The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue 9, May 26, 1832

In Short

Published in London by Charles Knight in May 1832, this periodical issue from the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge offers a diverse compendium of informative articles, moral essays, historical anecdotes, and verse. Designed to cultivate the intellect and refine the manners of working readers, it blends practical economic statistics—such as the vast butter consumption of the metropolis—with reflections on peace, extracts from Benjamin Franklin’s moral code, educational progress in Smyrna, and the dramatic transport of the Memnon bust by Giovanni Battista Belzoni. Its enduring value lies in its snapshot of early industrial-era popular education and its timeless insistence on self-improvement.

The Story

The issue opens with an investigation into the history and commerce of butter, tracing its absence in classical antiquity to its vast modern consumption in Great Britain, supported by thousands of dairy cows and supplemented by descriptions of Indian ghee and the Zebu ox. From physical sustenance, the text turns to the moral necessity of peace through the words of Lord Clarendon, comparing tranquility in the state to health in the human body. Benjamin Franklin’s rigorous moral code and daily schedule are then presented as a practical roadmap for personal virtue and methodical time management.

Expanding its geographical horizon, the periodical reports on an American missionary school established in Smyrna to instruct the children of English and foreign settlers, alongside the protection of a Greek seminary under the British consul. Historical reflections follow, touching upon Queen Elizabeth’s preference for truth over royal prerogative, Dante’s intense studious absorption, and the public career of William Pitt the Younger, who sacrificed his health and fortune to his office until his death in 1806. The commemoration of Charles II’s restoration and Ascension Day leads into a detailed account of the British Museum’s acquisition of the Egyptian colossal head known as the younger Memnon, describing Belzoni’s ingenious transport of the massive stone using only fourteen poles, four palm-leaf ropes, and four rollers.

Interspersed with these accounts is the moral tale of Harry Jones, a village cabinet-maker and skilled flute-player whose domestic harmony is threatened by his wife Martha’s uncompromising standards of cleanliness and aversion to music. After falling into temporary dissipation at an alehouse, Harry is saved from ruin when Martha consults the parish vicar, repents of her rigidity, restores his flute, and embraces a shared life of mutual concession and religious devotion. The issue concludes with observations on forks, literary reflections from Wordsworth and Southey, Dugald Stewart’s essays on cultivating the mind at an advanced age, cautionary tales of Chinese emperors, and Charles Babbage’s statistical insights on the average duration of human life.

How It Unfolds

The ancient and modern trade of butter opens the issue with historical inquiries by Beckmann, detailing the dietary habits of the ancients and calculating the immense dairy produce required to supply London.

Moral order and personal discipline are established through Lord Clarendon’s defense of peace and Benjamin Franklin’s structured code of twelve virtues and daily scheduling.

Educational and historical progress abroad highlights an American missionary school in Smyrna and the steady growth of a protected Greek seminary amidst Ottoman rule.

Memorable historical figures and artifacts recount Queen Elizabeth’s injunctions to her attorney-general, Dante’s legendary abstraction, William Pitt’s political sacrifice, and Belzoni’s removal of the Memnon bust.

The domestic trial of Harry Jones presents a narrative of marital friction over a village cabinet-maker's flute-playing, resolved through pastoral counsel and mutual forbearance.

Reflections on art, literature, and longevity close the volume with discussions on literary predilections, Wordsworth’s sonnets, Southey’s verses on Father William, and Babbage’s observations on life expectancy.

The People

Benjamin Franklin appears as an exemplar of practical wisdom, setting down a strict regimen of twelve virtues—such as temperance, sincerity, and industry—and organizing his hours to continually improve his conduct and benefit society.

Queen Elizabeth emerges through an anecdote told by Lord Chief Justice Coke, wherein she instructs her counsel and officials to stand for truth above royal prerogative, though her practice often contradicted her precept.

William Pitt the Younger is portrayed as a dedicated statesman who entered Parliament in his youth, became prime-minister at twenty-three, and gave himself entirely to his office at the expense of his health and private fortune.

Giovanni Battista Belzoni stands out as an intrepid explorer who used primitive tools—fourteen poles, ropes, and rollers—to move a massive Egyptian colossus over a mile to the Nile and load it onto a boat for England.

Harry Jones, a cheerful village cabinet-maker and skilled flute-player, sees his innocent leisure threatened by his wife's rigid housekeeping, leading him briefly astray before reconciliation is achieved.

Martha Jones, Harry’s wife, starts with unsparing domestic industry and an aversion to music that alienates her husband, but through the vicar's counsel she recognizes her error, restores his flute, and restores domestic peace.

Father William is featured in didactic verse as a hale, cheerful old man who secured a tranquil old age by remembering his youth and his God.

In Its Own Voice

“No honour, no profit, no plenty can make him happy who is sick with a fever in his blood, and with defluctions and aches in his joints and bones; but health restored gives a relish to the other blessings, and is very merry without them.” This observation by Lord Clarendon illustrates the fundamental misery of societal conflict by comparing it to physical illness.

“With these sorry implements and such wretched workmen as the place could produce, he contrived to move the colossus from the ruins where it lay to the banks of the Nile, a distance considerably more than a mile.” This description highlights Belzoni’s remarkable ingenuity in rescuing the Egyptian monument with almost no mechanical aid.

“She who ne’er answers till a husband cools, / Or if she rules him, never shows she rules; / Charms by accepting, by submitting sways, / Yet has her humour most when she obeys.” Quoting Alexander Pope at the outset of the tale of Harry Jones, the narrative sets up the thematic exploration of marital harmony and gentle compliance.

What It's Really About

The issue explores the interconnected themes of self-improvement, domestic harmony, and intellectual cultivation. Through diverse subjects ranging from Franklin’s moral ledger to the domestic reconciliation of a village artisan, it argues that human happiness and societal progress depend on disciplined habits, moderation, and the pursuit of innocent leisure. It examines the burdens of public duty, the value of education across cultures, and the preservation of taste through familiarity with great art and literature. Underlying the varied selections is the Victorian conviction that knowledge and moral reflection elevate the character of the individual and strengthen the social fabric.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of popular education and nineteenth-century print culture will find this periodical a fascinating portal into the past. Reading it feels like browsing an intellectual cabinet of curiosities compiled for the Victorian working reader, balancing dry economic data with charmingly earnest moral instruction. Modern readers must navigate the formal, didactic prose style of the period and occasional assumptions of moral superiority, yet they will be rewarded by the genuine humanity of its domestic tales and the clarity of its historical sketches. What stays with you is the distinct voice of an era striving earnestly to bring literature, art, and useful knowledge within reach of every cottage and workshop.