The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-09-01 00:00:00

ur Fon* Contspodent.

i:We deem it right to state that we do not at all time*
lentify ounelves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

The prorogation of Parliament releases our iegis
lators from duty under circumstances very much more
to their advantage from a recreation point of view
than those of last year. Even those who wish to take
a trip to Australia can now do so without the know-
ledge that an autumn sitting is in store for them two
months hence. It must be admitted that autumn
sittings are not popular institutions, either for
Ministers or unattached members of Parliament. No
one who takes a glance at the two front benches at the
end of the ordinary session can doubt that February
to August is quite long enough for continuous and
harassing labour such as the leaders on both sides
have to face. Ministers, of course, have their depart-
ments as well as Parliament to attend to, a duty
from which the chiefs of the Opposition are relieved;
but these, on the other hand, have the worry of
harassing and thankless toil, and worry is much worse
than work—both physically and mentally.
The lifetime of the Parliament is gliding away with.
out any prospect of there being a change in the posi.
tion of political affairs established by the results of
the last general election. For a year and nine months
past the strength of Ministers and Opposition in the
House of Commons has been unaffected by the bye-
elections ; that is to say, a gain at one place has been
almost immediately afterwards counterbalanced by
a loss in another. This is remarkable, for as a
rule the bye-elections indicate with tolerable clear.
nem what the verdict of the country is likely
to be at the polls when these are taken throughout
the kingdom. It has been announced that one of the
chief measures of next session will be a Reform Bill,
extending the household franchise to the counties and
re-distributing the seats now filled in the House of
Commons. Should this be carried out, a dissolution
of Parliament would follow as a matter of course at
the end of the session of 1884.
The death of the Comte de Chambord removes a
singular figure from the field of European politics. It
has often been said that the Bourbons nothing forget
and nothing learn; and in this respect the deceased
Prince was a thorough Bourbon. He dwelt completely
In the i-hadows of the past, and so systematically refused
to recogniee the fac's( f the present that he lived and died
a realmless king. It is just t3n years ao that, after the
overthrow of M. Thiers, there seemed to be a chance of
Henry V., as he called himself, recovering the throne
of his ancestors; but he laid down an impracticable
condition, and that was the restoration of the Bourbon
flag. The substitution of the tricolour, under which
all the vietcries of Napoleon had been won, for the
white banner and g ilden stars of the House of Capet,
was a step which tie. French people never could have
approved, and as the Count refused to give way there
was an end of the matter. No doubt the white flag
of the Bourbons had waved proudly enough over many
a battlefield in the protracted reign of Louis XIV.,
but that was a very long time ago; and the victories
of the tricolour are constantly before the eyes of the
Parisians, for they are commemoratsd upon the Arc
de Triomphe and the Column Vendome.
The reception of Lord Coleridge and his judicial
colleagues across the Atlantic is watched with much
Interest here. The bar of St. John's, Quebec, Mon-
treal, and Toronto have made every preparation to do
honour to their distinguished guests. The Canadian
bench and bar have a high character for ability and
dignity e while in the United States no less distinction
than in Canada awaits the Lord Chief Justice. Lord
Coleridge has the advantage of being an able and a
graceful speaker; and as the Americans like big
things, they will have the satisfaction of reflecting that
the present bead of the English Bench, when Attorney.
General, made the biggest speech in forensic annals.
It was in the great Tichborne trial, and it lasted
twenty-one days.
A favourite song has described the arrival of Sep-
tember as the beginning of the autumn, when "through
the fields and stubble is heard the frequent gun." The
calendar makes the autumn commence a trifle later,
but there can be no doubt that with the shortening
days an exceedingly autumnal appearance creeps over
both town and country. There are many who regard
September as the most pleasant month in the year for
a holiday, and select it accordingly. The heat is far
less oppressive than in July, while the days are just
long enough for enjoyment without fatigue. A man
who returns from his vacation in September can look
upon the situation with far greater complacency than
he who has taken it in Jane. True, in Jane he gets
all the possible amount of daylight which can be
obtained in these latitudes; but the bright days of
July and August must be tantalising, while at the
end of September the short days of the declining year
with their attendant gloom are only in prospect, and
the sight of the re-kindled parlour fire speedily become
grateful.
" lolanthe " continws to draw the playgoers of the
metropolis at the Savoy Theatre, the scene of so many
of the triumphs of Mr. W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur
Sullivan. In America " Patience " still maintains its
high popularity, equal to that which so long attended
it on this side of the Atlantic. There are many who
prefer the latter to the former, as being more happy in
its songs and more picturesque in its situations. As an
illustration of American enterprise it may be men-
tioned that Mr. Charlton, the manager of the Chicago
and Alton Railway, has brought out a handsome quarto
volume containing a parody of "Patience," in which all
the songs and scenes describe the beauties of the line.
The illustrations are coloured, and are really a work
of art. The work is an exceedingly ingenious though
costly advertisement, which will however soon pay its
expenses in the additional amount of traffic which is
likely to be brought to the railway.

The Queen left Osborne for Balmoral within a few
hours of signing the Royal proclamation for proro-
guing Parliament; and with Princess Beatrice will
remain there for several weeks. Her Majesty whilst
in the Highlands, divests herself to a greater extent of
the formalisms of sovereignty than at any other
place, endeavouring to forget amid the quietude
the affairs of State. The newspapers will soon an-
nounce the name of the Minister in attendance on
the Queen in her Highland home ; and it will be
remarked that Cie youngest members of the Cabinet
are generally designated for this duty. A journey of
600 miles is an undertaking from which Ministers of
matuzer years wish to be relieved in the darkening
days and in latitudes with a temperature equal to that
of Norway. For inatance the late Lord Beaconsfield
never went to Balmoral, but he always took the
earliest opportunity of paying his respects to his
Sovereign on her return to Windsor. The present
Premier avoids the j mrney, so also, if possible, does
the Lord Chancellor, who is more than seventy years
of age, and prefers the rest of his country seat in
Hampshire to the calm of Bahnoral when so many
miles lie between the south of England and the north
of Scotland.

The people on Plymouth Hoe on Sunday last must
have witnessed a strange and sorry sight as the tug
came steaming into the Sound bearing the survivors of
the unfortunate ship Woodburn and the six hundred
passengers who had been taken off the French vessel
which had been in collision. The Hoe is naturally
the favourite promenade at what is known as the
"Metz °polio of the West," and is one of the finest in
the Kingdom, Beyond it the English Channel
stretches away mile beyond mile, to the West are
"Edgcumbe'e lofty halls," whilst the Tamar can be
seen far up its winding course; to the East the citadel
frowns over the town, and in the background rise
the blue and grey hills of Dartmoor. But this was
not the first sad or memorable event which has been
seen from Plymouth Hoe. Here it was that Fleming
brought news of the Armada whilst Drake and his
companions ate said, although the authority is doubt-
ful, to have been playing at bowls. It was ',during
Divine service on a Sunday that Drake's little vessel
arrived after his circumnavigation of the globe; in the
Sound the great Napoleon lay, whilst the spot in
which he was to be interned was being decided on.
And many a time has the harbour been filled with
the naval power of Britain, or the troopship has
been watched by tear•dimmed eyes as she has
departed with gallant men for distant wars. The
scene on Sunday, however, must have a sadness all
Its own, and it is to be regretted that the authorities
have not seen their way to connect the Eddystone
Lighthouse, off which the disaster occurrred, by tele-
phone with the shore, so that such occurrences could
be immediately reported and assistance sent whilst
arrangements were made on shore for the reception
and care of the unfortunate ones who are landed
destitute and hungry.

THE DUKE OF WESTMINSTER ON
EDUCATION.

The Puke of Westminster on Monday laid the foun-
dation stone of the St. John's Grosvenor Schools,
Chester, all the expenses of which, amounting to
£7,000, he has defrayed. The Duke expressed his
approval of the voluntary system of education where
it could be carried out as it was at Chester. Board
schools were, however, inevitable, and absolutely
desirable in many districts. On the other hand, he
fully appreciated the advantages which the children
would obtain in that school during the first three.
quarters of an hour to be devoted to religious exer-
cises. He might ask the managers of the schools to
leave no stone unturned in practically and thoroughly
putting into operation .the- Education` 'Act, not only
with regard to religiotitteaehing, but also the general
training and tone of thew:bads': ,
Dtuing the last ten Tears over 21,200,000 worth of
opium ham been wziggraWntlii&s4Pensiees, -,..,