Mr. Chamberlain made on Wednesday an amusing speech to the
Master-Bakers' Association of Birmingham. He had an idea, he said, that something in a trade affected the politics of the traders. Thus, "a shoemaker or a tailor is almost always a Radical, a butcher is almost always a Conservative, and a baker is usually a staunch Liberal,—I hope I may say, a Liberal Unionist. How that happens I do not know." We should say that the old explanation was the true one. A shoemaker is Radical because his work leaves his mind free, and he is always speculating on politics and religion, a process which with the ignorant usually ends either in Raclica,lism and scepticism, or in old Toryism and fanatic faith. A tailor is a Radical because he fancies himself despised, popular speech being full of opprobrium for him ; a butcher is a Conservative because he is a capitalist ; and a baker is a Liberal because he sees too much of the misery of the world. It is, however, the last which strikes Mr. Chamberlain as singular, because baking is the most conservative of trades, the processes being as old as the days of the Pharaohs. That is true, and will probably remain true to the Judgment Day; but then, it is also true of all necessary
processes Man is very clever, but he has not invented, and will not invent, a new mode of growing a tree—say, on water —or a scientific method of dispensing with seed, or a manner of cooking without fire, or a way of weaving which does not involve use of warp and woof. Oddly enough, too, he has found no substitute for food, though that would seem, if Radical doctrines are true, far the worthiest object of search.
All mankind could then strike at once, and assert perfect equality, and be as free of misery and as civilised as Otaheitans when discovered by Cook.
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