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O'Rourke, John

"With Notices of Earlier Irish Famines"


His resolution was thus announced in one of the Dublin morning journals:
"SOYER'S MODEL KITCHEN.--By the special desire of several charitable
ladies, who have visited and paid particular attention to the working of
the model kitchen, it will be opened again on Saturday next, from two to
six, on which day those ladies, under the direction of Mrs. L----, will
attend and serve the poor. The admission for the view on that day will
be five shillings each, to be distributed by the Lord Mayor in charity;
after which the kitchen will be closed, M. Soyer being obliged to leave
for the Reform Club, London." This smacked very much of a "positively
last appearance." Referring to it, a Dublin journal exclaims--"Five
shillings each to see paupers feed! Five shillings each to watch the
burning blush of shame chasing pallidness from poverty's wan cheek! Five
shillings each! When the animals in the Zoological Gardens can be
inspected at feeding time for _sixpence_!"[251]
A few gentlemen gave M. Soyer a dinner and a snuff box before he left,
and so his Irish mission was brought to a close; but his name was not
forgotten, for _Sawyer's soup_ was long a standing joke with a certain
class of the Dublin people.


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