Sketches by Boz - Penn State University

Sketches by Bozfeated in their stronghold, and the advocates of the great appear to have been given him for the sole purpose ofnew beadle principles have achieved a proud victory. peeping into other people’s affairs with. He is deeplyOur parish, which, like all other parishes, is a little impressed with the importance of our parish business,world of its own, has long been divided into two parties,whose contentions, slumbering for a while, have ing the parishioners in vestry assembled. His views areand prides himself, not a little, on his style of address-never failed to burst forth with unabated vigour, on any rather confined than extensive; his principles more narrowthan liberal. He has been heard to declaim veryoccasion on which they could by possibility be renewed.Watching-rates, lighting-rates, paving-rates, sewer’srates,church-rates, poor’s-rates—all sorts of rates, have cates the repeal of the stamp duty on newspapers, be-loudly in favour of the liberty of the press, and advo-been in their turns the subjects of a grand struggle; and cause the daily journals who now have a monopoly ofas to questions of patronage, the asperity and determinationwith which they have been contested is scarcely ings. He would not appear egotistical for the world, butthe public, never give verbatim reports of vestry meet-credible.at the same time he must say, that there are speeches—The leader of the official party—the steady advocate that celebrated speech of his own, on the emolumentsof the churchwardens, and the unflinching supporter of of the sexton, and the duties of the office, for instance—the overseers—is an old gentleman who lives in our which might be communicated to the public, greatly torow. He owns some half a dozen houses in it, and alwayswalks on the opposite side of the way, so that he His great opponent in public life is Captain Purday,their improvement and advantage.may be able to take in a view of the whole of his propertyat once. He is a tall, thin, bony man, with an interreadyintroduced our readers. The captain being a de-the old naval officer on half-pay, to whom we have alrogativenose, and little restless perking eyes, which termined opponent of the constituted authorities, who-20