The Story of the House of Cassell/Part 2, Chapter 11
CHAPTER XI
THE SOCIAL SIDE OF LA BELLE SAUVAGE
From early days the spirit of camaraderie has been strong at the Yard. It has manifested itself in many ways—in the formation of clubs, in the holding of festive gatherings, in the emulations of sport, in a rally of sympathetic colleagues when one of the band has had a stroke of bad fortune, and the like. The most ancient of the social functions was the annual wayzgoose. It had its origin in days so far back that it was the custom for the men's delegates to circularize the firm's customers—i.e. the booksellers—for subscriptions. Apparently that was a general practice in the printing trade, and at first it was not felt to be unbecoming. Presently, however, its unseemliness became apparent, and the House undertook to defray the expenses of the fixture; though in course of time this arrangement, in turn, was subjected to various modifications. "Once," records an old hand, "we went to Ramsgate, a daring project upwards of forty years ago, when the Chatham and Dover was the 'undertaker' so far as travelling was concerned. It was agreed that there was an intolerable deal of railway to the day's pleasure, and the experiment was voted 'no good.' Brighton was far more manageable, and was several times the venue, the Pavilion affording space enough to dine the largest company. The 'Star and Garter' entertained us at Richmond; and I can remember the situation when, through some unfortunate misunderstanding, the dinner was not ready at the appointed time. If 'one hungry man is an angry man,' as the proverb assures us, imagination quails at any attempt at realizing the united wrath of six hundred hungry men."
Gradually the beanfeast lost its popularity, and after 1894 was abandoned. It was successfully revived under the new management in 1909, when the venue was Hastings. Mr. Farlow Wilson, who had been the head and front of the function in the old days, was now present as the chief supporter of the new General Manager. A full sixty years had sped since he first became connected with the House, and the enthusiasm with which he was greeted showed that his popularity was unabated. The celebration was continued year by year, until the war came to put a stop to all such festivities. The scene of the last gathering was Dover; the time, July, 1914. There were great warships in the harbour, but no one had any inkling that they were so soon to be put into fighting trim. An inseparable accompaniment of the beanfeast was the appearance of the Wayzgoose Gazette, a lively sheet which left the reader in no doubt as to the literary superiority of the printing and reading departments to the authors and journalists who provided them with work.
For some years, in the 'nineties, there was also an annual staff dinner, but, like the wayzgoose, it fell through in the depressing days when the House was battling with adverse winds. This, too, was revived under the new management, as soon as the good ship had "rounded Cape Horn," but with a notable difference: the festivity was now graced by the presence of scores of lady members of the staff. When Sir Arthur Spurgeon came to La Belle Sauvage there was not a girl or woman on either the clerical or the editorial staff, but that state of things was soon changed, and now these staffs include considerably more than a hundred of the more ornamental sex. As in the old days, after the revival a paper, called the Cassellite, was produced for distribution at the dinner. It was not precisely a dull print, but in punning power it was always inferior to the Wayzgoose Gazette. At the staff dinner there was invariably a good sprinkling of guests, including some of the authors whose books appeared in the Cassell list. It gathered popularity year by year until it, too, was interrupted by the war.
At these and other social gatherings the musical talent resident in the staff was always in evidence. For some years there existed a La Belle Sauvage Glee Party, which held no mean place among the Glee Parties of London. At one time it regularly gave Christmas concerts at Bethlem Hospital, which were greatly enjoyed by the unfortunate inmates of that old City foundation, and for some years it officiated as the choir at the Friday midday service at the journalists' church, St. Bride's, Fleet Street.
In past days cricket matches between teams representing different sections of the House were played. These friendly contests have ceased, but in 1920 Cassell's Athletic Football Club was started, and at once set about making fixtures for the following season. In 1908, when the late Lord Roberts was warning the nation that it might have to fight for its existence, a Rifle Club was established, with a range on the lofty roof of the works. It had a not undistinguished record, winning the Elkington Shield in 1910, and also the Printers' Rifle League Championship for 1912–13, and it continued to flourish until the war claimed its members for active service. The Belle Sauvage Swimming Club, founded in 1901, numbers in its ranks some of the best swimmers in London. It won the Team Swimming Championship of London open to the Printing and Allied Trades in 1908 and the following three years, and secured the honour again in 1921, so making a record. It also holds the 200 yards championship of the Printing Trades of London and the John Fry cup. There is, again, a Belle Sauvage Bowling Quartette which considers that it can give a good account of itself as occasion offers. The Chess and Draughts Club dates from 1912, and has a clubroom in Fleet Lane, where it matches its skill against that of clubs connected with other firms. The Belle Sauvage Freemasons' Lodge, which was consecrated in 1905, is a rallying ground for former as well as for present members of the staff.
Some notice may now be taken of the various funds for helping employees or their families when overtaken by death, or accident, or sickness. The Provident and Emergency Funds, to begin with, date from May, 1878, when Cassell, Fetter, Galpin and Co. began to set aside for the benefit of their workpeople 5 per cent, of the profits remaining when 5 per cent, had been paid upon the capital employed in the business. When the firm was converted into a limited liability company this provision was continued, and from first to last hundreds of the employees have benefited from it. The scheme provides for payments, varying with the length of service, to the family of any employee who dies after ten years' service, and for similar amounts to those employees who, after ten years' service, become incapacitated by old age or by incurable disease. From the Emergency Fund small grants or loans are made in cases of sudden need.
In addition to these Funds, there are Pension Funds, created by the late Mr. Galpin, the family of the late Mr. Petter, and the late Mr. Robert Turner. Pensions are granted for varying short periods, the object being to help an employee who has fallen out of work, or a family that has lost its bread-winner, until other arrangements can be made. Finally, there is the Belle Sauvage Sick Fund. This derives its revenue mainly from the subscriptions of its members. When, however, a member dies there is a levy upon the survivors, and the sum thus realized may be augmented by a grant from the Provident Fund.
As a means of encouraging thrift, the House has made arrangements with the Provident Mutual Life Assurance Association by which employees can insure on either the whole life or the endowment system on advantageous terms. The premiums are paid in monthly instalments, and the usual agent's commission on the policies is divided among the assured.
Another advantage enjoyed by the employees is that of being able to obtain competent medical advice practically for nothing. Dr. Eric Bayley visits the works for this purpose once a week, and a fee of 6d. entitles every employee to his advice for three months. Dr. Bayley also supervises the sanitation at La Belle Sauvage. The works were constructed on the best sanitary principles at the outset, and there are few factories or offices anywhere which are so well lighted and ventilated and so free from sanitary defect, or in which there is a lower sickness-rate. The accident-rate, too, is one of the lowest in the City, partly because the machinery is so thoroughly fenced, and partly because of the absence of crowding. From this point of view the machine-room won the outspoken admiration of Japanese experts who inspected it not long ago.
Long service has for many years been traditional at La Belle Sauvage; and at the conclusion of the business of the shareholders' meeting in 1920 Sir Clarence Smith, on behalf of the Company, presented a gold watch or a silver tea service, at the choice of the recipient, to nine members of the staff who had been at the Yard for more than fifty years, among them Mr. W. H. Clarke, the head of the Stock Department. Twenty-five others, he mentioned, had over forty years' service to their credit.
The first War Savings Association organized in the City of London was started at La Belle Sauvage in 1916, and by September, 1921, over £17,500 had been paid in. In 1914, when it was feared that the war would lead to unemployment and distress, Cassell's Help Fund was started, with Lady Morris as Chairman, and contributions flowed in. The need for help proved to be less than had been anticipated, but there was no lack of deserving cases which benefited from its timely succour.
Of the members of the staff at La Belle Sauvage, 381 joined the King's Forces, while many others engaged in munition making and other work of national importance, some of them as an addition to their daily toil at the Yard. Those who returned were welcomed back by the General Manager, in presence of their colleagues, at a gathering at the Memorial Hall on May 22, 1919, when the announcement was made that in "Peace week" every member of the staff would receive double pay. The Father of the Printers' Chapel thanked the Directors for their gift and commented on the faithful fulfilment by the firm of the promise to reinstate all the soldier employees. A silent tribute was paid to the memory of the men who had perished, thirty-two in number. Of them a chaste mural memorial, provided by the Directors and staff, from the design of Mr. Sydney Tatchell, F.R.I.B.A., is to be seen on the eastern side of the Yard. Within a frame of laurel in cast bronze are engraved, in plain Roman lettering, the names of the men who fell, and below is the quotation, "Their name liveth for evermore." The memorial was unveiled by the Lord Mayor, Sir Edward Cooper, on March 1, 1920, in the presence of the staff and the relatives of those whose places at the Yard know them no more. Sir Arthur Spurgeon read out the names of the men who had won distinction in the war, and announced that in order that those who had fallen might be held in everlasting remembrance, a laurel wreath would be affixed to the tablet on each recurring anniversary of the signing of peace in all the years to come.
The community spirit revealed on such occasions has always permeated La Belle Sauvage, where the traditions of John Cassell are warmly cherished and the name of the House is a source of pride to all its inhabitants. Cassell was a pioneer, always reaching on to new enterprises. He set a hard pace for his successors. They have followed it, subject, of course, to the variations and limitations that beset every mundane undertaking, with consistent success. Never was the adventurous and eager spirit of John Cassell more predominant in the House than now. It was Cassell's chief merit as a business man that he not only saw the needs of his time, but had a quick perception of their changes. Seventy years later the House of Cassell is similarly alive to literary and artistic tendencies, and adapts its methods to them without one whit abating its inherited interest in the solid and substantial educational work of its founder.