Roundabout Papers - Penn State University

Roundabout Paperstheir origin. I said to my wife this very morning, ‘Mrs.Jawkins,’ I said, ‘there is talk of a testimonial to thisman. I will not give one shilling. I have no idea of raisingstatues to fellows who take away Club paper. No, byGeorge, I have not. Why, they will be raising statues tomen who take Club spoons next! Not one penny of MYmoney shall they have!’”And now, if you please, we will tell the real storywhich has furnished this scandal to a newspaper, thistattle to Club gossips and loungers. The Field-Marshal,wishing to make a further provision for a friend, informedhis lawyer what he desired to do. The lawyer, amember of the “Athenaeum Club,” there wrote the draftof such a codicil as he would advise, and sent the paperby the post to Lord Clyde at Chatham. Lord Clyde findingthe paper perfectly satisfactory, signed it and sentit back: and hence we have the story of “the codicilbearing the signature of Clyde, F. M., and written, strangeto say, upon paper bearing the ‘Athenaeum Club’ mark.”Here I have been imagining a dialogue between a halfdozengossips such as congregate round a Club fireplaceof an afternoon. I wonder how many people besides—whether any chance reader of this very page has readand believed this story about the good old lord? Havethe country papers copied the anecdote, and our “owncorrespondents” made their remarks on it? If, my goodsir, or madam, you have read it and credited it, don’tyou own to a little feeling of shame and sorrow, nowthat the trumpery little mystery is cleared? To “the newinhabitant of light,” passed away and out of reach ofour censure, misrepresentation, scandal, dulness, malice,a silly falsehood matters nothing. Censure and praiseare alike to him—“The music warbling to the deafened ear,The incense wasted on the funeral bier,”the pompous eulogy pronounced over the gravestone,or the lie that slander spits on it. Faithfully thoughthis brave old chief did his duty, honest and uprightthough his life was, glorious his renown—you see hecould write at Chatham on London paper; you see men312