Western Worthies Part 8

MR. THOMAS CORBETT.

Practical philanthropy is a rare virtue. It is seldom that a Howard or a Wilberforce is born into the world; yet there are few towns that do not possess men more or less distinguished for their good offices towards their less fortunate fellow-creatures. Of such men Glasgow has happily had more than an average share. The number and variety of our charitable, friendly, and educational inst.i.tutions bears testimony to the presence in our midst of a spirit zealous of good works. Our merchant princes, too, subscribe most liberally to every movement projected for the amelioration of the moral, social, or religious condition of the lapsed ma.s.ses. The story of our lives from year to year is one that contains many bright spots in which the recording angel must take pleasure, although it is also darkened by not a few stains so black, foul, and ghastly, that we are led to despair of ever attaining the ends for which the Church and the State are existent--for which laws and religion are inculcated and enforced.

Mr. Thomas Corbett is a philanthropist of the most practical kind. He does not distribute his means like milk spilled upon the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither does he take cognisance of merely speculative benevolence. Everything to which he has put his hand has prospered, and he has thus laid the foundations of a good name, which is better than all his riches--a name which the working men of his native city will be slow to forget. It is with the establishment of the Great Western Cooking Depot that Mr. Corbett's name is most prominently identified. That inst.i.tution, we believe, owes its origin to a very simple and quite an accidental circ.u.mstance. While reading in the _Cornhill Magazine_ the account of a scheme that had been launched by a lady in England for providing poor and dest.i.tute children with food, Mrs. Corbett was struck with the idea that something of the kind might be attempted in Glasgow. She mentioned her thought to her husband, and asked him if, out of their abundance, they could not do something to relieve the wants of those to whom the lines had fallen in less pleasant places. Mr. Corbett entered heartily into the project, and determined to set apart a certain sum, to be vested in the way that his wife might deem most likely to do good. At last, the idea of a cooking depot was broached. Mr. Corbett foresaw with the eye of a political economist, as well as with the eye of philanthropist, that the best and most effectual means of doing good to the poor and needy in Glasgow, was to a.s.sist them to help themselves. Upon this principle he resolved to proceed. Nothing in the shape of the "Great Western" was at that time in existence. Mr.

Corbett sent a messenger to London and elsewhere with the view of gathering information that would a.s.sist the carrying out of his scheme; but nothing could be found to meet exactly his conception of what a cooking depot should be. Proceeding, however, upon his own views of the requirements of the city, he invested 300 in the lease and fitting up of a cooking depot at the Broomielaw, beside the Sailor's Home. It was given out that the establishment was to be conducted upon the principle of supplying provisions at as nearly prime cost as possible. A tariff of charges was prepared, contracts were entered into with butchers, bakers, and other tradesmen, and the experiment was thus fairly launched. It was a great success. The Americans have faith in the "almighty dollar." Mr.

Corbett had an equally firm belief in the efficacy of the "almighty penny," as a circulating medium. He took care that, so far as it was practicable, nothing should be sold for more than a penny. A bowl of porridge, that might satisfy a hungry man for breakfast, was to be had for what Montague Tigg would call this "absurdly low figure." A plate of potatoes, an egg, or a cup of coffee, cost no more. The very novelty of the thing drew thousands to the cooking depot who had no economical purpose to serve. They were more than satisfied. Many who came, like the scoffer to the church in Goldsmith's "Deserted Village," to criticise and condemn the new inst.i.tution, remained to admire and praise it. The depot became so popular that other branches had to be opened up in a very short time in the most central parts of the city. Mr. Corbett did not hesitate to supply the funds necessary for the development of his scheme. He bestowed his means ungrudgingly, stipulating only that the books should be periodically examined by competent accountants, and that the profits should be divided among the charitable and benevolent inst.i.tutions in the city. Beyond receiving a certain interest for his money, Mr. Corbett has never fingered a farthing of the profits, and when he left Glasgow a few years ago he had invested altogether upwards of 8000 in the scheme. The acc.u.mulated profits, which have been divided, according to his behest, for charitable purposes, amount to upwards of 7000.

With the management and chief characteristics of the Great Western Cooking Depot every citizen must be familiar. The cooking establishment is situated in Pitt Street, from whence enormous supplies of victuals are sent out every morning to all parts of the city. Including Glasgow and its suburbs, there are now twenty-eight branches of the Cooking Depot in operation. Most of them are in the immediate vicinity of public works, and are largely taken advantage of by the workmen, who, in the great majority of cases, reside at a considerable distance from the works, and could only go home to dinner at great personal inconvenience.

The same tariff of charges prevails at every one of the branches, and all of them are supplied direct from the Central Depot. The business of the inst.i.tution has become so gigantic that applications to establish other branches in different parts of the city have had to be refused.

The princ.i.p.al branches are in Jamaica Street and Mitch.e.l.l Lane. These two buildings were built by Mr. Corbett himself; but the branches at the public works have mostly been built by the employers, who rent it to the manager of the Cooking Depot for a nominal sum. At the Mitch.e.l.l Lane branch from 1400 to 1600 people dine daily. The Jamaica Street branch dines an almost equally large number. The milk of 140 cows, obtained from four of the largest dairies in Scotland, is consumed at the various branches every day; and the consumption of "cookies" and rolls averages 20,000 per diem. Some idea of the quant.i.ty of porridge consumed may be gathered from the fact that the cost of oatmeal is from 90 to 100 monthly; and of eggs, b.u.t.ter, butcher's meat, and vegetables the consumption is fabulous. The average daily number of visitors to the depot at its various branches since the month of August last has been 10,000 to 12,000. The daily attendance at the present time is greater than it has ever been before. The attendance is not confined to working men, so called. Clerks, shopkeepers, and strangers to the city patronize the depot most liberally. And well they may, for when eggs are selling elsewhere at 1s 4d they can be had in the "Great Western" for a penny each, and other provisions are sold in the same proportion. This result is only possible by balancing one period of the year with another, so that when provisions are much cheaper the difference will be made up.

The question has often been asked, why has the Great Western Cooking Depot turned out such a marvellous success as compared with inst.i.tutions of a similar kind in other parts of the country? The most simple and correct answer is that other cooking depots though similar were not the same. An attempt was made in London some years ago to establish a restaurant on the same principle, but although it was backed by the advice and influence of Lord Houghton and some other leading men, it proved a complete failure. It is a trite saying that "too many cooks spoil the broth," but in this instance the saying was verified. A large committee was appointed to take charge of the arrangements. A committee means divided management and conflicting opinions. So far as the Great Western is concerned, everything from the out set has been under the control of one man (Mr. Jenkins) who still continues to preside over the destinies of the inst.i.tution. But the vigorous and able management of the Great Western had not more to do with its success than the demand which it was fitted to supply. There had been nothing of the same kind previously in existence, and it was only necessary for the establishment to be opened to command support. With regard to its moral aspects, the depot occupies a high platform. Nothing in the shape of intoxicating liquors is allowed to be sold on the premises. When counselled to introduce beer as an adjunct to dinner, Mr. Corbett replied that sooner than relinquish the principle of conducting the establishment on a strictly temperance footing, he would shut it up altogether. The good sense of this resolution has been proved by the results, for despite the enormous number of working men who frequent it, there has never been a police case arising out of a disturbance in any of the branches. In Bradford, some years ago, Mr. Isaac Holden projected a cooking depot on the principle of the "Great Western," but with this important difference--that he made it partake of the dual character of a club and an eating-house by introducing spirituous liquors and games of different sorts. What between smoking and drinking, the place became too noisy and rough for respectable men to have anything to do with it, and after lingering for some months it died an inglorious death, showing that

"Whoever tries To rob the poor man of his beer."

does a not injudicious thing, so far as inst.i.tutions of this kind are concerned. Before taking leave of the Cooking Depot, we may state that it has been visited by many ill.u.s.trious personages, who have manifested a deep interest in its history and progress. Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone, when they visited Glasgow some years ago, were shown all over one of the branches, and had the _modus operandi_ thoroughly explained to them by Mr. Melvin, who has always acted as Mr. Corbett's right hand man. The Premier was very curious to see the kind of broth that could be produced at a penny per bowl, and both he and Mrs. Gladstone, after tasting the soup, p.r.o.nounced it to be very excellent and wholesome. The commercial aspect of the inst.i.tution was, however, its most interesting phase to Mr. Gladstone, who could hardly understand how such a gigantic establishment could be made to pay with such small profits. Ultimately it was explained to him that it was a fixed rule to have a farthing of profit on every pennyworth sold, to which he replied that "he knew something of the power of the farthing."

Mr. Corbett was the founder, along with his friend, Mr. Melvin, of the Working Men's Club in Trongate. He expended a sum of 250 in furnishing the club, and laid down certain conditions for its management, the most important of which was that it should be conducted on strictly temperance principles. Having got such a capital start, the Club has never looked behind it. It is now worth fully 1100, and last year the number of visitors was upwards of 100,000.

Under the auspices of the Central Club, a Working Men's Industrial Exhibition was held during the winter of 1865-66 in the Polytechnic Buildings, Argyle Street. The preliminary outlay for this exhibition was considerable. Mr. Corbett was appealed to, and he at once gave a cheque for 500 to start the exhibition, intimating that he should not expect to be recouped if it was a failure. Happily it turned out otherwise, for a sum of 1200 was cleared by the exhibition, and it gave the Central Club an impetus that it has never since lost. Why has the experiment not been repeated? Has the Central Working Men's Club lost its cunning?

The latest, but not the least important exhibition of Mr. Corbett's philanthropy to which we shall refer is his bequest of 2000 to Mr.

William Quarrier, for the founding of a Home for Dest.i.tute and Orphan Children. To the results of Mr. Quarrier's scheme allusion has from time to time been made in the local prints. We need only remark here that it is calculated to supply one of the most pressing and important social and moral wants of the city.

The part which Mr. Corbett has taken in connection with the establishment of a Seaside Home at Saltcoats is so generally known that to refer to it is enough. For the permanent support of these homes, he has built a number of model working men's dwellings at Whiteinch. The architectural and other arrangements of these homes were planned by Mr.

Corbett himself. There are altogether sixteen dwellings from each of which a rent of 10 per annum is drawn. Altogether, Mr. Corbett has expended about 1500 upon the Saltcoats Homes, in addition to what he has provided by way of endowment.

With reference to Mr. Corbett's family history, we have left ourselves little room to speak. His father was a doctor in the Gorbals, and Thomas, after having been educated at the High School of Glasgow, commenced business as a tea merchant. While trading in this capacity he turned his attention to shipping, and in the course of time he went into the Australian produce trade altogether, freighting vessels on a large scale to and from Glasgow. His Australian business has been so prosperous that he was induced a few years ago to remove altogether to London, where it could have more scope. He still continues to reside in the Metropolis, although he retains a lively interest in the affairs of his native city, which he visits at least once a year, while pa.s.sing to and from his beautiful marine residence at Kilcreggan.

EDWARD S. GORDON, M.P.

Mr. Edward Strathern Gordon, the member for the Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities, is a son of the late Major John Gordon, of the 2d Queen's Royal Regiment, by Catherine, daughter of Alexander Smith, Esq. Born at Inverness in 1814, he is now in his fifty-seventh year, although he wears so well that he would readily be mistaken for a much younger man.

After having received a very superior education, first at the Royal Academy of his native town, and subsequently at the University of Edinburgh, he was called to the Scotch bar in 1835, being then only in his twenty-first year. He early discovered a peculiar apt.i.tude for mastering knotty points of law, and during the whole of his long and distinguished legal career he has worked very hard, and spared no effort, to acquire that knowledge of dry, technical, and abstruse details with which the statute-books abound, and to be well grounded in which is essential to soundness or eminence in jurisprudence. In 1858 Mr. Gordon entered upon the responsible duties of Sheriff of Perthshire.

In that capacity his decisions were awarded with an impartiality and rigid adherence both to the letter and to the spirit of the _lex scripti_ that caused them to be often quoted in the inferior courts. By his superiors his talents were so far recognised that in 1866 he received the appointment of Solicitor-General for Scotland, and his place as Sheriff of Perthshire was allotted to Sheriff Barclay.

Mr. Gordon only held the Solicitor-Generalship for a single year, when he was elevated to the still more distinguished post of Lord Advocate, on the accession to political power of the Disraeli administration.

Coming in with the Tories, Mr. Gordon was likewise compelled to go out with them; and as they were only allowed to hold the reins of office for a year, his tenure of the Lord Advocateship was very short lived. Some measure of compensation was, however, obtained for his loss of the highest legal office in the Scottish administration, by Mr. Gordon's appointment in November, 1869, as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates. This is one of the most honourable, if not one of the most lucrative offices in Scotland, and Mr. Gordon's selection as the successor of many of the most distinguished pleaders at the Scottish bar showed that, although rejected by the country, he was not despised by his professional brethren.

It is, however, for his political rather than for his legal abilities that Mr. Gordon is known, although, of course, he could not have earned such a reputation in St. Stephen's but for his knowledge of Scotch law.

Although short, his Parliamentary career has neither been uneventful nor inglorious. Simultaneously with his return for Thetford, he was appointed Lord Advocate for Scotland; and although some of his detractors have argued that he was only selected to fill that post because the Conservatives could not find another man, it is hardly credible that the Court of Session is so barren of Tory talent and leanings. Besides, the malicious insinuation has been completely disproved by Mr. Gordon's zealous and efficient discharge of the duties of his office, in which his conduct completely vindicated the choice of his party. Unfortunately for his own peace of mind, Mr. Gordon identified himself with a rotten borough. Thetford is a const.i.tuency on the East Coast Railway, near to Norwich, which had in 1861 a population of 4208, and returned two members to Parliament. At present the const.i.tuency only numbers about 200. Although the ancient borough of Thetford, which was in the seventh century the see of the bishopric of Norfolk and Suffolk, had many claims to the veneration of Parliament, and the affection of the Conservative party, to which it had been faithful for generations, it was doomed by the inevitable decree of destiny, of which--sad to tell! its best and most devoted friends were the ministers, to political dismemberment; and Mr. Gordon, having been dispossessed, at one blow, of his seat in the House of Commons and his place in the Cabinet, was compelled to seek for

"Fresh fields and pastures new."

He had not long to wait. At the general election of 1868 he contested the Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities with the Right Hon. James Moncrieff. A very severe struggle took place; indeed, the contest may justly be described as one of the most bitter and hotly contested that ever took place in Scotland; and both in Glasgow and in Aberdeen it gave rise to a great deal of animosity and personal feeling, which will be long remembered, and the effects of which, we believe, have not yet completely died out. In the end, however, Mr. Moncrieff beat his opponent by sixty-seven votes, a majority so small in proportion to the const.i.tuency that the bitterness and humiliation of defeat must have been felt with more than ordinary poignancy. It seemed at that time as if the Conservatives would never have another chance of lifting their heads above water. There were few const.i.tuencies in Scotland on which they could place perfect reliance, and the Universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen they regarded as a special preserve--as their own inalienable and chartered possession; but this confidence was scarcely justified by the result, and they were not permitted even the satisfaction of recording of the most intelligent const.i.tuency in Scotland that--

"Amid the faithless, faithful only they."

The appointment of Mr. Moncrieff to the Lord Justice Clerkship in November, 1869, caused a new writ to be issued for Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities, and Mr. Gordon again came forward as a candidate. On this occasion, however, he was opposed by Mr. Archibald Smith, who appeared in the Liberal interest. Mr. Smith had neither the influence nor the abilities of James Moncrieff; he was a comparatively untried man, and almost his sole claim to the support of the Universities was his Liberal promises and proclivities. Such a candidate was evidently no match for Mr. Gordon, whose defeat in the preceding year, after a severe and plucky fight, had drawn towards his interest the sympathies of not a few who differed from him on political questions. Hence Mr. Gordon was triumphantly returned at the head of the poll, which stood at the close--

Edward S. Gordon 2120 Archibald Smith 1616

The result of this election was looked forward to with eager expectation by men of all shades of politics throughout the length and breadth of the land. In Glasgow, as we can well remember, the excitement was intense, although the proceedings were, upon the whole, of an orderly character.

Mr. Gordon has voted with his party on all the great questions that have come before Parliament since he entered the House of Commons. During the last two sessions he was very regular in his attendance to legislative duties, and made several telling speeches on Scotch questions, in which he is, perhaps, better informed than any other man in the House. He is always listened to with respect, if not with admiration, for he exhibits a mastery of details, and a perfect apprehension of the subject in hand, which enables him to speak with effect, when others, who possess greater oratorical powers, would be liable to "put their foot in it." Indeed, Mr. Gordon is not an orator, in any sense of the term. His legal training at the Scotch bar has stunted the development of his rhetorical gifts. In pleading before a judge or a jury he seeks to influence their judgments rather than their hearts, and this tendency is to a greater or less extent characteristic of all good Scotch lawyers, although it is fatal to those nicely rounded periods and soul-stirring appeals to the imagination and emotional faculties, that tell so forcibly upon an English jury. It is disappointing to listen to Mr. Gordon for the first time. His appearance is sufficiently _distingue_, for he is tall of stature, and he has a decidedly intellectual cast of countenance. But when he commences to speak there is an almost painful absence of embellishment or emotional feeling; his language is severely practical and argumentative; but his logic is unimpeachable, and he can summon to his aid no end of hard and dry, albeit telling, facts--

"Chiels that winna ding."

During the session of 1868, while he held the office of Lord Advocate, Mr. Gordon pa.s.sed the Scotch Reform Bill, and it is to his efforts that the Universities of Scotland are indebted for direct Parliamentary representation. It seems, therefore, consistent with the fitness of things that a const.i.tuency which he himself had been the means of creating should become his own. To Mr. Gordon we are also indebted for the t.i.tles to Land Act, pa.s.sed during the session of 1868, by which the whole conveyancing system of Scotland has been consolidated, and placed on a more satisfactory footing. In the same year he succeeded in pa.s.sing the Writs Registration Bill, which has affected beneficially the whole of the land system of Scotland. A bill for the purpose of amending the Feudal System of Scotland was introduced during the session of 1870, by Mr. Gordon, but although it was hailed with every symptom of approbation and encouragement by the leading men of the country, it had ultimately to be withdrawn. The same fate was reserved for a bill to abolish the feudal system altogether, which was brought in by Mr. Young, the present Lord Advocate of Scotland.

In ecclesiastical matters, no less than in matters political, Mr. Gordon has taken a conspicuous part. He has often appeared at the bar of the General a.s.sembly of the Established Church of Scotland, of which he has always been a devoted adherent, both in a professional and in a private capacity. In the General a.s.sembly of 1870, he seconded Dr. Pirie's motion against the Law of Patronage in a speech of great argumentative power, and on the same and other occasions he has spoken effectively on behalf of union with other Presbyterian Churches, his leading ecclesiastical idea being in favour of the reconstruction of the National Church on such a basis as will enable her to co-operate and unite with other Churches, and thereby emphatically make her what she professes to be. His disposition is of a most kindly and generous tendency. He practises charity and toleration towards all mankind. At the time of the Disruption, he used all his influence with the late Lord Justice-Clerk with a view of maintaining intact the position and privileges of the parish schoolmasters, who had elected to leave the establishment and become members of the Free Church. He strongly urged upon the leaders of the Establishment that a measure so harsh as this, besides being unduly severe upon the teachers, could not benefit the Church of Scotland, and would only raise up enemies against her. This is only one of many proofs of his broad humanity that might be adduced.

It is almost unnecessary to remark that Mr. Gordon enjoys in a high degree the confidence and esteem of the political party with whom he acts. We happen to know that the present Earl of Derby values his counsel and co-operation very highly, and as for Mr. Disraeli he has long made it a principle to consult Mr. Gordon on questions specially affecting Scotland. He is regarded as a decidedly safe man. Prudent and una.s.suming, he never seeks to catch the eye of the Speaker unless he has something of importance to say, and hence he is listened to by both his own and the opposite parties with attention and deference. In the discussions that have taken place during the present session on the Scotch Education Bill, he has proposed several amendments all tending in the same direction--namely, that of preserving the element of religious teaching in our national schools. He is also strongly in favour of maintaining a high curriculum, and, as far as possible, improving the status and efficiency of the teachers.

We may add, in conclusion, that Mr. Gordon is a Queen's Counsel, and he has been rewarded for his splendid legal and literary acquirements with the degree of LL.D. by Edinburgh University. He is likewise Chancellor's a.s.sessor for Edinburgh University, an office of considerable honour, and in virtue of which he is a member of the University Court. Mr. Gordon has taken a lively interest in the Volunteer movement, and at the present time he holds the commission of Lieut.-Colonel in the Queen's City of Edinburgh Rifle Volunteer Brigade.