The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-04-15 00:00:00

Our youb.en CoritspuAenf.

• WO deem It rIIt tato that we do not at ad natal
attity curaelyct ‘,l:h ,Itt• c r.re,pendeut's olptuivns

It is vexatious and disappointing—to use no stronger
anguage—to find that the insurrection which unhappily
burst out when French and Prussians came to terms
has developed into civil war, and that Frenchman
Is now warring against Frenchman with mad
fury. Erewhile Paris was being hopelessly defended
against the relentless beleaguering hosts of Prus-
sians certain of their prey; and now, it is scarcely
too much to say that Parte is being besieged by
Parisians. The brieda of Neiiiily and barricade's which
had been erected there were defended by Fienchuien
and were captured by Frenchmen; the guns of Mont
Vol lien, a fortress to which it will be remembered
Gceceral Trochu thought of retiring with his troops, are
turned upon Porte and French artillery batters
in French homes and slaughters French people ; the
lot ely Champs Elysces and the stately Arc de Triomphe
are now scenes de vested by the bursting of shells
thrown by Frenchmen among their brothers and
sieters—ah, what cruel devastation, what suicidal
revenge! And from the city itself we hear of pillage
and arrests, of houses being ransacked, and of the
citizens fleeing from the savagery of their fellow
citizens while, strange to say, from Havre we have
nawa of a flotilla of gunboats making its way up
the Sin, to operate against the Paris insurgents,
and we learn, too, that siege guns, to bear upon
the forts, are on the road to l'aris. Wretched
Perla, is she once again to be besieged, and by her own
people! It would seem so; and this wale the unhappy
capital is still suffering from the horrors of a regular
siege prolonged for more than four months! "The
plan of the Commune," says a Special Correspondent,
"is now very like the plan of Trochu was during the
siege, namely, to make the city impregnable and to
hope for the provinces." Saddening news this; but
we have the oonsolatory hope that this state of affairs
will not last long—though it must be far too long—anti
that the party of order will in clue,time triumph.
The Court arrangements for mourning on account
of the death of the Queen of Sweden are, of course,
strictly correct and proper, but to us outsiders they
seem rather strange. "The ladies are instructed to
wear black dresses, white gloves, black or white
oboes, feathers and fans, pearls, diamonds, or plain
gold or silver ornaments." Why white gloves with
black dresses, and why may not gloves be either black
or white if shoes may be either of these two opposite
colours? Strange to., that pearls or diamonds are
" mourning " and no other precious stones ;
and equally strange that plain gold or silver ornaments
are also mourning, but that if the ornaments are at all
ornamented, they are not so. But perhaps stranger
still is one regulation applying to the gentlemen ; they
are to "wear black court dress, with black swords and
buckler." Do the courtiers have their swords blacked?
But then are not ordinary arrangements for mourning
extraordinary' if the phrase may be allowed. Who
has nos felt a shudder of disgust at the whole para-
phernalia of mutes and men In procession, of scarves
cloaks, and hatbands, and the rest of it? An effort is
now being made to reform some of this, and occasionally
may be seen in London a funeral at which violet
carriages, instead of black ones, and grey instead of
black horses are adopted, while the attendants have
a sober and sombre, but not a black livery. I doubt,
however, whether people will take kindly to this
reform, if It really is a reform ; so tyrannous is the
force of custom. But no sooner were these curious
regulations for Court mourning issued than they had
to be modified on account of the death of the last new-
comer into the Royal family. This mourning, as per
order, is a strange feature of high life, but it is by no
means confined either to this country or to our upper
classes; but in the-lower ranks we are not quite so rigid.
Without entering on the provisions of the Licensing
Bill, it may be just remarked that the more I sandy
them and note public opinion on the subject, the more
I,am convinced that the bill will not pass--certainly
not ia ita present shape —and I fully cops ct that it will
be one of the so-called "innocents:'
The times are neither out of joint nor particularly
had, if we may judge by the vent amount of holiday.
making there has been this Easter-tide. Good Friday
is rather a strange, anomalous, and incongruous' sort of
day, and, though not a nondescript day, it is hardly
worth while to enter at length on • description of the
various modes of observance and non-observance (ac-
cording to the view which is taken of the character of
the day) in London and its suburbs'. To take a glance
at it, however, in its holiday aspects, it may be said to
be the gseatest holiday in the year, consequent on the
almost universal abstinence from business ; and being
the first general holiday in the year on which mode-
rately fine weather may be hoped for it is enjoyed all
the more enthusiastically. Qa the present occasion,
the weather being bright and fine, though the wind
was too keen to be pleasant, I think I might fairly
say that millions—that is, two millions of Londoners
were " on pleasure lent" in the parks and suburbs, at
the Crystal Palace, on our heaths and commons—
alas, too few !—and in country lanes and !villages.
"Hampetead is the place to niralise," says the
song ; but he or she MIMI; have a strange notion
of ruralisieg who thinks this can be affected on Hamp-
stead Heath, "curtailed of its fair proportions" as it
has been by successive encroachments; but there were
thousands there, at least, enjoying the bright sunshine,
the fresh breeze, the emerald grass, and the budding
trees. And thousands, too, must have spent happy
hours at Greenwich and Blackheath, or Clapham
Common, and Peckham Rye, and at many other
semi-rural suburban resorts, still left to us by builders
and lords of manors. Judging of what I saw at one
of these places, and of what I have heard from others,
there must have been an immense deal 1 absolute
gambling going on at these places. Whether the
temporary occupants of these open spaces have any
mysterious charter of liberties I km vz not ; but it is
certainly strange that, while our Government and
police authorities have been very strict—and not a bit
too strict, perhaps in putting down gambling
in various forms, it should still be allowed openly in
parks and on commons. I allude to positive
games of chance which I have personally
seen, but at which the chances are very cleverly sr-
raneed against the patrons of these games. Govern-
ments seem to have a great deal yet to learn in
regulating the amusements of the masses, and the
present Ministry might well turn their attention to
open-sir gambling. En revanche, let me add that as
far as I have had opportunitieceof observing or reading
and hearing about holiday-makers this year, there has
certainly been an improvement in the "manners and
_customs" of that class among the holiday folk who
whilom were—"not to put too fine a point upon it "
cealowhat too boisterous and demonstrative.
If "everybody," (a word which we very carelessly

use) will not be sorry to hear, certainly many, many
thousands will regret to hear that Mr. Spurgeoa has
been laid up with the gout, though some consolation will
be derived from the annoucement that he hopes to be
able to preach on Sunday ths lfith. What a wonderful
career of activity has this popular preacher already
had ! Though he is now but 37 years of age, he
has been preaching for 20 years ; and during
many of these years he preached four, five,
or BIZ times a week; and still his power and energy in
the pulpit or on the platform, his marvellous eloquence,
his fertility of anecdote and illustration, and his earnest
persuasiveness show no signs of diminution. Ido not
ish to obtrude ray own opinion, but such is my ina-
premien having heard him recently and well remember-
ing what he was a few years since. Certainly he is
somewhat toned down, and speaks perhaps rather
more cautiously, but this seems to me to be the effect
of the natural maturity of years rather than the results
o; spy intentional and studied alteration of style or
matter. One thing at least is certain—that the popu-
larity nf Mr. Spurgeon id as great as ever, and that the
I..tan T Aber cacie, where he is acenetomeil to
I,r,acb, I. as crowded as ever, unless it is known that
he will be absent, when there is a great falling off.
This fact speaks for itself. It would be easy to refer
to many attacks, on the part of certain newspapers,
made many years since, and to prophecies as to the
then very young and wonderously popular preacher
"going up like a rocket and coming down like a stick"—
(I remember that this phrase was applied to him)—and
point out how the attacks provedharnaless, and how
the prophecies have been falsified ; but there is no need
to do this. I merely remind the readers of what must
be pretty generally known, but it is instructive to
compare the past with the present.
Mr. Darwin's work on "The Descent of Man," which
low created so much sensation in religions, scientific,
and literary circles bellow going through its third edition.
To those who may have read this extraordinary book,
and may feel Inclined to pin their faith to its un-
orthodox and unsettling views, let me recommend the
perusal of that exhaustive review, In two parts, in
The Times. If this review be not a complete answer
to r. Darwin's strange theories (of man being de-
scended from a jellyfish for example) it at all events
gives the author some very, very hard nuts to crack.

MIGRATION OF LABOUR.—Mr, E. G I hi7enport
tells us 'The Times) that he is desired by an . winent
firm of contractors, who are now 000struc2ei4 some
heavy railway works in the Midland Counties, to make
known as widely as possible that they are ready to
engage, at 34. to 34 9d. per day, any number ci navvies
up to 1,500 who may apply to them on the works.
Further particulars can be obtained by application at
any of the rli,trict offices of the Society for the Organi•
, zation of Charity, of which the *Adrenal; can be learnt
from any policeman or at any workhouse, or by written
,
application to Mr. E. G. Davenport, at 28, Lancaster.
gate, London. It is n to state that none but
thorough navvies or outdoor bowers accustomed to
the use of pick and spade will be taken on.