The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-08-22 00:00:00

Stattrsribge Olnitriter,

SATURDAY' AUGUST 22nd, 1885

HAR,VESTIDE.

THE time of the ingathering of the crops has
oome. The fields are white unto the harvest,
, and the noire of the reaper is heard in the
land. Gladness pervades the face of nature,
and labourt.: /arm lord vie each with
40Nch in effort, t secure the yield of golden
grain. We have no old harvestide cere-
moniaN now, of lord and lady of the harvcst,
of hockey load, or ken baby, none of tie.
antique panoply with which our rustic fore,'
~goers. Were. won! to surround what was to
- them the white-letter season of the year, the
time which witnessed the full fruition of
their toil. The bootie of latter-day life, the
hurry-scarry qf market cbmpetition, the in-
troduction of marvellous mae:iinery, ths
atia other circumstances •of oar advancing
ago have - combined te,„rrether to crush out
. almostaAlthe romance • from the life of the
farmer and his dependents. Such sweet
• simplicity as surrounded Ruth when long
-ago'slie gleaned in tears amid the alien corn,
- have gone for ever; even the silvery scythe
and flashing sickle of our fathers' days have
given place to monster and complicated cut-
ters of wonderful construction, which auto-
matically perform with unerring precision
every part of the • harvestine, operations.
These in tarn are supplemented by steam
threshing machines . and other scie_itific im-
plement% of agr;culture, so that the whole
I,nsiness of procuring bread for the eater has
bcu revointiooised, and the pictur sque
yields the palm. to the • practical, from the
• initial preparation of the soil and the &mina
of the seed I.glit up to the garnering of the
grain Even the once universal festivities
of harvest. home have fallen into desuetnde.
• and in place of rustic rejoicing and rotstering
and the observance of more or less elaborate
ceremonials in continuance of the pagan
• fesfivals :of ing:Ahering, we have nothing
'-'nowadaj-s save the toiversal lrarvest thanks-
giving services held in connection with our
.churches and chapel's. It is better so. In-
• stead of offering oblations to the sun and
and mythical inaulnafle deities, as our

ancestors were wont to do in more primitive
days, we hymn our grateful praises to the
Giver of every good. And if at times we
are inclined to lam(nt the decay of old
CURTO 11 3 h rst e rlnmour -)f manly!,
over ru2::.: tirol sig': 11. the
mer:y t; - .mpniei the
chief • . icnitural year,
mirth and song and sh--iu: hck sway in ev(_ry
ham .et, we are more tila,a compensated mli,n

we rememi)er that the changed times Irtve
-brought us new knowledge,. that the oi
manners and euscoms of darker days have
given place to enlightenment and under-
seanding. WWI a truthful appreciation ot
man's place in niture, 'ind of his obligations
• to; nature's .gitat Author, hav& come also
• skill in the ttl ivation of tile earth and almost
immeasurable advaacement in the methods
of growing and tiering its products. And
so harvesti ei a:serious season in the busi-
new of life's year, a time to anxiously and
• watchfully regard. We are just now, taking
the country thrugh, in the thick of the in.
gathering. Farm.)ri and theie men and
machinery are busily ocmpied from the first
• streak n, dawn until after nightfall in secur-
ing their crops, and the reports as to the
yield a- conriition of the harvest in progress
ar ed with eager interest. Happily
then is rolson to expect that the result will
be one t) call fo;•th thankfulness. There is,

of corn's , considerable variety in the intelli-
gence which reaches us; from different dis.
• trict.,, but this dissimilarity is inevitable.
Act-Pion%wed experts tell us that the growth
variea with soil, and this old a zicra is being
exemplified up and down in the country at
the present time. The grain grown on
-heavy land, and, especially wheat, is turning
"int an abundant crop,-satisfactory in colour,
body; and weight.- On the whole, where the
161i.is liett, the yield is not se good, a state
of things for which the weather is chiefly
tesponsibl,.. T; e growing season set in damp
and fationr:blf:
.to light land, but became
later exceptionally dry, with what farmers
style a Flare- in 7 win i. adding mitelially to
the distt'ess;ee n erreielit accompany-
ing a continnen.; suc:.e4sion of bright sun-
shine; This h:td a di..itr,:ssing .;i!ect rtp.:,ll
v.g.ltation bdt;wrli,-;he
light seils we,re speedily e,Appod of ihe'te
moisture, the heavy damp and strong clayey
lands r---fani th iutjiits element, for a
l.ngthi. 1• se •
auteiieit advantage
tr. In peseet.-es the long spells
or -it eettiter h p minced an effect
viZele to t:-‘ 7 e.; oOf • ht! el.ri-st tyro, the
,tral .-ome brown and
bare. •f)-i th 7 c - rnl tn. h 'tl.ct, though -
not se) ests y distinguishable, has alr.o been
very 'detr menta to the iliterests of the agri-
eulurrs'. creps .t hastened on into
ripeness b..• tee eteene sun before the desired
rain had Come t the grain in the ear.
The season hae been ,Aingularly free from
.those shire changes of weather which are so
char" eteristi e of tho climate of Great,Biitiin,
and. t ou:. • t4nd disagreeable to the
farmer; stll
.the ceeeparative steadiness :has
*Mtn bo mnch froin*dronght as not to have
been
.iiltogetter favourable in the result.
ilowevor, PTI the whole, though it is unsafe
to cone to a conclusion before the ingather-
jag is fully effected, it seems likely that the
haev si oi this on- year of grace will be
forted faVonrable beyond the average. It
must be borne in mind that there has not
been a better growth of hay for years, and
that it Was, generally speaking, stacked in
excellent condition. And where bright, nn-
interrupted sunshine has somewhat lightened
the cereal crops, it has mode them secure,
and facilitated an early harvest. Despite
the dr)tight; too, root- crops are in most
neighlac,nrhoods fairly good, so that at the
end (14 tlie-yrar the fel raer Will be able in all
probablity o look back upon -a betttr reward
of his fldeavours than often falls to his
share. It ik, es is pretty well known, not
alwayg the most eh:indent harvests which'
the nref.tal:4, to the grower, for
in EL stJaion o nu! v :ivy yields markets
rule low. it 7.7 .1: ::; (.41-aritable to feel
tb i-
ri' tot

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•••• !-o.r

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human, will ,-tte.
take be:ir of grace ti:ort the intelrort nce
t
that the corn harrtst in America and the
grain-expora of the Continent of
Europe art:, t grtrlllY under-the aver-
age. This •,-,1.1.(-.7.itq.,* to o.Le:holue producer
a measure of relit, ii:.lit the fuet, that int=

. -
ports being no 7essarily correspondingly re-
duced, British cor-n will bo,in active demand,
and command better prices than it would
were the normal qmntity. of foreign, growth
, in the market. • The wheat yield, which
after all is The most important of the cereal
returns, will, as already Indicated, be a very
good Qui in this country. An analysis of
tive hundred reports from as many British
districts, give. n in an agricultural contem-
porary, indicates a yield of ai • high a.s three
mid a half above the average; . and though
this is- PerhaPs ft somewhat liberal estimate,
ft shwa U 3 a , most encouraging state of
thus froL, alarge area. Let
thani,! there*)re; .for the harvest that
cruwati ;411e erfort#, a the' British farmer in
14d$, tuatgantitikat to ProVitions weethur

which so favonrs the ingathering, may con-
tinue until the last load has bean safely
garnered in.

COMMENTS ON CURRENT THINGS
Om citizen soldiers at Shoeburyness have
called down upon themselves somewhat
severe censure, both from their commanding
officers and from the Press and public, for
the disorderly conduct which some of them
indulged in on arrival at the camp. They
wear the Queen's clothing, and they 'should
endeavour to ecenit themselves as becomes
the service. Soldiers ought always to show
spieit of d keipline ; and as soldiers, if only
temp rarily SO, volunteers will do well to
maintain that orderly demeanour which has
so raneh to do in making: useful and effi, lent
battalions; otherwise they will forfeit the
respect in which they are publicly leld.
Unseemly brawling is altogether out of place
i camp, and the dignified rebuke adminis-
' tered to the recalcitrants at lioeburyness
by the inspecting colonel should be laid to '
heart by volunteers generally. There are,
it may be, black sheep in regiments, or corps,
or companies, whose ill example and dis-
orderly bearing proves infectious in disturb-
ing the discipline of their comrades; and,
if these reprobates do not speedily reform,
i they should, after proper punishment, be
expelled the force they discredit. Look to
your laurels, volunteers, and let us hear no
more of disregard of that good order which
should be the chief rule of a soldier's life.
A prize competition in camp is not the place
for riot or practical joke, but a gathering at
which serious soldiering and practical effi-
ciency in military accomplishments ought to
be displayed.
NEWS from the Soudan tells of anarchy
and bloodshed at Khartoum. If the reports
which, from d fferent directions, have reached
General Greenfell be correct, the treasury
and the town have been attacked and the
treasurer put to death; and in the riot which
ensued Abdullah Kalifa-el-Taishi, successor
to the Mandi, is said also to have been slain.
This state of things only serves to further
prove the necessity for a strong hand to
govern the warlike tribes which have so
troubled Egypt. It is very requisite that a
firm control should be exercised over so
dangerous a people, and England, having
put her hand to the plough, will not be likely
to turn back before the work is accomplished.
It is to be hoped, however, looking at what
our intervention has already cost us, that the
reign Of order and rule may be iestored
without further expenditure of life. We do
net consider it likely that the Soudanese,
af er their taste of British metal and deter-
mination, will offer serious resistsuce when
the time comes to make a decisive move.
But the other nations, equally interested
with this country in maintaining the peace
of the land of the Pharoahs, ought to have
shown a readiness to assist in quelling the
murderous marches of these fanatics of the
desert. It seems, however, that England
will have to finish the task, and say, at i s
close, "Alone we did it."
THE craze for wearing the feathers of the
bright bir is of British woodlands and foreign
groves seems to grow apace among what we
are wont to regard as the gentler sex. Many
thousands of gaily-plumed. songsters are
sacrificed year by year on the shrine of Vain
fashion. I Not only are the birds worn as
dress ordaments by ladies and mounted by
the milliner and modiste, but the upholsterer
and dealer in fancy furniture nicknacks uses
them largely in his trade. Humming birds
surround photograph frames, and the king-
fisher spreads his wings over a wall text of
Scripture This so-called artistic decoration
is simply a depraved and unthinking taste,
which is somewhat akin to being accessory
to murder after the act. Gorgeous tropical
birds are pinned now-a-days to the general
servant's Sunday hat, or attached to the
aaitiest chapeau of my lady. Station in
life makes no difference, the fashion is
general. Yellow is coming much into favour
jest now, and the other day a journal spoke
of an order having been given by a society
belie fer a dress to be trimmed with canaries.
We trust none of our readers will be found
among those heartless or thotigitless ones
who encourage the slaughter of the innocent
and beautiful birds.
• THE Metropolitan Police report shows
that street accidents in London do not
diminish, any alteration being rather for the
worse than otherwise. This testimony is
borne oat by the wider-reaching returns of
of the Registrar-General. Daring the last
year no less than 3962 persons were injured
in the streets of London, 265 of whom in
cons:q ien e lost their lives. This is a large
and distressing accident rate truly, but any-
one much out and about in the great city
will wonder that it is not even heavier, for
you can hardly pass an hour in the more
thickly-crowded thoroughfares without wit-
nessing some hairbreadth escape arising from
the congested traffic. The evil is that the
whole rule of the road is not under compre-
hensive 9,nd effectual regulation, reducir,g
the liability to injury to a minimum. Who
will step forward, to protect foot passengers
and drivers themselves from the careless or
unskilful driving of others; Some vigorous
action is necessary in order that the streets,
net only of London, but of other great cities
and towns also, may be rendered safe and
easy of use.
THE regulations respecting promotions in
the army have undergone relaxation at the
hands of the new Secretary of State for War,
Mr. W. H. Smith, whose new Army Circular
has just recently been issued. Under the
old regi&, no promotion is valid unless the
officer first pass the examination necessary
to qualify him for the appointment to which
he is preferred. This was the rule at the
outset; but as it led to a man being rejected
who bad earned his step upward byconspicu-
oas service in the imminent deadly breach,
but fai!ed to score the qualifying marks in a
schoolboy competition, the invidious order
had to be modified. It then became custom-
ary for the War Secretary to promote un-
lettered men .of merit on the understanding
that they should pass the educational exam-
inations with as little delay as possible. Mr.
W. H. Smith goes beyond this, an.l extends
peovisional promotion, where it has been
earned, to those who may have failed to pass
owing to their being engaged in active see-
What we want is discouragement of
cramming and ornamental soldiery, and the
-lti eition of fighting skill and force. The
sterling soldier who will submit to long try-
jug mar hes under hard conditions and fieht,
as his fathers fought, against heavy odds,
will always be regarded with pride and sat-
isfaction by the English people, even though
his knowledge of the exact science of military
law be but slight, and his acquaintance with
the data of military history scanty. We
want valorons soldiers, not admirable CI ich-
tons in uniform.

Yl (!e.

TRIM tT lERITATI4II AND COITGif —4OTOTID 43 'in I
nest, ticklingandurit.tion, inducing cough and sfl-ctined
the v•lce For these symptraus u4e Epps's Ght-4.rna
Jojabeir In contset -.ith the glands at the moment
they are rag-U-(1 by the act of sucking, the Glycprioe in
th..Re agreeable coutectiona blcomes actively healing
nn:y in b .xes. 7L, tins Is. lid., labelled 'lama.
/Jima & to., Flornqeopathic Chemists Londou. Dr,
George More, in his work on "dose and Throat
Diseases," says "The Glycerine Jujubes prepared by
James Epp: and Co., are of und-Jub:ed se rice as a
our tive or palliative agent." %Voile Dr. G..rdo--
•,.?!naes. 'nit:a Physic:ln to the Mu!ticipal Thetis., att•
hav infirmary, writes: "Mtzr au extended mu., I nave
toad your Gl:•eerine Jujubes of •couindtrablu bet.efit
o wi.: •.ut medics. tc st oenL) :n alcaust all I. rose
ot throat alseaae."-.-Is Stoarbrtdge Eppela liedioiuot
we sold by Moult, 1110, fligh Nava.