The Copybook

Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.

217

By John Thomson, via the LSE and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Best Man for the Job John Bright

The Victorian working man had John Bright’s respect and unwavering support, but he could expect no special favours.

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218

© Graham Hogg, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Private Risk, Public Benefit Michael Longridge

For George Stephenson, the motto of the Stockton and Darlington Railway was a code to live by.

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219

By Edvard Munch (1863–1944), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

A Glide Into the Future H. G. Wells

A dinner host enthralls his guests with an extraordinary scientific experiment.

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220

© Hubert Śmietanka, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.5.

A Passion for Meddling Richard Cobden

Richard Cobden questioned both the wisdom and the motives of politicians who intervene on foreign soil.

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221

© Smiley.toerist, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Left Holding the Baby Richard Pike

A gentleman travelling home from London by train reached his destination carrying more than he set out with.

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222

From the Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums Collection, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

An Aristocracy of Mere Wealth Richard Cobden

Richard Cobden was not a little envious of the USA’s open and can-do society, but he did not covet her republicanism.

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