The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-05-20 00:00:00

PROGRESS AND PEACE.
The French, borne back from entity g Cirman throats,

orthwith set to at cutting one another'.;
indeed all recent history denotes
At what a rate mankind are growing brothers.—ronch.

LORD CARNARVON ON THE
NEWSPAPER PRESS.
The Earl of Carnarvon presided at the annual banquet of
the Newspaper Press Fund, at WI isd.m, on
Saturday night. In proposing the toast of the evening he
said

—a
time in this country, as elsewhere, when we could
not have appealed witn cozfilsncs to the press, for th-
maintenance and support of hie, vocial, and moral
princip!ec that time has long since guns y. and it is
Ii the press that vie look as the lust champion exid
defender of that cause. :',_•where are the decencies
of life more respected, as nowhe,c is there a more
jealous regard for private character maintairied than in
the English press of the present day. Only last vsar
I was turning :iver the files of one of those great leading
newspapers which contribute to the history of the
country, and which will furnish snore than anything
' else the materials of future history. Ths tiles I refer
to date so far back as the end of the last century, and
there I found it alluded to so alleged domestic scandal
with reference to one of my own relations. I don't
believe any scandal could occur in re;sird to any of
my relations at the present moment, but such a
thing should have happened I should not have Is
search for it in the columns of our great leading
newspapers. Indeed, they would be the last in
which scandal or anything that could breathe a
word of undeserved reproach against private eta.
ranter could be found. I challenge all contradic•
tion when I say that never in any former genera-
tion, and certainly in no other country has the press
exercised higher office, or claimed for itself a higher
position in this respect, than it does DM in this present
day in fingluid.—(Cheers.) Well, I often feel with
those who play more or less some little part in public
, life how largely we are indebted to the press. I cannot
conceive for my own part how settled Government in
England at the present day could possibly go on with-
out the operations of the press. It is upon :he press we
depend for information ;,,it is the preaswhich throws all
ths lights and shadows on political life, and which ex-
presse., in fact, which sometimes makes—the vague,
indefinite, and yet such a powerful agency as that
which we call public opinion. Above all it is the press
which givt 9 to those who may govern this country timely
warning of the rocks ahead of them. It is the press
which opens a full and proper vent to those feelings
which wouhl otherwise be suppressed with danger and
, difficulty. Personally, if I may be allowed to say so,
during the time I have had my part in public business,
, like everyone, I have come in for my share of nommen-
', dation and censure. I have often found the former
more than I knew I deserved, while the latter was a
great deal less than I expected. (Hear, hear On
the other hand, I should not be mortal or human if,
while approving of the commendation bestowed, I
have not also tried to distinguish the little grounds on
which the censure was passed. Looking to my own
case, whether as regards commendation or censure, I
have always found myself trented not only fairly but
generously, and I believe when I say so that I am ex-
pressing the opinion not of the humble individual who
now addresses you but the deliberate verdict of nine-
tenths of those who have to play any publicpart in this
country. Widening as the functions of the press are,
and increasing in influence, I am happy to say its con-
ductors are day by day getting more in subordination
to the str:cter and more deepening sense of responsi-
bility, It is the law which seems to attend to the
administration of all power, and it is by acknowledging
Ithe iaw that they justify and vindicate to themselves
the great position which they possess in this country.