The Idler Magazine, Volume III, April 1893 / An Illustrated Monthly

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

22130

Title

The Idler Magazine, Volume III, April 1893 / An Illustrated Monthly

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This April 1893 issue of The Idler Magazine offers a charming glimpse into the Royal domains at Windsor, featuring Queen Victoria's beloved animals and a visit to her dairy. It also presents a nostalgic portrait of the lovable actor J.L. Toole and a humorous collection of awkward predicaments from the Idlers' Club.

Summary up to 500 words

The April 1893 issue of *The Idler Magazine* opens with a vivid illustrated tour of the Royal Shaw Farm, showcasing Her Majesty's diverse menagerie. Readers are introduced to 'Flora' and 'Alma,' powerful grey carriage horses gifted by the King of Italy; 'Ninette,' a spirited white donkey who soothes a restless German charger; and 'Jenny,' a twenty-five-year-old white donkey with a notably flat back. The tour proceeds to the Royal Dairy, a fairyland-like room tiled in Minton ware where fifty cows provide milk for the Queen and Osborne. Other residents include 'Tewfik,' an Egyptian donkey admired for his endurance, a diminutive Shetland pony named 'The Skewbald,' and a gentle bison named 'Jack.' The narrative then shifts to a tribute to the celebrated comedian John Lawrence Toole by Raymond Blathwayt. Blathwayt visits Toole's home in Maida Vale, describing a study filled with theatrical memorabilia, including models from Dickens' *Barnaby Rudge* and portraits of contemporaries like Henry Irving and Charles Dickens. Toole discusses his enduring popularity and his love for writing plays, while the text humorously features a letter from C.J. Matthews begging Toole to extend his contract to resolve a scheduling conflict involving two different managers. The final section presents a symposium on 'Awkward Predicaments.' Contributors share embarrassing or dangerous mishaps, such as being held up by an Alpine brigand, getting lost in Folkestone with a sick baby, and uncontrollably laughing during a solemn prayer meeting. The piece concludes with Jerome K. Jerome's refusal to participate. He cites the intrusion of ladies and new rules that have ruined the club's free-flowing conversation, noting that tea has replaced whiskey and sewing has replaced smoking. Jerome humorously declares that without the requisite experience, he cannot fill his allotted space, effectively resigning from the symposium to avoid lying or wasting money.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Periodicals
• London