The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-11-11 00:00:00

lIIIIIIMIN__

SOCIAL SCIENCE IN ST. PAUL'S
CATHEDRAL.

On 'Newlay evening, l'aukon l:regory gave the first
of A series ..fleetures which for the rest of the year are
to mark the Tinsslay evenings in St. Paul's Cathedral,
London. The subject of the four katuies is," Are
we Letter than I Air fathers?" :

The lecturer began by observing that the question "Are
we better than our fathers r was easily asked, but, at least
So 1101110 of us might think, with difficulty answered. Others
might he ready to aim rt with Lord Macaulay that "tile
more carefully we examine the history of the past the nom,
reason shall we Mid to dissent Iris. those who imagine that
our age has been fruitful of new social evils. Thu truth is,
that evils are, with scarcely an exception, old. That which
II 110 W is the intelligence which discerns and the humanity
which remcilles them." lie, the lecturer, was not a par-
tisan of any view, not anxious to prove us better or worse
than our tathe.m. But one thing was certain—namely, that
we were surrounded by a very different state of things, that
the occupation, the grouping, the relations of rich and
per have undergone a change which has been going
on ceaselessly and noiselessly for more than a run.
tury, a cluing° brought about by the mere natural ad-
justment of the men of each generation to the facts which
encompassed them. It seemed also clear, he Mill, that
great social changes ought to be considered by the Chriatian
moralist. and that he ought to examine whether there had
been a corresponding adjustment of the systems which pro-
fessial to elevate, civilise, and Christianise those for villein
they were responsible. But we must work wisely. W hen.
evor we saw an evil it would not do at once to tkioLo anti set
in motion the obvious remedy, for this would lead to waste
of power, ltiplieation of machinery, and a preference for
remed kr, which alleviated over those which promised a per.
ailment cure. _ .

of four lectures Inc proposed to compare peat
with present, with the special design of helping us all to take
a broader view of our moral obligations towards those among
whom we lived, to realise that we had social as well as per-
/1011M obligat• , that we were as responsible for the in-
fluencea we exerted upon others AS hr the ordering of our
own lives. Ile would begin by attempting to depict some
features of our social condition and to compare such
condition with that of a previous age. After pointing
out the difficulty of an exact estimate of the social
and moral and religious condition of a period exist.
lug only in history, the lecturer proceeded to com-
pare the England of NM with that of the pre-
sent day. In Nal the land was rudely and very partially
cultivated, few fields were enclosed, good carriage roads
were rare, communication between people living only a few
miles apart was infrequent and coolly; it was difficult to
ascertain what was tempi" ' g even in the same county,
many things which we now regard as necessaries were
then luxuries accessible only to the very few. Now we
had roads and railways, telegraphs which made the his-
tory of the world universally contemporary, and news-
papers which flooded us with information. The impala-
that was now four times as numerous as it was then,
and much more massed in the large towns. In MSS there
were probably net more than eight or ten towns with
upwards of 10,000 inhabitant*, in ISM there were 35 with
lore than 5000, and London and other towns contained
two-tifths of the whole population. But our wealth had in-
creased more rapidly still. In lffiSS the annual nemne of all
the people of England and Wales was computed to be 4:4
millions sterling in 180; it was 062 millions. Thus the nOnli•
nal income had multiplied more than 15 times; the popula-
tion only four times. Money in ItlaS was tve o-andri-
half times noire valuable than It was now, but even with
this allowance it had grown six them while palliation had
only gismo four times. The increase it money had, there-
fore, been 50 per cent. more rapid than that of the nopu.
Wien. Reminding his hearers that material improvement
did not necessarily nivolve moral or religious improvement,
Canon Gregory went a to say that though the Eevolutim
was not an age if faith, men were then beginning to sicken of
open licentionsmaa mid in some hearts there wits an earnest
desire for the spread if the Redeemer's Kingdom. Then or
about that time, were first founded missionary societies, and
though that age had not left great monuments of its zeal in
multiplied churches /mil schools, such amour own would haul
down to posterity, yet it mug not be forgotten that, with-
out a murmur, the people of this metropolis had, a few
years earlier, voluntarily taxed themselves for erecting
It. Paul's Cathedral, and that after the Braid Fire
public funds had been generously applied towards the
erection and maintenance of churches to replace
those which had been destroyed, and that for such a
public recognition if Christianity we should look in vain in
our own time. But it would be fruitless to ask how far the
people were then leavened with the principle of religion.
Imperfect knowledg, prohibited us to pry within that veil,
ami he w ished to make the comparison only in those points
which involved pra etieal duties, only so far as would lead us
to a better understandieg of our present difficulties. It
might be expected that in the annals of clime see wall find
important matvrials I. help ns t,, such a ismipsrison nit ill
f.! lice das 1,4,r, is if .4,110,3 so. earelessly kept,
and the criminal cla,scs were not objects of the same
philanthropic regard that they were now. hi plsa the
Irons iniat not have been hi the disgraceful state in
which they wire a century later, Ind, however this might
have been, the etaaracter of cane was very different front
what it was now. Au age of comparative Villienet) had been
succeeded by an age of fraud. In liks a thinly-peopled
country, unlighted streets, and unguarded suburbs gave em
portunities for robbery, while, on the other hand, a trading
generatien like the present offered facilities for peculation
and commercial dishonesty formerly unknown. Complete
records of crime would probably slmw that deeds of violence
and 4•llfn rillbery were mitre COMM..II but that such
rams as embezzlement and fraud were vastly more nintiVr-
tena

in two points the lecturer thought, it wars tnily urged
that we might favourably compare stills our ancestors—
thesis were the general diffusion of education mai the
anselioratiou it course and rude manners. The propor•
lion of those who could read and write was greatly in-
creased, Met he rejoite-1 over this opening of liew path a
of iwpoogement and plimsurc. Ilut we must ilid be misled
by sounds. Thu reit WIIIIi ediscrittoo signines a trait.
sabot state—a peris.il of training for a future stage its our
exigence. The real benefits of eduostion must lie looked
for in iudividual sad national character. It would be
mistaken to think that the mass of people were educated
now and not formerly. Formerly they were educated for
their future life icy hard labour, now by direct cultivation
of thiir intellect As to the nonusers of the iwople, no
&mist they hail been modified and softened. Civilisation
had smoothed the surface of society and had removed much
which must always have been offensive to hunnine and
educated people It w-as difficult to say how far this im-
provement reached below the surface. It was better that the
surface tally should be improved than that all should remain as
it was but to secure a fair and aile.mate coup:lll*ms we
Mist look below the surface, to the causes which inisst laths-
enceil men's minds and conduet. Three points seemed to be
specially important In estimating our social position, three
heads of inquiry winch affected our true national pros-
perity and well-being. Before speaking, of them ho wished,
however, to say most emphatically that he regarded as of
intlnitely ehiefest moment the moral and spiritual condition
of a peopke, but for reasons Already assigned, it would he
undesirable, even if possible, to Institute a comparison on
this point Of next importance hi considering the
state of a country was the manner in which its wealth was
distributed. That all should be equal was obviously
ri.,t in aceorilauce with the couilition of our existence. That
all silo arid be equally prosperous and happy was rendered im.
possible by sloth, folly, and Sire, even morethan by diversity
of talent. Yieverthelless, that country pros most prosperous and
happy In a hich the largest proportion of people were well
eared for, content and security were most assured where wealth
was nosst equally divided, and there was canoe for anxiety
wherever society was being inure MO more unequally
lit iiled into very rich and very poor. That nation Nos
happicA which melt resembled a united family, in winch
the niter Isi Itsed the poorer and the poorer honoured and
respected the richer, all alike remembering that they wire
children if one collusion Father. :Such a state of feeling
was enemiraged by a wide Milli/glen if the resourcea if a
country strums; its people, and was greatly hindered by the
aceninsilat on of wealth in a few hand% Ile, therefore,
proposed to compare in his next lecture the diffusion or
allieng the masses of our people in 108$ and at the
present time. A second point following on this first
inquiry would be the relation between mnployers and em-
ployed. between capital and labour. It Was ordered that
irice portion of a population had to support Itself by earning
wages from wigglier portion, and the happiness of both
must largely depend on the relations between them. In
his third lecture he proposed, then, to examine how for
the distribution of capital and labour differed irons what
it was 200 years ago, and how far Use changes winch had
been made were likely to conduce to the happiness
and well-being of those they concerned or to exercise
an unfavourable Influence. In his fourth and last lec-
ture he Nnltari with to consider the condition of the
very poorest class if our people and our dirties towards
them. Pauperism was a question which demanded our
gravest consideration. Political economists were trying
to persuade no that It existed chiefly becalm gooddiatured
Peolsle yielded to what such rummera regarded as the self-
Indulgent habit of almsgiving but such an explanation wan
utterly inadequate, if not untrue. lie hoped that such an
Inquiry as be proposed in answer to the question, " Are we
better than our fathers?" would afford some useful hints as
to Use guidance of our own future conduct, that we might learn
better to understand our present relation!, to those around
is, anil so he stirred sip to more diligent efforts to prove our
trsie brotherhood in Christ by acts of love towards, our
fellows, and not by mere general expreasions of sympathy,
which cost no nothing, and for that very reason can rends,
nislassl: the slightest cervies

FROM LONDON TO LANCASIIII:Ii.
A gentleman senile the following letter to The Tirneß,
for publication. It war written by a widow mother
who had migrated to Lancashire with her family. In
London they wore in receipt of par.•hial relief to the
extent tilts, a week _
Sir, -I hope you will not think it unkind of me for not
writing to pin sooner it was my intention to have written
as soon as I arrived flown here ; lint, nil should like for you
tot read my letter in the presence id your pensioners, I have
deferred sod. ism till now. We happened VII Collat. the Nlooday
after pay Saturday, for ymi It understand the books are
only made up the first week in every month, so that oceasion•
ally we have to go live weeks, save that we (mil draw noismy
if we want during that time; so for, I am not sorry that I
have come, for I mu very happy and comfortable, imbed, so
mnids so, that I should not wish to tome back to Isindon
acaill. I haVo a like house of heir rooms, with gas in every
room, at as. per with. I ran burn an much coals as I like
in a week, aiel it won't enema to a ishilling. It la a beauti-
ful place to tier in, Wears two miles from Holton town and..
miarter if a mile from the nearest village. Provisions in
Bolton are near about the same as In London in price, hot
le quality far superior here. I have no need to work SO hart
as I did its London, mid I live for better. My children like
their work very much, for it Is Imth easy and clean ; they
are very happy down here, like toe, have no desire to go
back to London. They Seens to improve very much in their
ways since wis have conic down litre, the people are
at different to what they are in London that children
cannot learn sorb evils ; and. I thank inel, that
mine are n moved from all temptations, at a bindon life.
ll.irry's wages his first tour weeks were kg 74. 4,1,
Phillip's hI Ifs., and Johanna's, 12. i. 31.. for half thee ;
after else is 13 she will he put on full-tine', which will snake
a difference of Is. noire in the month, that will be after
Christmas, then the boys will rise another Is a week each.
Augusta passed the doctor yesterday, so that she. too, is half-
time. I Isis‘'e two a week in the laundry at the hall, for
which I get ss. a week and my keep ;vii 1111.131 t GIN' to give
me health and strength, we need not fear the future. There.
fore, every one that bears this letter readpind hostile oiler of
miming, I hope for their ante they will nit hesitate, and conie
willingly ; and If they do like isle, they won't have any
cause to regret it. Hoping to hear that every ono that
wishes to better their condition will take my adviee and
follow my example.-1 wish to remain, youns respectfully,
"October 25, 1,71.

A LOST NORLEMAN:=—TheTO inn tradition be-
longing to the parish of Minster-Lovell, in Oxford-
shire, that Francis Lord Lovell, being attainted during
the reign of Henry VII. was pursued by soldiers, who
endeavoured to capture him ; and having been seen to
enter his house at Minster-Lovell, he was never heard
of or found, notwithstanding every search was made
for him. There is also a subsequent tradition that,
in the eighteenth century, when the house formerlv
occupied by the Lovas was pulled down, in a vault
was found the person of a man in very rich clothing,
coated in a hair, with a table and niam book before
him. The lardy wag quite perfect when the workmen
entered, but the air soon turned it to duet.