The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-03 00:00:00

our yonbon Corrtspoanth

~We deem it right to state that we do uot at all HMO
Ventify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

Mr. Gladstone's early return from Cannes, rendered
necessary by the state of public business, is an unmis-
takeable illustration of the pressure upon one states-
man in the rush of modern political life, and recalls
an incident of last session. It was past midnight, and
an effort was made from the opposite benches to draw
the Prime Minister into a Debate. He declined upon
what many would be disposed to consider substantial
• ground. He said he had done a day's work at the
Treasury before coming to the House of Commons;
he had done another in that assembly between four
in the afternoon and twelve at night; and he entirely
• crlsoBted tcrbeginning a third day's work at one o'clock
in the morning. For a man 73 years of age the posi-
tion thus taken up would not be regarded as un-
reasonable.
The late Lord Derby, when filling the post now
occupied by Mr. Gladstone, once expressed a wish
that the Ten Hours' Act could be applied to the
Premiership; and Mr. Disraeli, on arriving at the
same age as the present Prime Minister, was compelled
to withdraw to the House of Lords as Earl of Beacons-
field. Whereas the Commons sit nine or ten hours at
a time, the Peers often meet only to adjourn, and their
lordships are at liberty to spend their evenings in re-
creation instead of in ati atmosphere of heat and
excitement which tells so much upon the nervous
systems of those who have arrived at the "wintry
•. hour of man's maturer age." When a Prime Minister
leaves the Commons for the Lords, custom prescribes
that he should receive an earldom, as in the case of Lord
John Russell and Mr. Disraeli. Only last week one of
the medical journals 'ingested that this course should be
followed by Mr. Gladstone ; and as one of the Garters
yet remains unappropriated, an earldom and a K G.
mightle his if he chose. True, we should scarcely
know him under his new title ; but it took some time
to reconcile ourselves to Mr. Disraeli as Earl of
Beaconsfield. Lord Palmerston never left the
Commons for the Upper House. He had the letters
M.P. after his name fifty-eight years, and died Prime
Minister. But Parliamentary life was not so trying
then as it is now.
From time to time we catch glimpses of life in
the Canadian Dominion, where the territories are
vast enough to feed a European population. The
descriptions of the Ice Palace at Montreal have been
read here with much interest, and the Canadian illus-
trated papers which have been received give not
only a good idea of Canadian winter recreations,
but speak highly for Canadian pictorial art. But it
has been remarked by many thoughtful observers, the
climate of the Dominion will never enable it to corn-
pete with the United States or the Australian colonies
as a field for emigration. A land where the rivers are
frozen five or six months out of the twelve cannot be
expected to be so attractive to those seeking a future
home beyond the seas as in the more temperate climes
of the South Atlantic and the Pacific. The noble St.
Lawrence might be as important a commercial high-
way as the Danube, but for the fact that it is fast held
in the grip of King Frost half the year round. It
affords splendid skating, of course, but skating is not
business—as the merchants of London and Liverpool
would tell us if the Thames and the Mersey were
periodically subjected to a similar paralysis.
By way of contrast to the Canadian Dominion we
have our Indian Empire, which is equally unsuited
for a field of emigration for a very opposite reason.
The climate is too hot for most Europeans; and
besides, Europeans don't much care for the cultivation
of rice, which is almost the sole food of the lower
classes. Yet, over both of those dependencies a
clear blue sky is outstretched. The cold of Canada is
a crisp bracing cold, not the raw piercing mournful
chill which in the winter so often passes over these
islands. It is healthy enough for those who are enabled
to take out-door exercise. On the other hand the clear
blue sky of Hindostan means a vertical sun which in
the case of Europeans must render out-door recreation
impossible. No contrast could be much greater than
that between the Ice Palace of Montreal and the
mosques and gilded towers of Calcutta, lighted up in
the sweltering sunshine. It may be added that the
Marquis of Lorne's Viceroyalty will terminate this
autumn if the usual five years' rule is adhered to;
that of the Marquis of Ripon in India has yet two
years longer to run.
In the diplomatic service, as well as in the higher
scale of officials from which we draw our Governor.
Generals, there is what is called the five years' rule,
• which was instituted in order that there should be no
stagnation in the ranks of an exalted profession.
It is essential to the interests of this country
that it should attract to the ranks of its diplo-
matists men of the highest character and attain-
ments. The negotiations which are entrusted to
them require the greatest care and skill in
handling, and such men must be well paid. For
instance, the salary of the British Ambassador in
Paris' is £lO,OOO a year; at Constantinople £B,OOO
and so on in proportion in all the capitals of Europe
But to keep a man in one of these splendid posts for
ife would prevent many from having any chance at
ay ; therefore a regulation exists which is not, how-
ever, always enforced, that at the end of five years an
ambassador may be retired on two-thirds of his salary,
and a chance given to another not in diplomatic em.
ployment.

A recent incident in the House of Commons has
again drawn attention to some of the regulations for
the admission of the public to that distinguished aseem
bly. Many of the restrictions are of an antiquated type,
and some at least might very well be dispensed with.
If an unlucky " stranger " merely refers to his Parlia-
mentary Companion to ascertain a few interesting par-
ticulars respecting Ep. member who happens to be
; addressing the House, he is at once pounced upon by
the door-keeper, and assured that his proceeding is
tf
strictly out of order. It is difficult to see why this should
be so. Intelligent men who show sufficient interest
in the Parliamentary debates to attend them ought
not to be expected to sit like dummies, seeking no
information upon the very subjects on which they are
anxious to be informed. There is room for consider-
able reform in the provisions regulating the admission
of the public to the Houses of Parliament, seeing that
as representing the taxpayers they have had the plea-
. : sure of defraying the cost of the most sumptuous pile
n London.

There are many degrees of monotony in human
. existence; but the straits to which, owing to the
boisterous weather, the keepers of the Eddystone
lighthouse were recently reduced suggest the idea that
'few of life's varying phases can be more monotonous
- • than that of the men who are thus isolated from
Ands-
. the world. The Eddystone is fifteen miles out
• ; from-Plymouth in mid channel, and in the fierce
1/110,4 south-westerly gales which during this tempestuous
winter have swept the Atlantic, the giant waves from
ftthat boisterious ocean have rushed up into the channel,
wa.
Akisilk,' making a clean sweep over the lighthouse, and effectu-
• ally preventing any relief being taken to the men
who were attending to the warning beacon. The
aft- a rock is one of the most dangerous in our seas,
lk
. standing in the very highway of the Channel
,• navigation, its name even suggesting the perils
which formerly surrounded it.
t • The London season is gradually, although slowly
awakening, into active lib, In consequence of the un-
• certain hours of the House of Commons on four nights
in the week, when it generally sits until past midnight,
vr, the evening engagements have to be confined to two
• ki days—Wednesday and Saturday—on the former of
which the House rises at six by standing order, and on
writ . .the latter it does not sit, at all events until the fag.
end of the Session. Wednesday is the evening
for the Speaker's dinners and levies, the former
being full- dress and given without distinction
of _party, the right hon. gentleman's guests
being selected Indiscriminately from both Bides of the
I-sca House. Saturdays are the evenings for assemblies
- and receptions on the part of the leaders of fashion,
-Coitntess Gran Ville and Mr:7,C*--ladBtone representing
~...• the Ministry, and the Marchioness of Salisbury and
I*. Lady Northcote the Opposition. The town residence
of Lid Salisbury in Arlii aton-street, Piccadilly, is
'admirably adapted, both by -size and position, for
the purpose to whichi ts noble owner puts it; but the
Countess Granville her company is too large for the
• '
family manaiop in Carlton House-terrace, can at ail
..bisr,t is, times fall back, upon the splendid reception rooms of
0# :-q. 'Abe-Foreign Office, than which there are no finer in
London.
.srs..i." • • '
4 1., Those who are accustomed to listen to the clangour
of the church bells in the metropolis on Sunday, when
melody of all descriptions is poured forth upon the
a 4, air, will be scarcely prepared for the statement that
11r4firet.(98 per cent: of the.working men in some parts of the
.. capital are altogether absentees from places of wor-
... J.hiv. This is certainly from no lack of invitation on
• the 'part of chimes or single bells, the latter pre-
.' -1"- .pondeiatiag in new neighbourhoods. Therefore, as so
large • proportion of 'people do not attend the
'r• regularly - constituted places of worship, the movement
• r-,,10r fiolding religious services in Theatres and Music
of late received strong support. There are
: „maw eight large halls and four theatres in which ser-
vices are held on Sunday, while there are 172 mission
parts of London. Lord Shaftesbury,
• who takesa • • great interest in this work, TeCOM.
mends it on the ground that advantage must be
taken of the feeling in favour of equality. There
were tens and hundreds of thousands who had not
yet been reached, but the efforts made to do so had
not been without effect, and had conduced to order,
discipline, and tranquillity. If only two out of every