imes, an' supt o'
watter),--I can assure you 'at nothink gives me greater pleasure, or
greater enjoyment, or I might say greater satisfaction, (a varry deal o'
clappin i'th' front seeats--supt twice), when I look around me, ladies
and gentlemen, and see so many old and familiar faces that I have never
seen before, and when I see so many strangers that I have passed long
years of social intercourse amongst, I feel, ladies and gentlemen, I
feel moved, very much moved, and when I gaze again I begin to feel
removed. Our object which we have in view, in keeping agate of giving
these here readings, are to throw open the doors of knowledge, so that
all may come and drink from the inexhaustible bottle, so to speak,
ladies and gentleman, which says 'drink and thirst no more' (great
cheering--women wi' cleean pocket hankerchies blow ther nooases). These
meetings have also another himportant object, a nobject noble and great,
which is namely, to draw people out of the public houses, and create a
thirst in them for wisdom. How many men, after a hard day's work, go and
sit in the public house, or what is still worse, often spend their time
at some thripny concert room until nine or ten o'clock, whereas now they
can come here and sit until 10 or 11 o'clock, where they are not only
hentertained, but hedicated and hedified. With thease few remarks, I
call upon the first reader for a solo on the German concertina."

An' it wor a solo! It reminded me o' being in a bazaar at Fair time,
an' abaght a thaasand childer blowin penny trumpets; an' he whewd his
arms abaght like a windmill; an' aw wor nooan sooary when he'd done.
But fowk clapt an' stamped wol he coom back agean; an' he bow'd an' sed
he'd give 'em an immitation o'th' backpipe, an' awve noa daat it wor
varry like it, for awm sure noa frontpipe iver made as faal a din.
After that th' cheerman made a few remarks an' sed, music had charms to
soothe the savage beast, an' he'd no doubt we all felt soothed with what
we had heard. He had now the pleasure to call for something of a more
elevating nature still. The next reading would be a comic song. "Up in
a balloon boys."

Th' chap 'at gave that wor varry wise, for as sooin as he'd begun
singin' he shut his een an' niver oppened 'em agean till he'd done, an'
if he'd kept his maath shut aw should ha' been better suited still. Ov
coorse he wor honcored, an' he coom back an' sang "Be--e--eutifool oil
of the Se--e--e--he!" wol he fair fooam