The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-08-29 00:00:00

COMMENTS ON CURRENT THINGS.

U'onLowiNG upon the enthusiastic votes of
thanks given in ,both Houses of Parliament
to the gallant officers and men who have
served in the Soudan campaign, the lengthy
list of honours published in the London
(7-,:etto will be read with interest. The
splendid bravery of the troops under most
trying conditions wes eloqnently acknow-
ledged by leadiag? statesmen of either party;
now comes the reward of duty done so well.
Conspicuous valour and brilliant military
ability have their mead of mention in the
despatches of General Lord Wolseley and
Lieut-General Sir Gerald graham. There
an honours and promotions for the officers
whose action has:so richly merited recognition
and there are fitting giatuities for rank and
file as well as officers. Never were rewards
more manfully earned ; for though the ex-
pedition was shorn of full success by
treachery, those who took part therein fought
and endured as only British soldiers can,
fully mainting.:,_, the glorious traditions of those
dauntless warriors of the old days, who floated
the triumphant flag of England over every
land and sea. And what of "the brave that
are no more," buried beneath the
burning sands of the Soudan, or by the side
of the river of the Pharoahs ? Shall they
have no fitting honour now that the roll of
glory is laid open ? They are, alas ! beyond
the sound of praise, and though their names
are written on the heart of the country for
which they gave their lives without a word
murmur, we should raise some enduring na-
tional monument to the memory of the slain
heroes of the Soudan. Until that has been
done, and fittingly, we cannot creditably
close the book. on a camgaign which has been
at once a succession of splendid victories,
and yet, so far as can at present be seen, as
an expedition with an object, a mournful
failure.

THE dangers of continental travelling have
been illustrated anew this week in the ad-
ventures of an English party in Frankfort.
When a man, disregarding the advice of an
old philosopher, to know first his own
country well and widely, seeks abroad fresh
fields for touring, he must be prepared to
suffer a certain amount of inconvenience,
and ready on occasion to put up with dis-
agreeable experiences of a character alto-
gether unknown in the land of boundless
liberty. The police authorities of some con-
tinental countries are wont to lock up with-
out much ceremony, anyone whose business
is not apparent, and to conduct the inquiry
in their own time into the doings of the un-
fortunate person whom they, often enough
without reason, profess to regard with sus-
picion, the victim of official ignorance having
meanwhile been incontinently clapped into
prison. Even the distinguished honour of
being an Englishman—which often enough
goes a long way in securing a sort of fearful
respect from fussy foreign officials--does not
always exempt the tourist from playing an
unwilling leading part in a very disagreeable
burlesque drama of real life, that of being
wrongfully arrested. Of course the innocent
are liberated, generally with profuse apolo-
gies, but sometimes without a word of a-
re-
?et, when it is at length discovered that
"'they are after all nothing more terrible than
harmless money-spending travellers, but ad
interim there has been a spirit-chafing sojourn
in durance vile, and Continental goals are
not usually comfortable quarters. Foreigners
;rumble at and bear this high-handed action
of a fatuous police autocracy, but it is a new
axperience to Englishmen, and one which
they do not at an relish. The four sons and
one daughter of Albion, who have been de-
tained sans offence in the prison of Frank-
fort-on-the-Maine, are now seeking redress
from the powers-that-be of that town; and
regretting that their vacation was not passed
in some of the many picturesque parts of
their native land, in which the tourist may
I wander at will, fearless of imprisonment
w:thont cause or suspicion of being concerned
in some nefarious plot or criminal offence.

THESE are days- of class distinction
society is being broken up into innumerable
tletachmets of people similar in status, and,
to quote words which erst fell from a gifted
poetic pen, "all think their little set man-
kind." Instead of being cosmopolition, we
grow more clannish day by day. Oat of our
little unities of people of that avocation, or
this line of thought, or the other taste, has
grown sectarianism, social as well as religious,
and so we narrow more and more. This can
hardly be considered a pleasing state of
things by those who would fain see a large-
hearted and world-wide fraternity of human
interest, a common and boundless brother-
hood of man. But so it is. Self is king,
and. selfishness seems to thrust itself into all
the doings of life. One evil outcpme of this
ugly social sectarianism is class legislation ;
lie legislation of or for class against class.
The thoughtful and truly philosophic, dis-
daining the fetters of party, and looking for
the general good, discourage this so-called
lass legislation, this continuous cutting-up
and fencing-off of society into selfish little
on.ibinations. We fancy our interests are
anfagonistic to those of our neighbours, and
we straightway set up a protection system,
on the principle of personal or class inde-
pendence. The idea is as false as it is un-
lovely; we I,re all indissolubly dependent
upon each other, and if we would but so see
it, our interests are one and the same. This
class spirit, if fostered, breaks oat into civil
wars, religious wars, or wars of race ; and
this brings its own direful penalties to those
who blindly believe in it. History is full of
warnings against it. True men will there-
fore set their faces firmly in hostility to the
debasing spirit of disruption and disintegra-
tion. just now the political air is fall of the
foul breath of social sectarianism. Every
little set is seeking to send its nominee to
whisper its rights and wrongs in the ear of
Parliament, and to stand guard militant
over its interests. We are to have working-
class members to champion the cause of the
so-called down-trodden sons of toil; we are
to have members delegated to watch with
jealous care the interest of every trade, pro-
fession, calling, belief, hobby, or craze. Even
the tailors seek to return one of themselves to
specially defend the rights of the knights of
shears and needle. But, there, since the
days of the historic trio of Tooley-street,
tailors have esteemed themselves, as a body,
almost analogous with the people of England.
Still, the incident serves to show to what
ridiculous extent class-designation and
combination may be carried. Why not
have a chimney-sweeping M.P. ? We once
knew a worthy town-counciilor whose com-
fortable competency had been gathered by
assiduously pursuing the calling of fine-
cleaner. What is wanted is not class dis-
tinction and class legislation, but broad,
p%triotic combination and united govern-
ment for the good of all.

TR:MAT 'MUTATION AND COUGEL—iortiness and 3ry
nt,es, tickiingaudirritstion, inducing cough and affectined
the voice For these symptoms use .Epps's Glyeerinb
Jujubes. In contact with the glands at the moment
they are excited by the act of sticking, the Glycerine in
thtse agreeable confections becomes actively healing.
Sold only in bnes, 7d., tins Is. lid., labelled "Jemas
& Co., Homoeopathic Chemists, London. Dr.
George Moore, in his work on "Nose and Throat
Diseases," says "The Glycerine Jujubes prepared by
James Epps and Co., are of undoubted se vice as a
eurstive or pallistive agent." While Dr, Gordon
Rolmes, Senior Physician to the Municipal Throat and
" at infirmary, writes: "After an extended trial, I have
found your Glycerine Jujnbes of considerable benefit
, (with or without medical tr,stment) in almost all f anis
ui tbroot brtdge Epps's Medicines
att. avid II Morrie, 136, High Must*


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