IMPRESSIONS

Some years ago in an address at the Thornbury Salvation Army, Major Laurie Stevens spoke about 1 Kings 18: 44, which reads: "Behold there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea like a man's hand.”

Today I am not here to give a sermon, but to talk about "IMPRESSIONS." Seven times Elijah told his servant to look out to sea and report what he saw and it was not until the seventh time that the servant saw a cloud and his impression of that cloud was likened to a man's hand.

We all look at clouds and form our own opinion as to their shape. Impressions in life are just like that - we commence life looking forward and as we grow older we tend to look backwards - the happenings between make their own impressions, whether it be in learning, in historical events, in family affairs, with friends, even between husband and wife, and despite what we think of politics, there are happenings in that field which leave us with impressions.

I have always been impressed with historical events and history was a great favourite of mine when at school, so today I am talking about a collection of "old things" which have interested me for a long time.

I have a Printers' Instructor dated 1824 - a most interesting book indeed. In it the writer deplores the employment of outside apprentices In those days printing was kept in the family - if dad was a printer then his son followed in the same tradition. Then disaster struck for with the need for more printers, boys were employed whose parents were not printers. What a tragedy it was. Are you aware that of all the tradesmen in those days, printers were the only persons permitted to wear a sword, the reason being that they were not regarded as tradesmen, but as craftsmen. Another feature in those days was that tradesmen were fined for various offences relating to their trade, including cleanliness. Fines ranged from Id. to 3d.

In 1929 the Monotype Corporation produced an Almanac in book form which told the history of printing from day to day. On 19th February 1664, John Twyn, master printer, was sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered for printing unlicenced books. On 3rd August 1546 the French printer, Estenne Delet was executed for atheism. It appears the whole history of printing is listed on this day to day basis.

If you are not a native of Sydney you would appreciate a plucking from an old book printed in 1888. "The Growth of Melbourne in Ten Years" says this: "Melbourne has grown with the rapidity of Jonah's gourd, and yet with the solidity of an Egyptian pyramid." Another comment was: "A well-marked feature of Melbourne is the passion for actual ownership of a separate home -in no other city is the same noticeable," it goes on, "Sydney, with all its natural beauty, is huddled up and dirty. Its people are satisfied to live in crowded streets where a breath of fresh air does not come once in a twelve month and where a flower or blade of grass is never seen. Sydney’s great men talk of building tenement houses for the labouring people - Melbourne men would laugh to scorn at such a proposal."

Of course we assume that strippers are a product of the 1970's. You know them - those people who run naked on to our sporting fields. In 1889 the Mayor of Fitzroy went for a world tour and on return produced a book called "O'er the Wide Waste of Water Blue" (show the book) and in it he tells of a day in London when, on observing a crowd of about 400 people on London Bridge, he joined them to see what was happening and, lo and behold, there was a man naked swimming in the Thames River.

In 1908 there was a report on "Sun Bathing, the new form of Idleness."

In January 1908, when Melbourne was limp under a heatwave with temperatures up to 44 degrees C. the citizens could find relief only in paddling. A woman columnist wrote, "Prudery flies to the winds with the advent of the hot spell. Down at South Melbourne on the hot nights I saw dozens of the 'very nicest people' sensibly paddling about with skirts and frillier kilted up to well above the knees and their shoes and stockings under their arm or planted on shore." The writer deplored the fact that mixed bathing was impossible in Melbourne, but asked, "why should there not be plenty of mixed paddling?"

In the recording of history, sometimes mistakes are made. In 1927 Australia Post (then PMG) issued a set of postage stamps to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Newcastle. A Lieut. Shortland discovered Newcastle so it was decided to put his photo on the 2½ d. stamp, but guess what happened? Lieut Shortland's father was also a Lieutenant and his photo was printed on the stamp by mistake! Thereafter the 2½ d. stamp has been referred to as "the man who was his own father!"

With the present agitation for Aboriginal landrights, it is interesting to read what Alexander Sutherland wrote in 1888. I quote: "In the first 15 years of the Colony (Victoria) the natives dwindled away to one half, and in the next 20 years these again dwindled away to one half. Since then they have steadily declined until now not 600 even including half-castes, enjoy the easy life provided for them by the State. They are housed and fed, clothed and educated, at the public charge, yet fail to reproduce their numbers; and another decade will in all probability bring with it the extinction of the race within Victorian bounds. We should have been well content if it had been otherwise; and doubtless the whole 5000 of them would have been welcome to a comfortable home amongst us had it been possible.

Throughout the years various illustrated books have appeared with views of Melbourne. I have an "Exhibition Souvenir of Melbourne 1880". The following statistics are printed on the cover: Melbourne, including its extensive suburbs now contains 300,000 souls. The stylish equipage which traverse its spacious, regular and cleanly thoroughfares, the costly merchandise displayed in the extensive warehouses and handsome shops, the throng of elegantly dressed people upon the pavements and in the numerous places of amusements (including an Opera House_. and three Theatres), charm and astonish all beholders. It justly claims to be the most rapidly developed of modern cities, and its marvellous growth and progress has no parallel in history." This book was sold at the Gift Shop, 51 Bourke Street, Melbourne. Even today the same shop is selling old memorabilia of Melbourne.

I have another book "Views of Melbourne" printed in 1890 which shows St. Patrick's Cathedral complete with Spires. Actually those Spires were not completed on the Cathedral until 1930. I passed there on my way to work and saw them being erected.

In 1887 "The Age" newspaper produced a 16-page tabloid with the heading "Reminiscences of Early Melbourne". You will see on the display a proof copy of that tabloid showing author's corrections. It would be a very valuable collector's item.

Who remembers "Madame Weigel's Patterns?" I have a copy of her fashion journal dated 1st February 1885.

I was born in West Australia so very interesting to me are a couple of books about that State. One of them is titled "A Few Facts' respecting Western Australia - the Coming Colony". It contains particular reference to gold mining. Another book, "Guide to Perth" printed in 1892 records that the population had reached 53,000. Some of the advertisements in this book are quaint. George Shelton, a wine & spirit merchant also sold dynamite, gelignite, detonators and fuses. Another advert says, "When doctors fail to relieve or cure you, consult Professor Gibson, Botanic Physician on all diseases."

You will see on display an Easter War Cry 1925 showing a boy playing the cornet. That boy worked at The Salvation Army Printing Works (now Citadel Press) and was an apprentice at the same time I was an apprentice. When he first came there to work we boys had to share "going for the lunches" and this lad, Johnny S ..........., used to make a little money on the side. There were two sandwich shops at the top end of Bourke Street, one sold cream slices at 1¹₂d. each and the other at 2d. each, the latter being of superior quality. Johnny bought the 1½ d. slices and charged the men 2d. Of course it is true that "your sins will find you out'. His profit ceased.

In the very early days of Victoria "The Herald" produced a sheet for people to use when writing "home". It was printed on rice paper, a very light stock similar to air mail paper of today. It was called "Newsletter of Australia" I have one dated December 1861 showing pictures of Burke & Wills. The pictures printed on it were from wood cuts. Wood cuts are pictures expertly carved in wood. I do have some wood cuts but they are not pictures.

It is a long time since we heard a really dynamic preacher. My father-in-law was known as "The Fiery Prophet" and if you are not afraid of hell, then you haven't heard preaching like that of Colonel Henry Sharp. He died in 1936 with an address half completed.

Do you remember the Evacuation arrangements of World War 2? "Evacuation of Children" is an emergency instruction sheet being displayed. Had the Japs got a foothold up north it may have been put into practice.