The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-12-21 00:00:00

SATURDAY, DEC. 21, 1878.

the death of a daughter who had been the light of it n
happier days.

The Morning Post observes that the death of the Princess
Alice has carried profound grief to every household, and the '
fac.tthat it has done so furnishes the most touching and the
most substantial tribute to her memory. Of all the Queen's
daughters she was one of the most loved, and around her
name are encircled memories which can never fade What
she was as a young girl when she watched by her father's bed-
side till he breathed his last, when she become her mother's
best comforter, and afterwards, when she nursed her brother
the Prince of Wales until he was, as it were, rescued from
the grave, needs not to be recorded; but the many years
which have elapsed since she left our shores to take up her
residence in a foreign land have not in the slightest degree
diminished the strong affection in which she was held while
she was still among us. How she met her death is involved
in no obscurity. It was owing s)lsly to the fact that in
her watchful and ever-constant solicitude for her hus-
band and her children she had already expended that
strength by means of which she might otherwise
have been enabled to ward off the fatal shaft of death. The
anxieties of the week must have been intense for the Queen
the sad and heartrending incidents cannot be effaced even
by the loving sympathy which her people tender to thei
afflicted monarch. The Princess Alice will ever live in the I
history of Eugland—a type of all that is good and noble, and
generations to come will revere as one of the brightest illus-
trations of the reign of Victoria the pure and blameless lite
and the holy and self-sacrflcing death of the Princess Alice

The Daily News says the Grand Duchess of llesse was a
victim to that self-denying care for others which she had
shown by the death-bed of the Prince Consort. The dutiful
daughter was in turn the devoted mother; and she who did
not spare her strength in ministering to her dying father laid
down her life for her children. It was a life which, though
short, had, in the old sense, been lived. The Princess Alice
had given in the home of her birth and in that of her adop-
tion an ex imple, not rare either in Germany or in
England, of domestic duty and devotion. She had shown,
herself interested in, and not idly interested in, but eager,
actively to promote all those movements which tended to
the physical well-being and the intellectual and moral Im-
provement of the humble classes, and especially to the
elevation of her own sex. Germin Queens and Princesses
have sustained in many cases an honourable relation of
, friendship, encouragement, and support to the scholars,
thinkers, and men of letters of their time; and, in this com-
pany of good women the Princess Alice of England de-
served a place, and will no doubt, when the times comes,
find a suitable record. The story of a life of rich promise
seems prematurely closed. But it is not too early to re-
collect that it was not a life of promise merely. Within its
short compass it was a life of performance also. The
tributes of regret and sympathy which will reach the Queen
from every p ,rtion of her own dominions, and from all
parts of the world In which Englishmen are gathered to-
gether, will not be merely formal ceremonials of grief.
They will have the inv:iluable quality of a genuine and an
an unsuspected sincerity.

The Standard thinks the highest ecomium that can be
paid to the memory of the Princess Alice is to remember that,
in the last act of her loving and disciplined life, she showed
herself to be the true child of her parents. From them she
had inherited an instinctive passion for duty; and she
perished at her post of wife and mother in as literal a sense
as though she had been the humblest sentinel of an
army begirt by out-numbering foes. The highest
ambition of her life was to play the part of
ministering impel; and to that exalted function she has at
length succumbed. British annals will record that she died ,
the martyr of maternal affection. It is a consolation to be I
able to remember, at this trying moment, that the Princess
Alice walked in her mother's footsteps, and lived and died in
the cheerful observance of those unflinching precepts of duty
which the Prince Consort inculcated into her tender mind. Nor,
at such a moment, will the bereaved husband of the deceased,
Princess be forgotten. The Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt may
rest assured that the English people feel for him the warmest
and deepest sympathy, not only in consideration of his trying
fate, but also because they are aware that In marrying a
daughter of England he devoted himself to her happines
with unswerving loyalty and attachment.

AN EXAMPLE !—Old gentleman (who had evidently
been lunching)—" G' home,
,you boys—go 'way—
'shouldn' loiter 'bout• 'streetsh.' (Solemnly.) "Whs.'
should I ha' been—(hic l)—'f I'd loiter'd 'blut shtrsets h
'stead o"ttendin' t' bush'nesh I—Go 'way Roars
horn his audiencej—Punch.

RECIPROCITY.—In an American contemporary an
interesting comparison is made of the agricultural pro-
duce of England and the United States, which those
who consider that they "manage these things better
over the water" would do well to consider. The
writer says America used to send bread, meat, and
cotton to England, and take goods in return; but now
little is exported from England, while all the goods
imported have to be paid for at once. He considers
the commerce of England must always rest on ex-
changes,
COFFEE FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA.—
Up to the beginning of September the quantity of
coffee shipped during the year from Pernambuco to the
United States and Europe was about 13,000 tons,
notwithstanding an nnfavourable season. The
prospects for the cmning year are very good, and
it is calculated that not less than 25,000 tons of
coffee will be exported from Central and South
America to foreign countries. The Liberian coffee,
which is said to be proof against the ravages of the leaf
disease, and which will grow at a much lower elevation
than the coffea aribica, is being tried in Guatemala,
where, however, it is not much valued. It is said to
be inferior to the ordinary coffee, grown at an altitude
of 3,000 ft. to 5,000 ft., as regards both delicacy of aroma
and abundance of yield,

INCREASE Or CIVIL MARRIAGES.—One of the curious
facts which come out in the marriage returns for a
period of years is the gradual decrease in the pro-
portion of marriages solemnized according to the rites
of the Established Church, while at the same time the
proportion of civil marriages is steadily increasing (re-
marks the Pall Mall Gazette). In 1861 the number of
the former marriages formed almost 80 per cent, of the
whole ; in 11-68 the proportion was 768 per cent. ; and
in 1876,731' per cent. On the other hand, the num-
ber of civil marriages at the office of Superintendent-
' Registrars in 1861 was 7'16 per cent, of the total ntun-
' ber ; in 1868 just 9 per cent.; while in 1876 the pro-
portion had increased to 10 7 per cent. The total
amber of marriages not solemnized by the Esta-
blished Church also shows an increase—the proportion
to the total number in the years 1861, 1863, and 1876
being 201, 221, and 26'2 per cent. respectively.
THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH COMPARED.—The dif-
ferenc,) in French and English characteristics par-
ticularly in their respective seaside resorts, is noted by
a correspondent of the American Architect, who com-
pares alike architecture and manners. "As the
Euglish people spend their leisure in walking, so the
French spend their leisure in talking," says our Trans.
atlantic observer, 'consequently at English watering.
places there are vast jetties running out into the sea,
built expressly for 'constitutional,' where day and
evening both sexes tramp up and down. The French
at all seasons like to sit in the open air and chat, and
this accouts for their casinos, which at every watering.
place are the centre of interest from the wide piazzas
where they can sit." In their modern country build-
ings the French adopt a far more stereotyped style,
thinks the critic, than the English. "The French
have not so keen an appreciation of the picturesque as
their neighbours. The latter as a nation have always
been travellers and accustomed to sketch, and in all
lands a sketcher is at once set down as an Englishman.
Thus the people at large as well as the architects
naturally seek and note picturesque ` while the
theoretical education of the French leads to the study
of elevations and plans in books rather than of the
, real buildings."
NEW WINE IN OLD BOTTLES.—FacetIOUS Old party:
—" How long do you say that wine has been bottled,
'waiter ?" Waiter :—" Fourteen years, sir." Facetious
old party :—" Lor, I didn't know flies would live as
llong as that." Waiter :—" Flies, air ? " Facetious old
party :—" Yes, I mean that one kicking about in the
bAtle." Waiter collapses.—Fun.

LONGEVITY.—The obituary in The Times of Tuesday
is remarkable as a chronicle oi longevity. The deaths
of fourteen persons are recorded, aged above 80 years,
their united ages amounting to 1,179 years, giving an
average of 842. Between the ages of 70 and 80 ten
deaths are mentioned, the average of these cases being
74'8.

A PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION.—A funny story—
of course, not a story" in the other sense—is told in
the Paris Figaro. A man was in bed very ill, when
an old chum came to see him. "I am awfully bad,"
said the patient; "you see I am lying on my left side,
and my doctor says I am so bad that if I were to turn
over on my left side I should die." "What an extra-
ordinary thing to say I" said the friend. "I nssure
you he did say it," replied the sick man. "I can't
believe it," rejoined the visitor. "What ! " exclaimed
the sick man, "you don't believ it ! Then look here !"
and he turned over and died in a rage!
FACTORY AND WORKSHOP ACT, 1878.—Tuesday
night's London Gazette contains a series of orders made
by the Home Secretary under this Act granting special
exceptions (1) in the case of biscuit-baking (allowing
the continuous employment of youths above 16 as
adults) ; (2) substituting another day for Saturday as
a part-holiday in cutain non-textile factories and work-
shops; (3) extending the exception as regards a "five
hours' spell" to hosiery factories, woollen factories in
the counties of Oxford, Wilts, Worcester, Gloucester,
and Somerset, and factories in which the only pro-
cesses carried on are those of winding and throwing
raw silk, or either of such processes; (4) allowing dif-
ferent holidays to any sets of children, young persons,
and women employed in certain non-textile factories
and workshops; (5) allowing different meal hours in
certain factories and workshops ; (6) allowing employ-
ment, &c., in certain cases during meal hours; (7) ex-
tending special exemption, as to the overtime of 30
minutes to the baking of bread or biscuits; (8) as to
"lost time" in the case of water-mills; and (9) as to
the night-work of youths in certain non-textile fac-
tories.

IPENSIONS TO OFFICERS' WIVES.—It might interest
, some of your readers who look at the black side of
things on the eve of a war to see what provision a
paternal Government has made for those who are left
; behind :—Widow of Colonel (also not being a General
, Officer), if killed in action, £200; if died from illness
I contracted in the field, £l5O. Lient-Col. Major. Foot
Guards, £200; £145. Lient•Col., £200; £l4O. Major,
' £130; £lOO. Captain, £80; £65. Sub-Lieut. and
Second Lieut., £46; £40.—8. T. in Land and Water
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The following
are the average prices of British corn for the week
p ending December 14 as received from the inspectors
and officers of Excise :—Wheat, 40s. 10d. ; barley,
38s. 10d. ; oats, 21s. 61. per imperial qt• Corres-
ponding week last year :—Wheat, 518. 7d.; barley,
" 445.; oats, 245.
SINGULAR CURE FOR FEVER !—Bagdad has lately
been visited by an epidemic fever, which is attributed
to the general imperfection of its sanitary arrange-
moats. Fever is indeed almost constantly raging
among the poorer classes of Bagdad, who die in large
;numbers, being unable to pay the exorbitant charges
I demanded by the native druggists for quinine. They
I have, however, another antidote by which they set
!great store, and which has at least the merit of costing
Ino money and being easy of application. A large gun
captured many years ago by the Turks in a war with
;the Persians occupies a prominent position in the city,
being placed on a kind of scaffold and illuminated at
I night by four lanterns. This gun is firmly believed to
! possess the miraculous power of curing fever and
warding off its attacks. Accordingly, when fever is
most prevalent dense crowds push and struggle with
each other with the object of reaching the gun and
rubbing themselves against it. Of late, owing to the
scarcity of quinine, the gun has been rubbed against
with unusual vigour, and it is credited with miracles
of healing that more than atone for any amount of
destruction it may have effected in days of yore.—Fall
Mall Gazette_
THE UNLUCKY HUSBAND.—The Court Journal
relates the following :—A Belgian bridegroom, being
about to start for Paris on his honeymoon tour,
was informed by his bride that she thought of
concealing several thousand francs' worth of lace
about her, hoping by its sale to pay the cost
of their journey. The bridegroom was not smitten
with this frugal project, and pointed out that
there were Custom-house officers and a female searcher
at Ercquelines who were sometimes struck with an unac-
countable fancy for examining passengers' pockets. This
he said being a timid man, and his bride, to humour him,
promised to give up her plan; but of course she secre-
ted the lace all the same without telling him about it.
As the train approached the French frontier, the hus-
band reflected that, if his wife were not searched, his
fears would be mocked at as having been groundless,
and he would start on his married career with prestige
impaired. This was not desirable—the rather was it
essential that he should from the very outset assert its
infallibility. So, when the train stopped at Ercquelines,
land the passengers alighted, the Belgian bridegroom left
his bride's arm for a moment, and, sidling up to a doua-
nine whispered, 'I think if you search that lady yonder
you may find s pme lace.' The douanier winked ; and the
happy bride was accosted with an invitation to walk
into the female searcher's room. She turned pale and
tottered, but was led away, and five minutes later
dismal sounds of hysterics were heard. Then the
dounnier reappeared and said to the horrified
husband. ''['hank you, sir; it's a good capture.
The lady will be taken to prison, and half the fine
will go to you.'
PAUPERIs3I IN LIVERPOOL—There are loud com-
plaints in Liverpool of the badness of trade, and
work at the docks is certainly slack, but the statistics
of pauperism do not appear to confirm the report that
the distress is exceptionally severe. The last statistics
'of the parish of Liverpool, the area of which includes
the cont... tbe horeugh, show that on December 7
the woro-175f1i4-6 had 2,790 inmates as compared with
2,717 at the corresponding date of last year. There
are now 1,249 families, comprising 2,428 persons, in
receipt of out-door relief, as against 1,301 families and
2,424 persons last year. There has been some increase
in the number of vagrants, the number relieved last
lweek being 534 persons against 389 at the same date
last year.
FLUCTUATIONS IN WAGES.—The Statist points out
that in their simplest form wages are a share in pro-
duction. An iron puddler obtains the value of one ton
out of say every sixteen tons of metal upon which be
has worked; a weaver, perhaps one yard out of every
twenty yards turned out; a farm labourer similarly is
allotted one bushel out of a certain number of bushels
of corn produced. If the labourer obtains wages
equal to a bushel and a-half, the produce being no
greater than before, the farmer or landowner gets half
' a bushel less than was his previous share of the pro-
duce, and that he naturally strives against. Given
fixed shares, to the labourer on the one side, and to the
' employer on the other, in the produce of their united
capital and labour, both the income of the capitalist
and the wares of the labourer will rise and fall with
the price of such produce. That is the broad rule,
'which in trades subject to cyclical rises and depres-
sions of price has ample time to tell in practice. It
may be seen by those who will look—it should be seen
by all—that there are cycles in the money value of all
things. Agricultural wages rose when the period of
inflation in recent years caused a general upward
movem,nt, in values: they must fall when the move-
ment is reversed. I,', 'ening is a trade, and cannot
alt Pgether escape obedience to the natural laws
governing trades, whatever accidents may occur in the
weather, or whatever philanthropy and legislation rasY
a.ttompt in a particular ialand,