whole matter." Says the Monde, one of the
ohief supports of ultramontanism, winding up
its notice of the work of Monsignor Gaume,
"Have a bénitier as elegant and as handsome as
you can!"

THE GENTLEMEN OF THE VESTRY.

GENTLEMEN of the vestry are such thoroughly
downright liberal Christians, that, if you
slap them on one cheek they immediately turn
the other to you, and implore you to hit them
again harder. They like to be despised, shown
up, and laughed at. Only give them the
honours of print, and you may write them down
asses through a dozen columns. I was afraid
that the gentlemen of the vestry of the parish
of St. Sniffens would not like what I recently
said about them; but, on the contrary, I find
that they glory in it. They are turning the
other cheek and asking lor more, waiting for
it, as I understand, eagerly week after week.
Well, they shall not be kept waiting any
longer. I have just returned from a vestry
meeting, at which matters of the highest
parochial importance were brought forward for
discussion—such matters as the trusteeship
and custody of the parish funds, the disposal of
a large amount of parish property, the paving
of the roads, the cleansing of cowsheds, and
the health of half a million people. I never in
my life witnessed such an exhibition of blatant
ignorance and noisy incompetence. I will
admit that there were half a dozen men who
seemed well informed and fit for their duties;
but what are half a dozen among a mob of fifty
or sixty, who never speak except to expose
their ignorance, and who generally speak all
at once? It was a scene of noisy disorder from
beginning to end. The chairman was
continually knocking on the table with his hammer,
and saying, "Don't blame me if you don't
'ear." And they didn't blame him, for they
didn't want to 'ear. When a member got up
to call attention to the fact that there were
three hundred houses in the parish requiring
the inspection of the sanitary officers, he was
fairly talked down. The buzz of conversation
grew louder and louder, butchers and publicans
exchanged jokes and laughed, one gentleman
indulged in the favourite pantomimic
performance of engaging in a pugilistic
encounter and receiving a blow in the eye, others
warmed themselves at the fire, or gathered into
groups and talked, witli the obvious design of
drowning the voice of the speaker and getting
rid of the subject. The speaker appealed to
the chair, but the chair, instead of protecting
him, allowed a gentleman on his left to introduce
another matter. The first speaker was
obliged to sit down, and we heard nothing more
of the three hundred houses which required the
attention of the sanitary officers.

The gentlemen of the vestry had no patience
for matters of executive, but they were ready
enough to listen to polemical personalities.

Thus, while they shut their ears to the imporlant
question ot sanitary reform, they were all
alive when a certain section of the vestry was
accused of interested motives in transferring the
parish account to a new bank. The resolution
on this head was received with loud guffaws.

It may be necessary to explain this matter.
Until lately the parish of St. Sniffens deposited
its money with the London and Universal; but
recently, on the plea of convenience, the account
was transferred to the London and Particular,
which has a branch in the centre of the parish.
The transfer was vigorously opposed by a
section of the vestry. It was alleged that the
proceeding had originated at the Jolly Dogs or
the Pig and Whistle, and that the forty-one
vestrymen who signed the requisition had
private reasons of their own for doing so. In
fact, it was pretty broadly insinuated by the
minority that the majority had received
accommodation from the London and Particular by
way of a bribe. If the gentlemen of the vestry
can entertain such an opinion of each other,
can they wonder at the suspicion with which
they are regarded by the public? At the meeting
which I have just been attending, a gentleman
rose and congratulated the vestry on the
transfer of their account, whereupon another
gentleman arose and shouted across the table,
"I know you London and Particular."

"Hush, hush!" said the chairman, looking
significantly towards the strangers in the
gallery.

"Have you been invited to the dinner?"
shouted a third. At which there were roars of
derisive laughter, followed by a gabble of voices
and an uproar, which the chairman was for
some time unable to quell. Again and again
he rapped on the table, and at last took shelter
under the despairing protest:

"Well, don't blame me, gentlemen, if you
can't 'ear."

The mention of dinners reminds me that the
convivial propensities of the gentlemen of our
vestry have recently met with a check. They
had been in the habit of dining together rather
frequently at the expense of the ratepayers,
when suddenly the Poor Law Board refused to
sanction the charges for their feasts. The
result is, that they dine less frequently and less
sumptuously, at their own expense! Before
the meddling, shabby, parsimonious Board
interfered, they had some glorious feeds, generally
at Richmond or Greenwich. I have no record
of the proceedings of any of the banquets given
to themselves, at the expense of the ratepayers,
by the vestrymen of St. Sniffens; but a
trustworthy eye and ear witness furnishes me with
the following report of a feed lately enjoyed by
the vestrymen of the neighbouring parish of
St. Piggins:

"The gentlemen of the vestry of the parish
of St. Piggins dined together on Thursday last
at the Jolly Butchers. Previous to the banquet,
they played at skittles and leapfrog. Afraid
that their appetites would not be fully equal to
the occasion, some of them drank so many