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Article Science, Art, and the Drama. Page 1 of 1 Article Science, Art, and the Drama. Page 1 of 1 Ad Untitled Page 1 of 1
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Science, Art, And The Drama.
Science , Art , and the Drama .
A POSSIBLE ELECTORAL REVOLUTION . The thought must have often entered into the minds of our modern statesmen , what a saving of time , labour , and expense would ensue if electoral voting by ballot could be managed so lhat it should be rendered automatic , self-registering , and , more important still , incapable of error . This has been dismissed by the practical politician as a mere daydream , only possible to exist in the land of Utopia . And yet this vision of fancy
may become an actual reality in our present work-day world . A modern inventor , Mr . VV . H . Howe , has elaborated a system of electoral procedure —not only perfect in results , but also perfect in its method of attaining them . The inventor claims to have accomplished this without altering the piesent flection law , except that it would be necessary to pass an Act rendering it legal to record votes by mechanical meanj . Let us consider
what this naturally means . Every duty would be taken off the returning officer and his staff , except that of identifying the elector , that of keeping order at the various polling stations , and that of adding together the totals of the distinct records at the close of lhe poll—a matter of three or four minutes . The duties above mentioned this ncw invention undertakes , and , whatsis more , performs
with uneriing accuracy . We will endeavour to describe the working of this wondeiful new machine . Quoting from The Times , " The most complete method of Electoral Voting seems to be one quite recently patented , by Mr . W . H . llotve . In this , the voter passes into the polling chamber by a turnstile , which locks itself after him , and is unlocked by the simple act of the elector choosing a candidate . Inside , the voter sees the names of the
candidates , printed up in a row before him . He pulls out the handle , or handles , of the men he wishes to vote for , and passes on . His vote is recorded by a printing apparatus , set working by the turnstile . Thus each person who enters is absolutely precluded from voting more than once , or tampering with the apparatus , because he can only vote at all by leaving it . This ingenious invention , which we have indicated in the barest outline ,
fulfils all , and more than all , the provisions and intention of the Ballot Act . It secures absolute secrecy , gives effect to the voter's intentions , without fail , provides for a scrutiny , by which each vote can be traced in a moment , and abolishes counting . The votes are printed in consecutive numbars , and , therefore , the ' last one recorded , for each candidate , gives the total of his poll . " It is reckoned
that the votes forfeited , by one blunder or another , are as many as 20 , 000 in all , or an average of 50 each , in 400 constituencies . The number of results which might have been changed , if all the spoilt papers had been valid , may easily be imagined . Aa to the second great division of errorsthose which come from faulty counting—we get some hint of its extent from what has happened in electoral recounts . We verify , from our own
experience , the facts stated above . We paid a visit to the office where thc machine is exhibited , in Fleet-street—saw the inventor , who showed us the wotking of the system—went through the whole proceedings of a supposed election recorded , printed , and registered our votes by one automatic action . In addition , the inventor showed us an ingenious method by which a cripp ' e , unable to walk , can be wheeled in his carriage into the polling
chamber , without any personal discomfort , or his identity being known—he recording , printing , and registering his vote by one automatic action . One of the most impoitant points is this . The illiterate elector is able to vote , without any one ' s aid , for the first time in the history of voting . No official employed at a polling-station—not even the returning officer himself—can ever find out how an elector has voted . The
returning officer never sees the books of the poll clerkthese , with the marked regislers , being carefully sealed up before the ballot rolls are examined , and no poll clerk ever sees the ballot rolls—these being examined by the Returning Officers and the candidates and their agents only . A comparison of poll books with ballot rolls can cnly be made by the High Court , in case of a petition with demand for a scrutiny . We have thus given a brief description of this desiderated
machine for voting by ballot , and have mentioned its most important uses . The inventor , Mr . W . H . Howe , told us he has patented his machine , and offered it to the British Government . What the result will bo is utterly unknown ; Government departments do not , as a rule , extend a welcome to new inventions ; the cut-and-dried tape system is still in vogue , and is a great bar to enquiry and enterprise . Wc would suggest to those interested a visit to this ingenious and useful machine .
THE GOLDEN EPOCH OF VICTORIA , R . I ,
NEW BURI . INOTON-STRKET , BOXIJ-STREET , W . This important work is by Arthur Drummond , who painted the wellknown picture of " Bobs and thc Baby" — " Don ' t you see I am engaged . " 1 he artist has endeavoured to group together the illustrious personages who in the departments of thc Church , Army , Navy , Law , Science , Art in all its various branches , Music , the Drama , * x * c , contributed to add a lustre to
the Golden Epoch of our late illustrious Oueen . It is a noble work ; but the artist has attempted too much , the irevitable result being that the picture is over-crowded by the groups of celebrities . We regret this the more , as many of the portraits are excellent and life-like , * we would especially mention those of Marquis of Salisbury and Eirl Roberts . The biographical nates with the key-plate ate of great use in examining thc picture .
35 , NEW BOND-STREET , VV . There has been lately added to the great art collection at the above gallery a remarkable picture entitled " Suffer little children to come unto ft 'e , lhe work of Jamts E . Christie . The artist has gone out of the
ordinary beaten track , and has given q-iite a new conception of the text , uringnijr our Saviour ' s influence to bear upon cvery-day life . The picture oes , 1 » t .-it first make a deep impression , but it grows upon one in a wonderful way . The varied groups of young children are naturally aopicted ; the li ghts and shadows of child life are patheticallv depicted . At
"ie command of her late Majesty the Queen , Mr . Christie ' s religious Ca iTY , ffer "ttlc children , " was conveyed from Aberdeen to Balmoral asue tor the Queen ' s inspection , who expressed herself as being highly enrod T * the W ° ' and her Ma i csly graciously ordered a copy of the
THE DORE GALLERY .
Science, Art, And The Drama.
THE CENTURY THEATRE . It is not our custom to review a piece when it has been withdrawn , but we are tempted to do so in the case of " The Whirl of the Town , " which took its farewell of the stage , at all events for the present , on Saturday evening , the igth instant . We have been surprised at the fierce attacks that have been made against it by the leading dramatic critics . The piece was entitled a musical absurdity , and as such might surely have been more
leniently judged . Severe criticism on such a harmless production is like breaking a butterfly on a wheel . It might have been permitted to flutter out its ephemeral existence without hastening its end . Some of the critics say the piece had no story—here we must differ from them ; it has a plot , though , confessedly , of a slight nature , in the ist Act , and there is a distinct originality in its treatment .
The story seems to hav 2 been nearly lost in the 2 nd Act , this we believe to have caused the wreckage of the piece . To the series of musical turns , which had no connection with the plot , and only tended to unduly prolong the performance , may be attributed the failure of "The Whirl of the Town " to catch the taste of the British public . In spite of its serious defects , there is some good material in it , which might be worked up into a success . Mr . John Le Hay hid an amusing part as Neptune , Miss
Madge Lessing was most graceful as the runaway Mermaid , amongst other musical pieces , she had a coon song , with the cike-walk order of dance , encored several times , which certainly tojk on . Mr . H . E . Dixey , as the Kleptomaniac , had a great deal of "go , " being a graceful dancer . The Champagne Dance of Miss Mabel Love was an agreeable feature of the entertainment medley . We say " au revoir" to "The Whirl of the Town . " VVe believe we shall see it again .
THE CAMDEN THEATRE
VVhat the Coronet Theatre is to the inhabitants of Notting Hill and its vicinity , that is the Camden Theatre to the people of Camden Town and its outlying districts . The two theatres are b ) th under the direction of Mr . E . G . Saunders , are built on the same lines , and under a libaral management the comforts of its numerous patrons are carefully tended . We paid a visit to the Camden Theatre last week , and were so well pleased that we hope ,
ere long , to renew our acquaintance . The dramatic fare provided was " The Shadow Dance , " being a melodrama founded on that world-renowned story of Victor Hugo , " Notre Dame de Paris . " We object , however , to the title of the version—it seems to us that the " Hunchback of Notre Dame " would have been more suitable , and more likely to attract . This piece was represented by Mr . Charles Cartwright and his company .
Mr . Cartwright , as Quasimodo , the deformed hunchback , gave an intelligent and powerful rendering of the character . He is a good actor , without rant , even in the fiercest outburst of passion , " not o ' erstepping the modesty of nature . " His daughter , Miss Edith Cartwright , enacted the part of Esmeralda with grace and feeling . The other characters were well
sustained . We would especially notice Pierre Gringoire , a poet , Mr . Joseph Tapley . Claude Frollo , Mr . Edward O'Neill , was enacted with intelligence . The part of Zillah , the revengeful gipsy , fell to ths lot of Miss Lindsay Fincham . The piece was well mo . intecl , the ostumss correct . The music , specially composed by Napoleon Lambslet , was melodious and appropriate .
AT A MEETING of the United Wards' Club , held at th ** Cannoi-strest Hotel , last week , an illuminated address was presented to Bro . A . B . Hudson , C . C , in ree ignition of his services as Pre-ident . The scroll , which was franc 1 , bore the City coitof-arms and the club's emblem— " clasped hands . " CHRISTMAS COMFORTS FOR THE TROOPS . —Bro . the Lord Mayor of London has received a letter from the Mayor of Capetown inviting his co-operation and assLtance in connection with the movement now being mide to provide Christmas
comforts , literature , and books to the troops and Volunteers serving at the front , and in the blockhouses guarding the lines of co * nmunication . VVhat is spiciilly wintei is the regular collection of literature , such as interesting books and magazines for distribution to the forces . In response to this letter , the Lord Miyor has made a grant from the War Fund ( Discretionary Branch ) of £ 250 tothe Mayor ' s collection . Gifts of Christmas fare ( for transmission to the Capetown Committff' *) may be sent to M ; ssrs . Hayter and I Iayter , the Government packers . Ge <*> rge-yard , Upper Thames-street , London , who will fonvard them free of charge to thc donors .
Ad01102
. g *__ LAi » II —— _ -n » -M- » -M » 8-- « ---W-- » - » - « - - -MB-M __ B _ X A \ OBTAINABLE u Cft * ^ QTi-,..- -t «•*>" \s£\»
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Science, Art, And The Drama.
Science , Art , and the Drama .
A POSSIBLE ELECTORAL REVOLUTION . The thought must have often entered into the minds of our modern statesmen , what a saving of time , labour , and expense would ensue if electoral voting by ballot could be managed so lhat it should be rendered automatic , self-registering , and , more important still , incapable of error . This has been dismissed by the practical politician as a mere daydream , only possible to exist in the land of Utopia . And yet this vision of fancy
may become an actual reality in our present work-day world . A modern inventor , Mr . VV . H . Howe , has elaborated a system of electoral procedure —not only perfect in results , but also perfect in its method of attaining them . The inventor claims to have accomplished this without altering the piesent flection law , except that it would be necessary to pass an Act rendering it legal to record votes by mechanical meanj . Let us consider
what this naturally means . Every duty would be taken off the returning officer and his staff , except that of identifying the elector , that of keeping order at the various polling stations , and that of adding together the totals of the distinct records at the close of lhe poll—a matter of three or four minutes . The duties above mentioned this ncw invention undertakes , and , whatsis more , performs
with uneriing accuracy . We will endeavour to describe the working of this wondeiful new machine . Quoting from The Times , " The most complete method of Electoral Voting seems to be one quite recently patented , by Mr . W . H . llotve . In this , the voter passes into the polling chamber by a turnstile , which locks itself after him , and is unlocked by the simple act of the elector choosing a candidate . Inside , the voter sees the names of the
candidates , printed up in a row before him . He pulls out the handle , or handles , of the men he wishes to vote for , and passes on . His vote is recorded by a printing apparatus , set working by the turnstile . Thus each person who enters is absolutely precluded from voting more than once , or tampering with the apparatus , because he can only vote at all by leaving it . This ingenious invention , which we have indicated in the barest outline ,
fulfils all , and more than all , the provisions and intention of the Ballot Act . It secures absolute secrecy , gives effect to the voter's intentions , without fail , provides for a scrutiny , by which each vote can be traced in a moment , and abolishes counting . The votes are printed in consecutive numbars , and , therefore , the ' last one recorded , for each candidate , gives the total of his poll . " It is reckoned
that the votes forfeited , by one blunder or another , are as many as 20 , 000 in all , or an average of 50 each , in 400 constituencies . The number of results which might have been changed , if all the spoilt papers had been valid , may easily be imagined . Aa to the second great division of errorsthose which come from faulty counting—we get some hint of its extent from what has happened in electoral recounts . We verify , from our own
experience , the facts stated above . We paid a visit to the office where thc machine is exhibited , in Fleet-street—saw the inventor , who showed us the wotking of the system—went through the whole proceedings of a supposed election recorded , printed , and registered our votes by one automatic action . In addition , the inventor showed us an ingenious method by which a cripp ' e , unable to walk , can be wheeled in his carriage into the polling
chamber , without any personal discomfort , or his identity being known—he recording , printing , and registering his vote by one automatic action . One of the most impoitant points is this . The illiterate elector is able to vote , without any one ' s aid , for the first time in the history of voting . No official employed at a polling-station—not even the returning officer himself—can ever find out how an elector has voted . The
returning officer never sees the books of the poll clerkthese , with the marked regislers , being carefully sealed up before the ballot rolls are examined , and no poll clerk ever sees the ballot rolls—these being examined by the Returning Officers and the candidates and their agents only . A comparison of poll books with ballot rolls can cnly be made by the High Court , in case of a petition with demand for a scrutiny . We have thus given a brief description of this desiderated
machine for voting by ballot , and have mentioned its most important uses . The inventor , Mr . W . H . Howe , told us he has patented his machine , and offered it to the British Government . What the result will bo is utterly unknown ; Government departments do not , as a rule , extend a welcome to new inventions ; the cut-and-dried tape system is still in vogue , and is a great bar to enquiry and enterprise . Wc would suggest to those interested a visit to this ingenious and useful machine .
THE GOLDEN EPOCH OF VICTORIA , R . I ,
NEW BURI . INOTON-STRKET , BOXIJ-STREET , W . This important work is by Arthur Drummond , who painted the wellknown picture of " Bobs and thc Baby" — " Don ' t you see I am engaged . " 1 he artist has endeavoured to group together the illustrious personages who in the departments of thc Church , Army , Navy , Law , Science , Art in all its various branches , Music , the Drama , * x * c , contributed to add a lustre to
the Golden Epoch of our late illustrious Oueen . It is a noble work ; but the artist has attempted too much , the irevitable result being that the picture is over-crowded by the groups of celebrities . We regret this the more , as many of the portraits are excellent and life-like , * we would especially mention those of Marquis of Salisbury and Eirl Roberts . The biographical nates with the key-plate ate of great use in examining thc picture .
35 , NEW BOND-STREET , VV . There has been lately added to the great art collection at the above gallery a remarkable picture entitled " Suffer little children to come unto ft 'e , lhe work of Jamts E . Christie . The artist has gone out of the
ordinary beaten track , and has given q-iite a new conception of the text , uringnijr our Saviour ' s influence to bear upon cvery-day life . The picture oes , 1 » t .-it first make a deep impression , but it grows upon one in a wonderful way . The varied groups of young children are naturally aopicted ; the li ghts and shadows of child life are patheticallv depicted . At
"ie command of her late Majesty the Queen , Mr . Christie ' s religious Ca iTY , ffer "ttlc children , " was conveyed from Aberdeen to Balmoral asue tor the Queen ' s inspection , who expressed herself as being highly enrod T * the W ° ' and her Ma i csly graciously ordered a copy of the
THE DORE GALLERY .
Science, Art, And The Drama.
THE CENTURY THEATRE . It is not our custom to review a piece when it has been withdrawn , but we are tempted to do so in the case of " The Whirl of the Town , " which took its farewell of the stage , at all events for the present , on Saturday evening , the igth instant . We have been surprised at the fierce attacks that have been made against it by the leading dramatic critics . The piece was entitled a musical absurdity , and as such might surely have been more
leniently judged . Severe criticism on such a harmless production is like breaking a butterfly on a wheel . It might have been permitted to flutter out its ephemeral existence without hastening its end . Some of the critics say the piece had no story—here we must differ from them ; it has a plot , though , confessedly , of a slight nature , in the ist Act , and there is a distinct originality in its treatment .
The story seems to hav 2 been nearly lost in the 2 nd Act , this we believe to have caused the wreckage of the piece . To the series of musical turns , which had no connection with the plot , and only tended to unduly prolong the performance , may be attributed the failure of "The Whirl of the Town " to catch the taste of the British public . In spite of its serious defects , there is some good material in it , which might be worked up into a success . Mr . John Le Hay hid an amusing part as Neptune , Miss
Madge Lessing was most graceful as the runaway Mermaid , amongst other musical pieces , she had a coon song , with the cike-walk order of dance , encored several times , which certainly tojk on . Mr . H . E . Dixey , as the Kleptomaniac , had a great deal of "go , " being a graceful dancer . The Champagne Dance of Miss Mabel Love was an agreeable feature of the entertainment medley . We say " au revoir" to "The Whirl of the Town . " VVe believe we shall see it again .
THE CAMDEN THEATRE
VVhat the Coronet Theatre is to the inhabitants of Notting Hill and its vicinity , that is the Camden Theatre to the people of Camden Town and its outlying districts . The two theatres are b ) th under the direction of Mr . E . G . Saunders , are built on the same lines , and under a libaral management the comforts of its numerous patrons are carefully tended . We paid a visit to the Camden Theatre last week , and were so well pleased that we hope ,
ere long , to renew our acquaintance . The dramatic fare provided was " The Shadow Dance , " being a melodrama founded on that world-renowned story of Victor Hugo , " Notre Dame de Paris . " We object , however , to the title of the version—it seems to us that the " Hunchback of Notre Dame " would have been more suitable , and more likely to attract . This piece was represented by Mr . Charles Cartwright and his company .
Mr . Cartwright , as Quasimodo , the deformed hunchback , gave an intelligent and powerful rendering of the character . He is a good actor , without rant , even in the fiercest outburst of passion , " not o ' erstepping the modesty of nature . " His daughter , Miss Edith Cartwright , enacted the part of Esmeralda with grace and feeling . The other characters were well
sustained . We would especially notice Pierre Gringoire , a poet , Mr . Joseph Tapley . Claude Frollo , Mr . Edward O'Neill , was enacted with intelligence . The part of Zillah , the revengeful gipsy , fell to ths lot of Miss Lindsay Fincham . The piece was well mo . intecl , the ostumss correct . The music , specially composed by Napoleon Lambslet , was melodious and appropriate .
AT A MEETING of the United Wards' Club , held at th ** Cannoi-strest Hotel , last week , an illuminated address was presented to Bro . A . B . Hudson , C . C , in ree ignition of his services as Pre-ident . The scroll , which was franc 1 , bore the City coitof-arms and the club's emblem— " clasped hands . " CHRISTMAS COMFORTS FOR THE TROOPS . —Bro . the Lord Mayor of London has received a letter from the Mayor of Capetown inviting his co-operation and assLtance in connection with the movement now being mide to provide Christmas
comforts , literature , and books to the troops and Volunteers serving at the front , and in the blockhouses guarding the lines of co * nmunication . VVhat is spiciilly wintei is the regular collection of literature , such as interesting books and magazines for distribution to the forces . In response to this letter , the Lord Miyor has made a grant from the War Fund ( Discretionary Branch ) of £ 250 tothe Mayor ' s collection . Gifts of Christmas fare ( for transmission to the Capetown Committff' *) may be sent to M ; ssrs . Hayter and I Iayter , the Government packers . Ge <*> rge-yard , Upper Thames-street , London , who will fonvard them free of charge to thc donors .
Ad01102
. g *__ LAi » II —— _ -n » -M- » -M » 8-- « ---W-- » - » - « - - -MB-M __ B _ X A \ OBTAINABLE u Cft * ^ QTi-,..- -t «•*>" \s£\»