Fight the Good Fight
Nephew Wilde
With the market looking decidedly sick I knew that my stockbroker, Wotherspool would give scant attention if I launched into a long jeremiad over the telephone. So instead I decided last week to catch him unawares in his office just off Throgmorton Street and perhaps help him utilise his liberal expense account by lunching with him.
Despite my intentions, however, I never actually saw Wotherspool since walking towards his office I chanced to hear the incongruous sound of organ music as I passed by one of the City's many churches. These sanctuaries from the bustle of everyday life always intrigue me and I was recently fortunate to hear the eloquent voice of Diana Rigg speaking from the pulpit of St Maryle-Bow in Cheapside. I certainly would not concur, after hearing Miss Rigg, with the Johnsonian comment that "a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all."
On this occasion I was pondering whether the vicar held a financial year-end service instead of harvest festival for his flock of businessmen when my attention was distracted by someone thumbing through a hymn book and humming the air of Fight the Good Fight. The face was familiar and I recalled making the character's acquaintance at our mutual club. He had mustered my support over a controversial issue as to whether or not he could use his typewriter in his room. He said in his defence that as a lay-reader he had to type his Sunday sermons.
He now explained that he was selecting an appropriate hymn to follow a sermon on the Church Militant, during which he hoped two choirboys would give a short pugalistic display to bring home his message. My friend explained that his previous sermon on St Paul's teaching that strict training is needed for the Christian life, had been an outstanding success.
People always appreciate an illustration he said. "Take for example this chart" — here he produced a chart showing stockmarket trends over the last few years — "I showed this to some investors the other day and it brought home to them that the bull market was well and truly over.
I can guess you came to see that broker of yours. Well take my advice — stick to special situations because we're now in a bear market. There's one I came across the other day, in fact, Marl Investments. It has a 48 per cent stake in Guthrie (UK), the trading side of the original Guthrie Corporation. Recently things have been going well for Marl and in the year to June 30 profits rose from £193,000 to £303,000 and I expect growth to be equally as rapid in the next few years."
I was thankful I had bumped into my friend and as penance for using the church for business purposes, placed a few shillings in the offertory leaving enough change to telephone Wotherspool with an order to buy Marl.
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