WANTED, A LITTLE MORE IMPROVING.

There has been a meeting at the Manchester Town Hall for the purpose of presenting a piece of plate to each of the seven members of the Executive Committee of the late Art Treasures Exhibition. Nor would Mr. Punch say that those gentlemen did not deserve the testimonials, nor does he object to the glowing eulogium the speakers passed upon themselves, and upon the Police. If it would have been a little more graceful in the testimonialised parties to say a word for the gentlemen – the Eggs, Scharfs, Deanes, and others – who did the work and hot up the Exhibition, while the “Executive” bowed, and lunched, and walked about rubbing hands, and talking of the refining influences of Art, the omission was pardonable, and folks can’t remember everything.

But Mr. Bazley, M.P., took occasion to say-

“He hoped that the people of Manchester would henceforth command respect from many who had previously disbelieved in their possession of attainments that were general among the people of Lancashire. He believed the exhibition had contributed to improve the taste prevalent in the manufacturing districts.”

Mr. Punch, M.P., is delighted to hear this from his brother-senator. But it must be the taste for painting only that has been improved, not that for music, or even for decency, if Mr. Punch may judge form having read in a Manchester newspaper, within the last few days, that, at recent Concert in that city, the “improved” audience were so enraged because Mr. Sims Reeves very properly declined to give them twice the quantity of music they had paid for, that they raised about as disgusting a riot as Mr. Punch has lately heard of, except at Birmingham, where an “improved” audience committed just the same offence on the same provocation. Do not these provincials want other schools beside Schools of Art?

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