The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-11-08 00:00:00

ur !than Cot-remittent.

,We doom it right to state that we do not at all times
Identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

There is no part of her Majesty's dominions in
which a better idea of the value of time is to be
obtained than in the City of London. In that com-
paratively little space stretching eastward from the
Royal Courts of Justice in the direction of London-
bri3ge, there is more business concentrated than in
any area of like extent upon the surface of the globe.
The aspect of the railway termini in the mornhig is a
study in itself. Let the wayfarer take his stand at
the stations of Liverpool-street, Broad-street, Cannon-
street or the Mansion House, Ludgate-hill or Water-
loo. or at either of the stations of the underground
railways within the City of London, from north, south,
east, or west of the capital, and he cannot fail to
be impressed with the vast numbers of business men
which pour into the City from all points. This is to
say nothing of omnibuses, tramcars, and penny steam-
boats. lathe afternoon the course of the living
current is towards the suburbs. The hundreds of
thousands who came in the morning have made the
most of their time, knowing that their number of
hours is limited. Mercantile men are fully aware
that the banks close at four, and that the Post Office
is inexorable after six. The way in which a City man
is bound to economise his time so as to make the
most of it is often marvellous. If a stranger calls
upon him, a glance at his watch by the man of busi-
noss after a brief interview is a sufficiently obvious
hint that it should terminate.

Now, seeing how time is utilised in one part of
London, it seems surprising that in another it is
deemed as being of so little consequence. It is not
far from the City to Westminster. You can walk .he
diAance in a quarter of an hour; or either the
District Railway or the Steamboat Company rues a
passenger up for a penny. You can see the towers of
Westminster from Blackfriars-bridge, stanling out in
bold relief high above the dense mass of surrounding
buildings. A visit to the Commons House of Parlia-
ment, more especially after a call at the merchant's
celice in Mark-lane, would not impress the spectator
with an idea of the business caiacity of an august and
time-honoured assembly. Let us take for instance
the long-drawn-out debates on the Address in answer
to the Speech from the Throne which now mark the
opening of every session. The Lords disposed of this
formality in one night, and until lately the Commons
were accustomed to do the same. The Address is a
mere echo of the Royal Speech, humbly thanking the
Sovereign for the information conveyed in that docu-
ment, and former Parliaments used speedily to clear it
off and get to work. Now, however, a fortnight is a
reasonable time for disposing of it; and the delay is
more especially obvious just now, when Parliament has
been summoned for a specific purpose, and there are
only a certain number of days between now and
Christmas for the work of legislation.
The autumn session must be rather in the way of
those peers and commoners who delight in taking
the fence and in swiftly covering a distance across
country in the short winter days. There seems little
chance of their being released for fox hunting, the
season having now been inaugurated. As to the regular
sporting, this month will see the end of the flat
racing time, and those to whom hurdle leaping is a
delight will then be able to indulge in their favourite
fnu of recreation. With respect to cricket, the
arrival of the English team in Australia does not
necessarily imply that they will engage the colonists
at once. The Australians themselves sailed after our
men, and even then Spofforth delayed his departure
for a fortnight after his own colleagues had left our
shores.

The proposed testimonial to Lord Mayor Fowler
represents the feeling of all those who have watched
his year of office. The circumstances attending his
election created some prejudice, and although he
voted for Mr. Hadley in the Court of Aldermen, this
did not prevent an angry demonstration against him
en the 9th November, as senseless as it was undo..
served. But the Lord Mayor has well sustained the
reputation of the Mansion House for hospitality
which has gone oat of the beaten path and has been
extended to eminent persons in various walks of
life who had hitherto not partaken of the festivities
of the c*lvic palace. The Lord Mayor's allowance from
the Corporation is £BOOO a year, but he generally
exceeds that by one-half out of his own pocket.
The municipal elections are carcfully watched year
by year if haply any indication can be discovered of
the result of an appeal to the people should one be
made on a wider scale before the anniversary again
rolls round. Those of last Saturday have created the
usual interest and given rise to the customary specu-
lation. In the towns the franchise is practically the
same as the Parliamentary qualification—a household
ratepaying one; but there are some differences which
ought to be borne in mind. The municipal and
Parliamentary boundaries are seldom conterminus,
the latter often embracing a much larger area,
and including scattered villages and hamlets within
a r?dius of several miles. The voters here are
on the lists for electing members of the House of
Commons, but they are excluded from the municipal
franchise. Again, women are qualified to vote, and
do vote, for Town Councillors, but not for members of
Parliament. Such distinctions are not at all times
remembered when efforts are made to estimate the
result of a general election from that of the contests
of the Ist of November.

Saturday night's panic in a Glasgow theatre is
another illustration of the way in which a crowd of
brained beings can lose their presence of mind in face
of a sudden danger or of a supposed imminent peril.
In this case it appears that the terrible cry of
" Fire !" which always strikes such alarm into a
multitude, was raised as a piece of wanton mischief;
and looking at the fatalities arising out of such
wickedness, the punishment for such an offence shculd
be severe and deterrent. It is only to imagine a
recreation of this kind at Drury-lane on a night when
the vast structure is thronged with a pantomime
audience, to realise the horror of such a scene and
the importance of stern retribution in the present