The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-27 00:00:00

ntr Yonbon Q7oUtpiibtiTt.

iWe deem it rie.:t. to state that we do not at at. time.
identity ourselves with our correspondent':

The interest felt in the war seems to have widened
and deepened, as might naturally have been expected,
from the important events in the campaign which have
recently occurred. Earnestly is it to be hoped that
your readers may elsewhere have news of a decisive
character, showing that this awful war may soon close,
" and the star of peace return." Even as I writ,,
there are signs of "the beginning of the end." The
tremendous battle of Rezonville was of far more im-
portance than any that had preceded it. The brief
telegram from the King states that his forces attacked
the French army, occupying a very strong position to
the west of Metz ; that after nine hours' fighting it was
completely defeated ; and that it was cut off from its
communications with Paris and driven bock towards
Metz. The terrible significance of this Prussian
triumph can scarcely be exaggerated. It prevents the
army under Marahsl Bazsine effecting it. retreat sa as
to join other sections of the French army ; it has, for
a time at leftist, prevented all communication with
Paris, "on which it depended for orders, money, rein-
forcernente, and succour of all kinds; Allll it has rem
erred Itaziinele army inespsble of meeting an enemy
in the field ;" and accordingly, adds the same writer,
"we ought to hear no more of the Army of the
Rhine, hut only of the fate of its broken fragments."
lie Tinles uses equally strong language, and says "the
Army of the Rhine lira crushed and helpless in the
toils of the enemy." The Post thinks "the main in-
terest of the war will soon beoome centred in Paris."
What phase this sanguinary campaign may present
when your journal is in the hands of its readers it
would be useless to speculate upon, but the expression
of an eatuest hope that peace may speedily be con-
uded is never out of place. There is reason to believe
that efforts in this direr tion are even now being made.
Not much hope can be entertained perhape of the good
effects of the l'ope's mediation, but a more en
couraing item of news is the statement that Prince
Orloff, the Russian Ambassador at Vienna, is in Paris
on a diplomatic mission. It is to be feared that both
France and Germany are determined to spill "much
more blood ;" that the former, reckless and desperate,
will sacrifice thousands and thousands more of her
citizens before she will yield; and that the latter, at
once flashed with success and irritated by the terrible
price at which that success has been gained, will
push her triumphs to the very heart of Paris
before she evil check herself in her course. But
while all this is to be feared, we may hope
that the men, the soldiers of France, will ere long
see that they are out numbered and out-ma-
r ouvred, and that they will boldly declare that
further efforts will only be suicidal. Perhaps the
mast marvellous thing about any war, and certainly
this war is no exception, is the readiness with which
men go out to be wounded, mutilated, and killed—for
nothing but " glory," which is no consolation for
bring maimed for life, " and which cannot provoke the
Silent dust." Brave and daring as the French may be,
the time seems approaching when they must admit
that to etruggle any further against the victorious
Prussians would be hopeless.
Considering the horrible character of the present war,
the importance of the two great nations involved in it,
and the perilous position we occupy in regard to the
neutrality a. f Belgium. we may fairly congratulate our
selves that we are now commercially suffering from it
lees than we might reasonably have expected. The
Bank rate may be taken as an indication of our
financial and commercial position, and the reduction
from fA per cent. to 0, may be regarded as at once a
proof of returning confidence and an incentive to further
confidence, and there is no doubt that it is having a
decided influence in this direction. The reports rela-
tive to the ingathering of the harvest, too, are certainly
ma re encoursgine. than was generally expected only a
few weeks ago. It was, moreover, feared that the war
would seriously diminish our supplies of grain from
foreign countries, but this has not been the case. Of
course this war has materially lessened our trade with
the continent, but on the other hand it is causing a large
amount of money, eepecially during this holiday
season, to be spent in the United Kingdom, which
otherwise would be expended in France and Germany.
I have heard it seriously maintained that the was-will
commercially benefit ourselves. This I cannot believe,
but there are, at all events, proofs just now that it is
not injuring us so much as it was generally thought it
would.

A strange incident in connection with the war is
mentioned—that on the Empress Charlotte hearing of
recent German successes, "her mind seemed to resume
the long•broken thread of consciousness," and that
there is now a hope that she may completely recover.
The widow of the betrayed and sacrificed Maximilian
has long been an object of interest to all who have
beard of her sorrows and sufferings, and every one
will feel pleased to hear that reason has resumed her
away; but still the thought will occur that perhaps
after all it migLt be better for her if reason were not
restored. The thought is a painful one, but it is
natural.

The reader may have occasionally noticed in the
leading papers somewhat lengthy advertisements set-
ting forth the pleasures and advantages of this or that
Getman watering-place. Such invitations, which are
now conspicious by their absence, are paid for by the
several municipalities of these towns, with the very
sensible object of bringing grist to the mill ;
and doubtless this object is mushy effected.
But such appeals must now be abandoned in
despair. An exception to the rule is an appeal
which has just been made by the Burgomaster of
Ems, who would persuade Brown, Jones, and Ihibiuson
that Ems is as agreeable and as safe as over. Depend
upon it, however, that this representative trio will be
deaf to his entreaties!
The Government has wisely given directions that
the municipal authorities throughout England and
Wales should be thoroughly informed as to the pro
visions of the Education Act. Government and
Parliament have now done all in their power towards
conferring on the country ample facilities for national
education, and it is now for the nation itself to take
full advantage of these facilities. Much will depend
on the energy, spirit, and wisdom with which the
means of education are now employed. If these means
be used rightly and well, all children who ought to
receive primary education will receive it, and gradually
the stigma of educational inferiority, as compared with
other nations, will pass away.
Experiments have been made in Threadneedle.
street (where two or three people, and now and then a
cab or cart, pass in the course of the day !) by laying
down a roadway of aaphalte, and the trial having
proved perfectly successful, other streets are to be
similarly paved. It is strange that English towns
have remained so far behind many on the continent,
where aaphalte roadways have answered perfectly.
This asphalte has three great advantages over any
system yet adopted—absence of noise, absence of
dust in dry weather, and absence of mud in wet
weather. To say nothing of the last two, tie com-
parative quiet of aaphalte is a great boon for London,
probably the noisiest city in the world.
- -

agai,

None but members of the small sect calling them-
selves "Peculiar People" will probably be disposed to
quarrel with the verdict of " manslaughter" against
the parents of a child who allowed it to die—according
to their "peculiar " notions, It was proved that the
infant son of a Woolwich dockyard labourer had
suffered from diarrhma, and that its death was accele-
rated by the neglect of the ordinary remedies. We
cannot but respect sincere religions belief, however
extraordinary it may be, but when this belief leads in-
directly to the death of an it:lEocent little child, whose
life, but for this strange creed, might have been pre-
rimed, it becomes a question of the State enforcing
;Awa made, with the consent of the nation, for the
common good. The "Peculiar People" will now doubt-
less consider themselves persecuted, and neither the
verdict of the coroner's jury nor the committal for trial
win change their opinions; but they will learn that
though the State may have nothing to do with opinion
.10 such, it has much to do with action founded upon it.
Even the engroesing topic of the war cannot throw
entirely into the shade the narrative of the sad calamity
near Wigan. Toe list of killed and wounded by this
disastrous colliery explosion 'stay be as nothing to the
wholesale butchery of one enlightened nation by
oeuetl*r ; but violent death and injury have their
horrors wherever they occur, and this lamentable
dieoter is saddeninz to read of. Can scientific men
do nothing more for us in relation to this fatal fire-
damp? It is to be hoped that this painful calamity
may attract renewed .I.ttentitn to the sut•ject. What
e glorious benefactor to mankind would he be who
should discover a certain means of preventing the re-
currence of such terrible eilliery explosions!
On the lot of October the new postal regulations
with regard to newspapers and halfpenny stamped
,3aels will come into operation. Both alterations will
be decided reforms and both, in my humble opinion,
will tend to in.:ream the revenue of the Pod Office, The
new postal cards Wdl probably come into vogue to a
far greater extent than the Gent nil Post Office dreams of,
and they will protably Iring largely into use the ciphe
system. There are, of courm, thousand.' '
messages which one leerson can send to another, Slid
neither will care a straw who else reads them; but be-
sides this, messages can be ii worded as to tell the re-
cipient all that is necessary without other people being
Able to make much out Slit. Ciphee.weiting'
however,
will no doubt be employed on numerous.
ystem
Sevrinvelhortaral besliestettingma grealdtheirlwieuxilt, but clever
kcletover people

other system& There is a charm about this secret
writing which fageinmee ladies especially. And other
people will show their skill by writing very small.
Marvels have been effected in this way, and why not
agaii 1 o spend two or three shillings' worth of time
to eels halfpenny will please some people, and not
hurt others.

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