The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-11-01 00:00:00

Cur Fonhart Carropatnt.

- (We deem it right to state that we do not ,at all timos
f_lentify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

The Agricultural Hall, in the High-street, Isling-
ton, is a vast building, the interior of which must be
well known to an enormous number of persons in the
country as well as in London. It iz a place devoted
to shows and exhibitions of all kinds—the Horse
Show in June, the Dairy Show in the autumn, the
Cattle Show in December, and many others accord-
ing to the season. Last week was the time of the
Brewers' Exhibiticn, when the curious had presented
for their inspection the varied appliances employed in
the industries for the manufacture of wine, beer, and
mineral waters, as well as for the preparation of
tobacco and cigars. While this was going on at
Islington, the Medical Trades' Exhibition was open
at Albert Gate, while at the same place on
the 15th November there is to be a Bread Reform Ex-
llibition, where those interested may see various
kinds of cereals and farinaceous goods. The Crystal
Palace International Exhibition came to an end on
the day Parliament met, leaving its powerful com-
petitor, known in slang parlance as the Healtherles,
still a week of existence to run.

Now that once more the evening shades prevail
and there will be no ornate illuminations at South
Kensington to attract thousands of spectators, the
theatres will Jook up once mere, and there can be no
doubt that many of these have had experience of
diminished receipts during`the past few months. Th
tropical summer and the open-air attractions at the
Health Exhibition both told in this direction. There was
a larger quantity of paper in some of the temples of
Thespis this autumn than for a very long time. In
the meantime the revival of the public taste for
Shakesperean drama is one of the most remarkable
features of the day. Less than half a generation ag-o
when Mr. J. B. Chatterton was remonstrated with
for the production of " Formosa " at Drury-lane, he
replied that "Shakespeare spelt ruin and Byron
bankruptcy." The Byron referred to was not Henry
J. whose "Our Boys" ran four years at the Vaude-
ville, but the lord of that title, whose Manfred " was
not brought out at Drury-lane with success. Shake-
peare, however, no longer spells ruin. Mr. Irving's,
revivals of the Bard of Avon's plays have been at-
tended with extraordinary prosperity at the Lyceum,
while more recently Mr, Wilson Barrett's Hamlet has
undoubtedly made a very striking hit at the
Princess's.

The opening of Parliament by Commission is
never a very lively process. There is no rush of
eager spectators to ;witness the appearance of the
Sovereign, as:there always is when the Queen in-
augurates the sittings of the Legislature in person.
The time of year at which Parliament is opened finds
London generally arched with a roof of sombre-looking
lead, which makes more funereal than ever the dim
religious light known to all who have gazed upon
the painted windows of the House of Lords. A few
peers, one or two bishops, and about a score of ladies
occupy the benches, the Royal commissioners sitting
in front of the Throne habited in scarlet robes, and
wearing quaint-looking cocked hats. There is no
crowd in Palace-yard, as her Majesty's Ministers do
not come down until two hours after the delivery of
the Royal message. But last Thursday the proverbial
gloom of a February day, which is often enough
equally applicable to October, was happily absent.
It was one of the expiring days of the splendid
summer, and was enjoyed all the more in the face of
the reflection that we were within a week of that
coos de morte, November, with its depressing fogs and
its murky unwholesome atmosphere.
The disturbances at Birmingham and Dumfries, in
the last few days of the recess, were much to be re-
gretted by those who do not believe in the substitution
of knobsticks for argument and of brickbats for
reason. But this is as nothing compared to the
stormy scenes which preceded the passing of the
first Reform Bill, when Bristol was for days in the
hands of rioters, Nottingham Castle was in flames,
and a hundred thousand men were ready to march from
Birmingham to London to lay their grievances at the foot
of the Throne. It must be borne in mind that at
that time the great midland capital with such places
as Leeds and Manchester were totally without repre-
sentation in the House of Commons, while green
mounds, with no population whatever, like Gatton
and Old Sarum, were each sending two members. It
was, of course, imposslble that a system of this kind
could continue; no living soul would defend it now;
and the only wonder is that it continued so long,
The strong men of that time, to quote the words of
Mr. Bright, are now white with age, but the recollec-
tions of those tempestuous days can never be effaced
from the memories of those who passed through
them. Averse as the King was to the creation
of peers demanded by Earl Grey, he gave in
to save the country from civil war; but sufficient
pressure was brought to bear upon the Opposition
lords to induce them to remain away when the bill
came up again, and no new peers were necessary.
The completion by Sir Moses Montefiore of the
hundredth year of his age is an event of great public
interest. In this swiftly-moving epoch it seems diffi-
cult to believe that there is still amongst us one who
was alive in the early premiership of Pitt, who,
in the year when the venerable baronet was born,
was only four-and-twenty years old, and withal was
Prime Minister of England. Nelson, who has been
in his grave nearly eighty years, had then
scarcely been heard of. Wellington and Napoleon
were boys of fifteen. Lousis ANT. and Marie
Antoinette were enjoying the voluptuous pleasures of
Versailles, and less prescient than Voltaire, could not
discern even that cloud in the political horizon big as
a man's hand, which was to gather into a hurricane
and sweep them away. It was not until five years
afterwards that the destruction of the Bastille by the
people of Paris heralded the approach of the storm,
Sir Moses Montefiore had attained his majority when
the victory of Trafalgar crushed out the naval power
of France, and at the time of the Reform agitation
was nearly fifty years old. He was in the
world a quarter of a century before the veteran
Premier of to-day, and was a grey-headed man
.sf 60 at the birth of one of the members of the pre-
sent Cabinet. He has lived in four reigns, whereas a
centenarian N‘ho could have weathered the blasts of
the hundred winters in the epoch immediately pre-
ceding 1684 to 1784—would have lived in seven,
viz., Charles 11., James 11., William and Mary,
Anne, George 1., George 11., and George 111.
The birthday of the Prince of Wales on the oth
November once more reminds us of the flight of
Time. His Royal Highness will be 43, and next
January his eldest son attains the age of 21. At that
time of life her Majesty's sons have been provided for
by Parliament, and there is considerable speculation
as to what will be done in the case of Prince
Albert Victor. The residence assigned to the
Heir Apparent on his marriage and his income
remain unaltered, although his expenses must have
largely increased. As the Prince and Princess of
Wales discharge the duties pertaining to Royalty in
London, and as Buckingham Palace has for nearly a
quarter of a century been untenanted, it is asked why
not hand it over to their Royal Highnesses, and
assign Marlborough House to Prince Albert Victor?
The novelties in the forthcoming Lord Mayor's
Show will render the new chief magistrate popular
with the masses who always come out in
enormous numbers to witness the spectacle. The
Lord-Mayor is cheered in proportion as the cavalcade
is an attractive one, and this time it promises to be
more so than usual. The people of London, take
them altogether, rather like the Lord Mayor's show.
There are, of course, always the usual sprinkling of
utilitarian F,,rumblers, who denounce the pageant as
an obstruction to the traffic; bat, after all, the traffic
has its way all the rest of the year; and if a plebiscite
of London could be taken the result would be in
favour of continuing the show, and of allowing for a
few hours the Sons of Mammon to take care of
themselves.

Little Boy: "Please, I want the doctor to come
_mid see mother:' Servant: "Doctor's out. Where
do You come from ?" Little Boy: " What ! don't
youknow me ? 'Why, we deal with you, We had a
baby from here last week!"
Sententious old bachelor (in the cours(of conver-
sation) : "As the old saw ' has it, my d4ear n,adarn,
man proposes, but—' " Widow (promiltly): yes;
but that's just what he doesn't do
" " said Mr. o'g,e_r_ty, who was discussing
--fre-ra—aa
wurruki whin there was 'IA a single Its hi' eopt* the
-face. of the earth, had the best .tonne of 1., i;,c4
imagine."
"Why, r Johnnie! Put down your fither'S piEt.
You may let it fall and break it. What are you tiys.
ing to look into its stem for ?" "0 'cause I heard
him say, last night, that there was consolation in the
pipe."