The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-12-03 00:00:00

Our Yonbon (forrespontent.

497 e aeem It Ight to state that we tn not at All three
.!catity oursel.-A with our correspontlent's opinions.)

Uneasiness and uncertainty affect the public mind
n respect to the Eastern Question, but though the
one of the Russian reply to Lord Granville's despatch
Is far from what might have been hoped, the imprem-
pion appears to gain ground that the difficulty will ul-
timately be got over by conciliatory diplomacy. With
regard to the Franco-Pruesian war, the chief interest
of the public is still centred on the beleagured and
blcckaded capital— unhappy Tarim—beautiful in her
tears. The long-expected sortie has been deferrtsl till
it appears to be too late, and the besieging Prussians
are biking their time, certain of their prey. It is
said that Von Moltke has definitely abandoned the
idea of hombarelment. having learned that "the
supply of food in the city is less than was
supposed."' flow much "wti supposed ' t be there
it is very difficult, indeed impossible, to learn, so con-
tradictory are the statements. It is certain, however,
that the food supply is running seriousl; "hc,t. A
writer in the hood ..botrnal, who has the misl -ne to

be one of the besiered reeidente, telbi us that
eaten and Fold openly. "I em amure you,"
"that eats are relished by a good many p.j,i,

are quoted at nix francs each, while (low,
qii.•ted at (our fra. t half lufir

than 24,000 este
may be absolutely c..:
ease were it not that
aline writer gives a star .to
I quote a few iten: l‘t

been sold and ea
t'r.At this wonld
f,ightfully

13(1 I lir.

p, from wbich

a rabbit,

sausage, 12s. ; • fowl.
a cabbage, 1.5 d, ; a c.
p.W., 7 francs to 25 fr,. :,tatos that coal
and charcoal are now unattaina'ale, that there is
scarcely any coke to be had, and that the price of wood
Is rising. Poor Parisians, what a sorry look-out for
the winter! And if we look at what is going on in the
provinces of France, can we reasonably entertain any
hope, supposing our sympathies tend in that direction,
that France will oltimotely triumph over the I -erman
invader,? There does not indeed seem any probability
of such a result.

Rumours of the Prince of Wales intending to have
a residence in Ireland having long since died away,
it is pleaaont to hear that his Royal Highness has
accepted the Presidency of the Royal Agricultural
Society of Irsland for next year, and that he will attend
the show. As the sister country no much depends on
her agriculture, and as thi4 Is the leading agricultural
society in Ireland, it is well that the Prince should
Rice an impetus to the exhibition. His Royal High.
new, by the way, as well as the Queen, is to be an
exhibitor at the Smithfield Club Cattle Show.

Very gratifying news arrives with regard to Mr.
Bright. He is, it is said, " physically restored to his
usual strength ; he is able also to give some attention
to private and public business, and to carry on the
needful correspondence with his department and his
colleagues." It is pretty well known that some time
since the right hon. gentleman tended his resignation
to her Majesty and expressed to his colleagues his
desire that that resignation should be accepted, but
that he was prevailed on to re-consider his resolution ;
and nothing could better show how much he is rex-
pected by Ministers and the public than his continuance
In office, month after month, during physical and
mental prostration. This of course is quite independent
of his political opinions, with which—not to put too
fine a point on it—we .tertainly do not all agree. But,
politics apart, we most of us respect " honest
John Bright," and heartily congratulate him on his
recovery.

The elections for the Schcol Boards are creating no
little excitement. A contested election, no matter
who the andidates or what the post, is always a more
or ess exciting thkg, and these School Board
elections bring out strong feelings on various
subjects; they touch a man's religious opinions,
his political opinions, and his breeches pocket. What
more can be required to produce excitement But it
is no only excitement that is manifested; there in a
good deal of genuine, healthy interest imported into
these contests, and it is felt that the welfare of the
uneducated young— and what a vast body is that !
depends in a great measure upon the character of the
candidates who are returned to these School Boards.
After takings comprehensive glance at the elections
throughout the country, I feel that it is a pity that on
the whole so few Lady representatives and working-
men representatives will sit on these Boards. We
have always in this country paid, comparatively speak.
Ins, undue attention to the education of boys, that of
girls being seriously neglected. The schools to be
established under the Education Act will tend toward.
equality and compensation in this matter, and, there-
fore, it would be highly desirable that there should be
a fair proportion of lady representatives, to watch
over the arrangements for the education of our girls.
And as to working men, it will be their children
who specially will have the advantage of the
new machinery which this Act puts in motion,
and tis a pity that there will be so few representa-
tives of this class. But there need be no fear of the
Act not working well on the whole. The recent
speech of the Vice-President of the Council on Educa-
tion is full of hope and encouragement in this respect.
We are evidently entering on a new educational era,
and very shortly there will be no excuse for any parents
allowing their children to grow up without education.
I cannot believe that many of your readers feel
deeply interested in the question of "widening the
south end of Park-lane." Dr. Johnson haaleft on record
that he once asked a boy what he would give to know
" all about the Argonauts," and that the boy said he
would give all that he had; whereupon the simple-
minded doctor drew some profound deductions as to
the thirst of the human mind for knowledge. I fear
this doubtful anecdote would not bear examination, or
perhaps the boy had nothing to give. But what would
you, courteous realer, give to know all about the
widening of the south end of Park-lane' Doubtless
all that you possess !—and so would I!! Thereupon
it is of isme interest to us to learn that a lady
has offered to give k... 0,000 towards this widen-
ing aforesaid, and that after an elaborate correspon-
dence between the First Commissioner of Works and
the Metropolitan Board of Works, that offer has been
declined, without, as far as I can see, • single word of ,
thanks to this lady fur her munificent offer. A very
strange result that.
The large number of French refugees in this country,
and especially in London, fully accounts for the de.
velopment of French journalism. We have still the
Internaticnal, the only French daily paper published
in England, and it is as much unlike an English daily
paper as possible. Then we have La lianittion, and
now another paper, L'Erho Francais, is announced;
and finally there is the Cuurrisr de l'Eurrpc ; but all
put together would only make a respectable weekly
paper with our English ideaa.
Post-cards, I believe, will come largely into use during
the approaching "festive season" (I believe this new
phrase will be highly appreciated) for Christmas greet-
ings. The French largely avail themselves of their
cheap local poet to send their friendly and family
greetings on the jour de ran. Whether they will have
the heart to do so on next New Year's-day may greatly
depend on the course which events may take in regard
to this disastrous war; but in any case we are deter.
mined to enjoy our Christmas here in old England,
whether we have to go to war with Russia or not, and
friendly greetines per post-used will perhaps do some
little towards this. Some of us, by the way, are
grand-ding because Christmas-day this year comes on
a Sunday, inasmuch as we shall be done out of a holi-
day. But Christmas will be very generally "kept'
on the following day, which will be an almost universal
holiday.

If I say that people of any importance whatever,
whose names are in Messrs. Kelly's neat little pocket
volume, are suffering from a shower of post•cards and
printed circulars, it will be but a little pardonable
exaggeration. It is "the season rf the year" for such
an infliction, for as we near Christmas we are demon-
stratively invited to buy everything that can by any
possibility be wanted, as well as things which under
no possible circumstances we are ev.r likely to want.
Hence the plentiful shower of postcards, circulars, and
price lists. But then, this is nothing to grumble at;
we can easily bear the infliction. Does this enormous
increase of Post-office business, however, cause the
delay of letters ? I have seen and heard this asserted,
but the statement is somewhat doubtful.

"OUT OF EVIL COMF.TFI GOOD It may seem a
meagre consolation to the French people, in the niidat
of the heavy calamity which has befallen them, to he
reminded of the threadbare truism that Good is cure
to come out of evil' (remarks the Ti711(11, in a leader).
The French nation, however, cnuld not have a better
not ortunity to consider and learn to know itself.
France has been for these last eighty years more or
less under the empire of violence—almost univernally
a prey to bold and overbearing minorities, gaining the
upper hand now in coosequence of a street riot, now
upon the outbreak of a civil or military conspiracy."
. . . . "There can be for a nation no better time
for mutual forbearance and sympathy than the morrow
after a great general calamity. Even after 1815 France
enjoyed a long period of order and peace. But at the
Bourbon Restoration she had to accept order as well
sj peace at an enemy's dictation. Now, on whatever
tern', ,he may have to settle the foreign question, she
will at least be thoroughly free in the arrangement of
her domeOic affairs. She has learnt at too great a coot
bow a sound foreign policy need be based on a provi-
dent home Government, and her chance of having the
Government best ended to her purpose was never
mere rropitious than at this moment, when the whole
nation is up and dnirg, and when it can equally guard
against dictatorship and mob rule."