guns , except pistols , cutlasses , and pikes , and we had plenty of muskets and ammunition . We put them all to the sword , not a soul of them escaped , except some

that were drowned in an adjoining bog . In fact , in a short time nothing was heard but silence . Their uniforms were all different , chiefly green . After the action was over we went to rummage the camp . All wo found was a few pikes without heads , a parcel of empty bottles filled with water , and a bundle of blank French commissions , filled up with Irish names . Troops aro now stationed round , which exactly squares with my ideas of security . Adieu ! I have only time to add that I am yours in great haste . —B . R .

P-S . —If you do not receive this , of course it must have miscarried ; therefore I beg you to write aud let me know . '" The temperance terms teetotal and teetotaler , originated in the stuttering exhortation of Richard Turner ( Dicky Turner ) , an operative of Preston , who , while addressing a meeting of abstainers in September 1833 , observed that " Nothing but t-t-t-total abstinence ¦ will do , " Jacob Livesay , another temperance advocate , said he

Jumbled Metaphor.

remembered him iu one of his speeches making the following extraordinary appeal : —" Let us be up and doing , comrades 1 Let us take cur axes on our shoulders , and plough the deep till the good ship of temperance sails gaily o'er the land ! "

" The injudicious use of metaphor , " says " Vanity Fair , ( March 1883 ) , " caused much merriment in the House of Commons . Tlie speaker was an Irishman , a staunch opponent of Sunday Closing and of Permissive Bills , and personally a considerable benefactor to the revenue . He was criticising the Irish Attorney

General ' s answer to Mr . Parnell . ' The facts , ' said the honourable member , ' relied on by the Attorney General are strange . His statement is a strong one . Now , Mr . Speaker , I can swallow a good deal . ( ' Hear ! hear ! ' ' Quite true ! ' ' Begorra ! you can ! ' and roars of laughter . ) I repeat , I can swallow a good deal !—( ' hear I hear ! ' and fresh volleys of laughter , as inattentive members

learnt from their neighbours what it was all about)—but I can't swallow that . ' The incident reminds one of an equally amusing interruption to a speech of Baron de Worms . The debate had to do with the Jews . The baron had just remarked , ' We owe much to the Jews , ' when there came a feeling groan from a well-known member in his back corner , ' We do ! ' "

Colonel Saunderson , the doughty champion of tho Orange cause , onco remarked in the House of Commons that Mr . Dillon " had fired a barbed arrow at Colonel Caddell in order that somo of the mud might stick ; " and about four years ago a contemporary referring to the proprietor of " Truth , " said that " Mr . Labouchere had talked of the ' bleatine of a bruised worm . '"

An orator at one of the University Unions fairly revelled m metaphor when he declared that " the British lion , whether it was roaming the deserts of India or climbing the forests of Canada , would not draw in its horns or retire into its shell , " and a certain Irish editor was affected with similar earnestness , who exclaimed when speaking of the wrongs of his country : — " Her cup of misery has long been overflowing , and it is not yet full . "

In July 1891 , Sir Richard Temple , ex-govenor of Bombay , speaking in the House of Commons on the Education Bill , caused much merriment by his use of metaphor . Adverting to the bravo old voluntary school he said " hereafter it will not be able to keep its

head above water , being obliged to strike its flag to tho pirates of the School Board ; " but when he spoke about hon . gentlemen opposite drumming certain things into their ears " every night for the last ten days , " the House very nearly went into convulsions .

" Book of Rarities , " by Bro . Edward Roberts P . M . We shall bo pleased to receive particulars of Masonic meetings for insertion in our columns , and where desired will endeavour to send a representative to report Lodge or other proceedings .

Ad00502

CRITERION RESTAURANT . EAST KOOM , DINNERS & SUPPERS A LA CARTE . WEST EOOM , FROM 12 TO 3 , Academy Luncheon at 2 / 9 per Head , "Le Diner Parisien , " 5 / - ; Supper , 4 / - inatrwmerttal Music . GKAND HALL , The Popular 3 / 6 Dinner Is Served at SEPARATE TABLES , 6 to 9 p ra ., Dnring - which lhe Celebrated "SPIERPON" ORCHESTRA , WILL PERFORM .

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