The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-02-27 00:00:00

—'4fletroolitani Mossip.

isY OUR OWN

!The remarks under this head are to he regarded as the ex-
pression of independent opinion, from the pen of agentlewan
in whom we have the greatest confidence, but for which we
nevertheloss du nut hold ourselves responsible.]

The House of Lords has often complained of
aving very little work to do at the commencement of
he session and having a large amount of business
thrust upon them at a more or less advanced period;
and now Lord Chelmsford expresses his dissatisfaction
a the Bankruptcy Bill being introduced into the
Lower instead of the Upper House. There is no doubt
' '

much ground for their lordships' complaining, but ln
this particular case public opinion has decided the
matter. The Commons will initiate the Bankruptcy
Bill in deference to the wishes of the mercantile coin-
. . .

munity, and especially of the solicitors practising in
bankruptcy. Looking at the whole subject, it is im-
possible to resist the conviction that their lordships,
however dignified and exalted they may be, are be-
coming somewhat jealous of their decreasing legislative
power and of the increming influence of the House of
Commons. The Marquis of Salisbury spoke rather

spitefully on the subject. Some persona, he said,
might think that their House might be abolished, and
. . . .

some that its constitution might be altered, but no

one could desire that their legielative functions thou!, I
become a mere sham; and (only the marquis put it
more politely) if the House of Commons did not send
them business sooner he would try all he could to pre-
vent the business being done at aIL The contrast
between the activity of the Commons and the into-

tivity of the Lords was perhaps never shown so
strikingly as at the commencement of this Session.
While there is scarcely any business done, or even
talked of being done in the latter, look at the Notices
of Motion in the Commons! Why there is work here
cut out for three or four sessions. Of course nobody
who knows anything of parliamentary business ima-
gines that all, or perhaps half, of this business will be
got through, but we have at all events promise of a
very busy Session.
There will be joy in the Emerald Isle generally on
hearing that the Prince of Wales intends taking a
fishing and shooting lodge in the south of Ireland,
greater rejoicing still if the rumour turns out to be
truthful. And "the turf" will rejoice at hearing that
the Prince intends having a few horses in training as
racers, though many persons who are not favourable
to the turf will be sorry to hear the latter statement,
which I merely give as a rumour of the day, A royal
residence in Ireland has long been talked of, and,
failing that, an occasional visit from the heir to the
throne would be productive of beneficial results.
As the spring advances and the summer comes on
we shall no doubt base a frequent exhibition in the
shape of—l suppose that will be the word—velocipe-
dists. Three gentlemen have done the journey from
Trafalgar-square to Brighton, each bestriding his two.
wheeled velocipede. I read that a gentleman, whose
name is given, did the journey in a velocipede, and
that he was accompanied by two friends on veloci-
pedes; but we hardly know how to speak of the new
vehicle yet. I should like to know a little more about
this velocipede trip, and velocipede trips generally.
One mile was done in this case in four minutes, down
hill—that is at the rate of fifteen miles an hour; and
it is said that the velocipedists rattled through London
at the rate of eight miles an hour. But they must
have been horribly fatigued when they got to
Brighton "in time for dinner." In short, further
information is wanted. Velocipedes are now adver-
tised, but their sale must be at a rate that suggests
anything but velocity.
Among the many measures to be introduced this
cession, perhaps not one is of more moment than the
Government bill on the subject of endowed schools.
The charity and piety of our forefathers have called
into existence a large number of schools which, were
they properly managed and fairly developed according
to the spirit of our own times, would go a long way
towards providing education for the youth of the whole
kingdom. We have had several commissions on this
subject, and the abuses that have been partially, but
only partially, unearthed show what a vast field for
reform there is in the endowed schools of
the Kingdom. Mr. Forster's bill will only deal with
those in England and Wales, but even if a wholesome
reform can be effected here, what a boon it will be to
the publi ! The subject is not a party one at all ; it
is for the common good that our endowed schools
should be adapted to the times in which we live, and
whatever other bills may be passed or rejected, it is
to be hoped this will be among the Acts of the session
of 1569.

About May-day next will be opened Miss Burdett
coutt'i market in that densely pooulated neighbour-
hood to which the unhappy Jane Shore, found dead
in a ditch, gave its name of " Shoreditch." London
sadly needs good markets, as everybody has been
remarking for a century or two, and this new market
will be a great boon to the district; not is it without
interest to the provinces from which we get our supply
of food. As far as can be seen at present, the market
will be not only very commodious, but really elegant,
and this is specially worthy of remark, as, till we had
the new Smithfield market, the idea of a handsome
market appeared to be scouted as a foolish whim.
When this Shoreditch market is completed, its fine
central hall, its noble tower, with peal of bells and
figures striking the chimes, and its gothic gateway
will be worth a visit from those that come up to Nee
famous London town.

There have been no doubt many persons who have
waded through every line of that wretched and weari-
some trial "the Great Convent Scandal case," but I am
not one of them. What I have read of it, however,
shows how petty are the vexations and cases, the
annoyances and quarrels of convent life ; or at least the
trial shows that all this may exist within the walls of a
convent; and does not the trial show how unfitted are
women to live in such an ecclesiastical retreat as this
convent was? It is not easy to understand the
immense sensation that the cause has excited, nor why
the court should be crowded day after day. But so it
is ; and the photographs of the principal characters—
Sister Scholaetica, Mrs. Starr, Mrs. Kennedy, and
Father Mathews—draw crowds round the shops where
they are exhibited.
Whatever may be the result of the trial which will

shortly come on in connection with Overend, Gurney,
and Co., and whatever the result of another somewhat
similar trial, that relating to the Merchants' Company,
the proceedings that have already taken place in re-
gard to these two companies cannot but have a bene-
ficial etfect on the commercial morality of the age and
on the carefulness of intending shareholders in new
schemes. The facility with which, in moderately
prosperous times, companies are formed and " floated "
is marvellous when we consider what a large pro-
portion of these companies turn out—unsuccessful, to
use no stronger word. At the present time there are
no less than 400 companies under liquidation. What
an immense loss this represents to shareholders! And
many of these are widows who have perhaps invested
their all; retired tradesmen who are ehus driven once
again to struggle for bread; and clerks and even work-
ing men who have invested their savings in some
bubble which to their eyes looked beautiful, but which
soon burst. Suppose we put down each company
under liquidation as, losing £5,000 by the liquidating
process (and this is moderate) there is two millions of
shareholders' money going into the pockets of ac-
countants, solicitors, barristers, &c. The money that
will be spent in liquidating Overend, Gurney, and
Co. will be enormous. Already the liquidating
expenses amount to £70,000, and this quite inde-
pendent of the cost of I rosecution. Such facto as these
ought to make people cautious about their invest-
ments, and doubtless it will act in this way to some
extent; but there are at this moment schemes in the
market which experienced commercial men tell me are
almost certain to fail.

As it was a very great disappointment to the public
generally, and to the London public particularly,
that her Majesty could not open Parliament in per-
son, and it was with great delight that people heard
that the Queen had expressed her desire, which is
equivalent to a command, that instead of the Address
of both Houses being presented to the Sovereign in
the ordinary style, they should be taken to Bucking.
ham Palace by the two branches of the Legislature in
a body, so that the new House of Commons especially
might have an opportunity of personally paying their
respects to the Queen. While, however, the public
were congratulating themselves on this departure from
the ordinary custom, and speaking proudly and
affectionately of the Queen for having expressed her
wishes to this effect, news came of the Queen's return 1
to town being delayed owing to the serious illness of
her youngest son. The fact and its cause are equally
regretted, but the spirit which dictated her Majesty's
proposal Li Mile the less matter for universal con-
gratulation.
To be blind is a heavy affliction, but to be deaf is
worse, for it involves dumbness ; but what a saddening
affliction it must be to be deaf, dumb, and nearly
blind! Two young men with these triple calamities
have been brought before one of aur magistrates for
begging. They had been in a workhouse in London,
had been passed to another at Llandudno, and, had
escaped, tramping their way up to the great city again.
"The magistrate was very unwilling to send such
afflicted persons to prison," and accordingly they were
sent to a workhouse preparatory to being sent once
more to the workhouse at Llandudno! Poor wretched
creatures! Can no home but the Union be found for
them? It is not their fault tha they were born deaf, I
with the accompanying heavy sorrow of being dtunb, nor

that they are nearly blind, so that it is with the greatest'
difficulty that they can communicate with each other
or the outer world even by the aid of the finger
alphabet. Surely among the many charities of
London, with their aggregate revenue of four millions
a year, there is one that will take these afflicted
brothers and give them a home for life?
We have not heard so much lately of strikes among
workmen as formerly, the reason for which it is not far
to seek, trade having been too muchdepressed to admit
of striking. But may we not also partially attribute
the fact to a growing opinion among working men that
strikes, as a rule, are bad policy? Whether this be so
or no, there is a pleasing item of nuwB from Leeds,
where the workmen, s well as some f the masters,
are entertaining the roject of forming a court of
arbitration for settling trade disputes. The system has
worked well in Nottingham, and why not in Lecas ?
Nay, why not in England generally, seeing bow well
courts of conciliation work in France?