The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-12-23 00:00:00

MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER.
—Mr. T. Paynter Allen, secretary of the Marriage
Law Reform Association, writes to the Daily Naas
under date 21, Parliament street, London, Dec. 18, as
follows : _

- -
"It will interest many of your readers to be informed that
the Legislature of Western Australia has just passed a Bill
to legalise marr:age with a deceased wile's sister. When this
Bill and that from Queensland have received the Royal sane.
tion such marriages sidll be legal threughout the Australian
continent The Lower HOMO Of th, /row ,Zaaland Legisla-
ture has five times pasted a similar Bill"
•

- -
THE BEST DIALECT FOR OUR r, LOE ft 1
TlARY.—Salisbury Plain-English.—Punch.
"SAVED BY A WATERPROOF COAT."—The
Geelong Advertiser, in describing the fenindkring of the
1
steamer Dandemong in a hurricane on the .11e* Stint
Wales Coact, mentions the case of a young man nAffie
Golding, Who was sated by the use of Gundie's paten .
life saving coat. This coat is gtttd wilAi an air-tight
1 blaider, -Wilich goes tinder the arm-pits- and aiirt.a3 the
back, ma:thing from the Small of the back to the ct,'ll4:ri
and .the bladder cat be inflated by means of a tubii
fitted by a patent stopper in ;labs than two minutes:
When the wreck took place, Golding eflte*ed a boat
whidh was to convey the passengers to anothei tOsitlJ
but the boat swamped, and he, with others, was thrown
Into the water, when, a struggle taking place, he sank.
• But GoLairig soon found himself 13,10 g lifted up by his
friendly mackintosh, and, on regaintng the surface of
the 'water, he was kept afloat by it until a rope Waif
thrown him, and he was hauled into the vessel.
THE PRUDENT ONII.—A man entered the
Chieago Tribune office and left the following advattisem
ment : _ _ .

..
' PERSONAL.—The advertiser desires to make the acquaint-
ance of a lady of refinement and good looks, 5 feet 44 inches
high, and weighing about 136 pounds; bast measure, 39 .
inches; waist measure, 2Si inches; size of boot, 31 ; ditto di
glove, q : complexion pronounced brunette, deep hazel eyes,
with a view to matrimony. Address W., 1,793, Tribune
office. •
"Seems to me you're Mighty particular about the
sae and kind of Wife you want," observed the adtee- e
thing clerk. "Well,, perhaps I am, but you see met
wife died before we had Bnit Beepied long, and I just '4
want a wife to matcia her things." e
* -
WHAT OLD GRUMPY SAYS. —" Merry Christ"
Inas i Pooh! Don't talk to me of merry Christmas!
How can any man be merry when he knows that for a
month he'll have to dine on roast beef and boiled turkey, I,
or roast turkey and boiled tied l—Puneh. 4.-
" WRECKED ' EXISTENCE. What ia it ;,
"wrecked" life? Oae which the waves of inexorable fate
have beaten to pieces, or one that, like an unseaworthy
ship, is ready to go down in any wetere ? What most
destroy us? the things we might well blame ettretlsteet. s
for, only we seldom do—our follies, blunders, errors, ndt
counting actual sins; or the things for which we
can blame nobody but Providence—if we dared—
such as our losses and griefs, cur sicknesses of body and
mind; all those afflictions which We dell "the i
visitation of God ? " Ay, atid so they are, but not
sent in wrath, or for ultimate evil. to amount of
sorrow need make any human life harmful to matt„tel
unholy before God; as a discontented, unhappy lifd
must needs be unholy; in the sight of him who in the
mysterious economy of the universe seems to have one . .
absolute law—He wastes-nothing. He modifies, trans. r
mutes, substitues, re-appplies material td nelvY uSes $
but apparently by him nothing is really lost, nothing
thrown away. Therefore, I iodine to believe, when I
hear people talking of a " wrecked " existence, that,
whosoever is to blame it is not Providence. —From
--
"The Laurel Bush" by the Author of "John litali,fax, .
Gentleman,"
THE NExr GREAT Gus.—The announcement
that the L srds of the Admiralty have decided to have a
gun far exceeding in weight and power any piece of se,
ordnance yet existing or designed has given a stimulus to -
business in the Royal Gan Factories, where comparative
depression has prevailed since the completion of the SO e sf
ton pan, and the success of the 100-ton gun at Spezia.
The dimensions of the next great gun are as yet un-
certain; all that is positively determined is that a weapon '
is to be produced which will send a projectile theough 26 '
inches of iron armour at a range of 1,000 yards. Thifil
task will probably require a gnu of from 160 to 200 Wild -
in weight, with a calibre of about 20 inches, and a total
length of probably 12 yards, throwing a projectile of
something over a ton and a half. The others of the
scientific department are engaged in the calculations
requisite before the plans of the new gun are prepared.
DomEsrio.—lt wan a homely but pungent
observation, on the part of a man of much experience '
and observation, that marriage without love was like, ,-
tripe without onions,—Punch's Abnanack.
AMERICAN WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES.— In
America the first anniversary of a marriage is called
the iron weddieg ; the second, paper wedding j third, ,
straw; fifth, wooden; tenth, tin; fifteenth, crystal ) ' •
twentieth, linen; twenty-fifth, silver; fiftieth, gold;
seventy-fifth, diamond. The presents to the couple in
whose honour Hush parties are given must be of the
material which conforms to the name of the annivere '
Barer. :
A; MEMORIAL TO MR. GEORGE MOORE.—Mr.
John Cockram, cab and omnibus proprietor, writes to
The Vines :—" Among the many kindly acts of Mr.
George Moore, I feel we should be wanting in gratitude
did we not name the gathering at Kensington Palace
gardens in the year 1869. I was then a Hansom-cab
driver, and received a note about an inch and a half
sq.nare, stating he would be glad to see me on a certain
day., I attended an-d met Grinnell, a City missionarg -
to the cabmen. Mr. Moore at once asked, 'What.
can I do for the poor cabmen of London r
I suggested the adoption of the same course •
as his neighbour at Lancester-gate, Sir Hope '
Griot, had taken—viz,, give them a plain substantial
meal in-his own house and have one or two friends to
say a f4sr words at its close. This was at once agreed
to, the butler called, the night named, cards of invite. '
Lion issued, and we went (upwards of 100). After tho ,
supper,- at which I believe Colonel Henderson was i
present, we received some sound wholesome advice, j
and our kind host sat at the door giving to each a
brand new shilling, copy of one of Bunyan'e works,
and a 'Good night, Gad bless you,'—Such is cabby's -
remembrance of good George Moore." .
A: DETERMINED SUICIDE.—Dr. -11ardivicke, )
coroner for Central Middlesex, has held an inquiry : s
relative to -the death of a man who committed auicide :i
Sunday eVening. George Beaman, of Wood-green, -'
actor's watchman, while tending some premises, '
by the New River at Finsbury-park, between
and nine o'clock, heard a noise near his hut and '
sing his lamp he perceived a man, apparently
,o' was crawling along the bank on his hands
and , towards the river, into which he plunged -4
before he could be reached. Beamen followed, and,
seizing deceased, kept his head above water, in the- .
hope oflotting assistance. While thus engaged de. I. f '
()eased abused Beamen, and called him "everything ;_ie,
but 'a gentleman". for attempting to save him, de' -.14
ceased being in turn soundly rated by Beaman for
atteinpting to drown himself. Ultimately deceased
was got- out of the water, when he threatened to split .
Beamen's head open if he touched him again. 11-30' 0
ceased then threw himself Into the water again, wiOn.,lo .
Beamen again cried for help. Mr. Cochrane, the
;Superintendent of Finsbury-park, came up, but on—:
rtresching the man again he was just going down. The
dead body was subsequently dragged for and recovered '
by the police. The deceased, who was not identified, . ,
was about thirty years of age, 51 t. 4in. high, of fair ,
complexion, with brown moustache and whiskers, ,
grey eyes, and chin shaven. Some clothing belonging A'
to him was found hard by. " Other evidence went to
show that deceased was evidently a madman, and *
verdict of "Suicide while in a state of unsound mind"
--
was agreed to. f
,
THE USE OF THE REVOLVER.—In noticing
the frequent -deadly use of the revolver, the DailY - -
Telegraph remarks :
It stems that a revolver is becoming as ordinary an article '
for a man to carry in his coat-pocket as a pocket-knife or
tobacco-pouch. The revolver with which Wainwright ORO
Harriet Lane, used to lie about in his shop, and had been , .
seen there over and over again by any number of people. ~.P :
The unhappy man Marks, who is at this moment lying under ..
~sen'eece of death in Newgate, walked into a shop and
k bought a revolver as easily as if it were a gimlet or a screw", '
driver, paid his money for it, and took it away with him. '
Now, a six,cliambered pistol is a weapon altogether uselese
' for sporting purposes. It is fit for nothing except to tak' - s_
human life; it is intended for nothing else; and no reason.
able man can possibly keep it for any other purpose. In *
Cottntry house it is excusable, perhaps, that the master and '
e men-servants should be provided with revolvers,
actly as officers carry them on board ship, warders as
artland, and police constables when told off for specialli
dangerous duty. All these, however, ate exceptions! ,
circumstances, and the wholesale traffic in revolvers Which
at pres-nt goes on—as it such a weapon were no more
'
dangerous than a popgun—is a serious matter, and one ter
to a hich the authorities might with advantage turn their .
_Attention.
GUILLEMOTS AT THE BRIGHTON AQUARIUM. :
—The Brighton Aquarium has just added to its other
attractions a pair of guillemots (Uria Troile). They .
*ere placed in number 36 tank. The motions of these
birds as they dive and swim are wonderfully graceful
and easy. From the facility presented for seeing them
1 under water through the glass side of the tank, a very'
curious provision of nature becomes apparrent ; when
the bird dives every feather appears to secrete an&
contain a portion of air, so that when darting througb
the water the bird appears as if sheathed in a coat a i.
silver or glaes—in fact, it dives in n complete coat or e
atmosphere of external air. The birds ere perfectly
tame and domesticated, and will take food feora 09
hands of their keeper. 0
~.,4
HIS WIFE'S OPINION OF HIM.—A man was' 70
sawing wood yesterday afternoon in a back yard (says i
a Salt Lake paper). He severed two sticks as thicl. :
as your wrist, and then went into the house, "Mary,' -
said he to his wife, "my country needs me; there"
no use talking, we just go to slaughter all them,
Injims ; no true patriot can be expected to hang -
around a woodpile these days." " John," said hip 3
wife, "if you fight Injuns as well as you saw wood *,
and support your family, it would take 118 like yotz %
to capture one squaw, and you'd have to catch her 1 ,
when elle had the ague and throw pepper in her 1
eyes." John went back to the woodpile wondering 0
.
who told his wife all about him.
' CAUTION TO "COMICAL Doos,"—Remember
how many jokes may be classed under these two heads
—l. Funny, but old; 2. New, but not funny.—Puneh's

(OBe
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gettiL
I mad,
. Alias
!OTC
zing deet-
>pe otzetting
need abused; 14qa_
It . gentleman 7
ed being in ttu
3inpioing to drov
tresf. mit nf tha

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on'

Almanack: -
DEATH OF A MONOIIA.NIAO. -:-The death is re-
corded in a French paper of a man nnned Duhamel, an
inmate of Bieetre, better known as the "Mort
Vivant," he having for several years laboured under
the singular delusion that he was a corpse. His mono-
mania dated from the battle of Buzenval, on which
occasion he received a severe wound in the head. The
wound healed in time, but the man's brain was hoped
lessly diseased from the effects. A curious circum-
stance connected with his case, was the entire absence
of sensation on the part of the patient. Medical men
watched the malady with interest, and in order to assure
themselves there was no shamming, had on one or two
occasions caused the man to be sharply pricked in the
back whilst talking with him, but not a muscle of hfe
face moved. It was with the utmost difficulty that
Duhamel could be persuaded to eat, as he etontlY
maintained he was dead, and therefore could not
require sustenance. He frequently spoke of himself.
but always in the pest tense, and when visited hY
friends would relate them incidents in the life of that
poor fellow, Duhamel, "who was killed on the batne-
field." Except on this topics, the deceased was Pet
fectly sane, it was said, and tp the day_ of his death
woukl convene intelliftentlY Von AnY alley NW***