The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-02-18 00:00:00

THE WORKING MEN OF LONDON
AND THE DISTRESS IN FRANCE.

A meeting of Working Men was held on Tuesday
night, at Exeter-hall, London, to promote subsurfl).
tons for French Working Men suffering from the
effects of tits war. There were upon the platform the
Comte de Parts, Count de Franifueville, and Lord

Ihe chair wag taken by Mr. Potter, who made a
hearty appeal for help, however little it might be, to
assist the frugal but suffering French Working Men.
The first regolutien, proposed by Mr. Applegarth,
Eeomilei by Mr. Broadhurat, and carried, was as
follows :

"That, being moved by the misery which has fallen upon
the population of Faris, and by the wreck of all homes and
means of subsistence in so many districts cf France, and
bearing also in mini that the suffering and starvation which
now prevail fall with the most severity upon those who are
in no way responsible for the war, viz., the aged, the women,
and the children, this meeting declares that it is bound by
every moral obligation to assist in alleviatiug the suffering
of the working men in France and their families whose
pressing distress now appeals to all British working men
for relief."
The other resolutions paned
-

" That, whilat recognising and deploring the want of
employment amongst numbers of our own countrymen, this
meetivg pledges Itself to use its best drone to obtain sub.
scriptions from working men in every district of the metro-
polis to aid In relieving the French working classes In their
present unparalleled state of distress, and further consideralt
the duty of every man In work to contribute without delay,
and according to his means."

A Working. Men's Coliggaittee was appointed to act
with Major Trevor, M. Givry, and Mr. E. Johnson,
of the Mansiomhouse Committee to promote a general
system of workshop and other contributions in aid of
the Mansion•bouse French Relief Fund, by means of
colleci Mg cards, and to ensure this the committee will
put tip-melees in communication with the existing
trade organisatime in the metropolis and in the
provinces.

The speakers were mostly working men, including
Mr. Applegarth, air. George Howell, &c. The other
speakers included Mr. E. Jenkins, and Mr. Parker
Rhodes, late Vice. Consul at Dieppe. The latter
gentleman described the distress brought upon the
poorer denim of France by the war.

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS:
A reporter thus graphically describes the effect of a
storm in the N orSh Sea:-- While the dorm was at Its
beloht the 'mead heeled to the larboard, and the captain and
another cask of whiskey rolled overboard."

Fern leaves—Fanny has 'em! She has gathered
a large number of specimens, some thirty thous. d they
sey—all with greenback, from the highways and by nay s
literature.

In Crawford county, lowa, Mm. 11 tinter has brought
an action against Miss Sarah Moran for se I tieing her hush. d.
Mrs. Hunter claims 3,000 dollars damages, and as the case Is
pretty clear, and as Sarah has considerable property, it Is
thought that the lady plaintiff will recover.

"M. Jones" (..f America), said Mr'. J., with an
air of triumph, 'don't you think marrl tge is a means of
grace ?" " Well, yea," growled Jones; "I suppose an) thing
Is a meats of grace that breaks down pride, and leads to
repentance."

A young gentleman, after having paid hie ad.
dresses to • you g lady for some time, popped the I ittestlon.
The lady in a frightened manner, said, You scare me, sh,"
The gentleman did not wish to frighten the lady, and come-
wmutly remained inlet for some time, when she exelainal,
Scare me again."

A Curtain-lecture Society is the latest American
notion." Jeffersonville, I odianopolls, in the happy locality
giving birth to this novelty, and the object of the society
appears from the prospectus to be "to secure • hall, and tit
It upon • resort for married ladies whose husbanes are in
the habit of staying out until two or three o'clock In the
morning. Ladies who are so unfortunate as to have such
husbandrare to be pat to bed and allowed to sleep In peace
mall such time as their husbands are in the habit of return.
hg home, when they are to be awakened, furnished with
refreshments, and then accompanied home by half a dozen
or more of the Petticoat Sisterhood On their arrival home
the derelict Mutant] is to be 'gone for' in the most ap-
proved style of the late lamented Mrs. Caudle, and this Is to
be kept up until the husband abandons his bad habits, nuts
away, or dies.

Mark Twain thus prescrftes for an aspirant for
literary fame:—" Young author,—Yes, A gasiir does recom•
mend authors to eat fish, because the phosphorus In it does
make brains. So few you are correct. But I cannot help you
to a decision about the amount you need to eat—at least, not
with certaisty. If the specimen you send is about your fair
usual average, I should lodge that perhaps a couple of whales
Is all that you would want for the present. Nut the largest
kind, but simply good middling whales."

•
"I say, eri-u-ire, what'll yeou take for that 'are dog
o' yours,?" said a Yankee pedlar to an old Dutch farmer, to
the neighbourhood of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, "what'll
yeou take for him? Ile ain't a very good.lookin' dog ; but
what was you calAatin' maybe bed fetch ? Alt !" re-
sponded the Dutchmen, "dat dog tahn't wort noting most; '
he Ishn't wort to buy'um " " Guess tew dollars about w mid
alt him, wouldn't It ? lit give you that for him." " Yeas,
he Isn't wort dat." " Wal, I'll take him,'' said the podia..
Sh'stnp !" said the Dutchman; " dares one t'ing about d it
dog I gaol "0, take elf his collar; I don't watt that "
suggested the pedlar. "'faint dat," replied Myriheer ; he's
a boor dog, but I gent sell the tong of his tail." There is
room good honest Dutch poetry of ceelthig la that reply,
read!., if you but think of it a moment.

• -
"WHEN WOO ROME BI ? " faked a competitive
examiner of a young and serene aspirant "In the night,
sir." "In the night, sir ! What do you meant" "Why
you know, sir, Rome was tot built In a day."

-
THE LATEST FROM YANKEELAND.-Mr. Lorenzo
Day, of Chickasaw Co linty, Mille., having married Miss Martha
Week, a local poet comments :

" A Day La made, a Week le !oat,
But time ehould not complain—
There'll soon be little .ye enough
To make the Week again."

GUINAN SENTIIIENT.—" How is your wife to-lay ? "
said a friend ta a German gentleman of the Ilan. firchnian
type. "Oh, moohe do eem,"scld ho; "she Is no bettor, and
lam 'frail very little vase. if she Is eon to die, I vlah she
would dolt soon, fleet so onhappy—my mind La so much on-
settled. Yen she dies I shell not be so mock dlesstisfumpel"