The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-08-19 00:00:00

Our yonbon lforrtspoubent.

(We deem It sight to state that we do not idi all times
Identity ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.)

The rejection of the Ballot Bin of the House of
Lords is on many grounds N ery much to be regretted,
and it is to be regretted also th it it should be the Earl
of Shaftesbury who should have been the leading
spirit in thus undoing the work of the Commons. A
short time previously to his celebrated amendment the
noble lord spoke %cry highly of the working classes, ex-
pressing his belief that the people of this country may
and can be trusted, and giving the clergy a word or two
of advice. If the clergy, said his lordship, will leave
their buckram and their starch at home, and come out
and visit the working classes and talk friendly to
them, the working classes would be found the warmest,
the most friendly, and the most pious people in the
world. Poisibly some numbers of this very class
will ',consider that ilia lordship here Matteis them
rather too much; but is it not strange that a noble-
man who thus announces his conviction that the
working classes may and can be trusted should
lead a movement which I.wes its origin to distrust
of the people? Doubtless, this is the foundation
of the speeches of such men as the able earl,
whatever thsir iistendble an-minted:4 may Is.. It
is all very well, however, for neblemen Orus to
announce their realineas to trust "the people of this
country," but the question luta recently been whether
the people could trust their lordships, and the answer
appears to be in the negative. At all events the }louse
of Peers decides that we are not yet to be trusted with
the ballot. The more's the pity, for "the people of
this country" as assuredly will have the ballot so any
thing future call be certain. It is simply a question of
time, and meanwhile the chief thing to be regretted is
that the House of Commons should have spent so many
weary days and nights in discussing and debating and
elaborating a measure which, after all this time and
labour devoted to it, is simply thrown away. This, I
am persuaded, is the way in which the majority of
people honk at the topic of the day. But of course
there are many who are heartily glad the Lords have
rejected the Ballot Bill, who think the ballot would be
a mischievous and pernicious thing, and who rejoice
that such a man as Lord Shaftesbury who is un-
doubtedly a sincere friend of the working classes,
should be the one to prevent this bill becoming law.
But can he dos'? Ay, there's the rub. I believe it is
absolutely out of his power to do anything of the kind ;
he has helped to postpone the measure ; he has put it
off for a year; but that is all. Without obtruding my
own opinions on the merits of the ballot, I merely
affirm what any attentive political observer must
agree with, that the ballot must come ; it is simply a
question of time.
Her Majesty. I see, has forwarded 3 donation of 1."2
to an old couple in the Kirton almshonses, the hus-
band being hc awl the wife 90, and they having been
married 70 years. The gift is not very much in itself
perhaps, but it is solid comfort as far as it goes —and
a couple of sovereigns is a good deal for an aged pair
like this—and then it is given by the Queen, and
that will go for much. But there is a value
in it, inasmuch AS the royal gift will bring others in its
train. I think it may 'safely be asserted that this is
nearly always the ease in reapect to that uniform £3
which the Queen gives to the mother who has three
children at a birth. By the way, he will form a very
erroneous estimate of her Majesty's benevolence who
measures it entirely by what he sees in print. Many
gifts, many acts of kindness and liberality. characterise
the Queen's private life, though few but the recipients
may know anything alsiut them. The poor about
Balmoral, Osliorne, and Windsor could tell many a
tale pnwing this to be true. Talking of these places
reminds Inc that her Majesty will Wi..11 leave England
for the North. The State apartments in Windsor
Castle are officially closed from Monday, the 14th,
"until further orders." i.e., until the quita the
Castle ft her Highland residence, which she has only
been prevented from doing already by the unhappy
state of affairs in Parliament. Anil <renews of Windsor
Castle, let Me mention that I much doubt whether her
Majesty has any idea id the way in which money is
levied by the janitors and custodians if the Castle for
showing the .tntriger over it. In fact, I am sure it
cannot be with the Queen's knowledge or sanction that
money is thus taken from visitors.
There always seems to be something or other as an
excuse for a demonstration in Hyde Park. This lovely
and in some parts "truly rural park appears to be
the happy hunting-ground of professional agitators
and grumblers. The last grievance and excuse arose
out of the conduct of the Irish police at Phienix Park,
Dublin, and this is regarded as quite sufficient for
another Hyde Park demonstration. Certainly this is
as good a reason as any other, and better perhapa than
some, but that is not saying much. Why should we
have these noisy, fussy, and dangenina demonstratiens
at all? As a safety-valve for revolution, sortie realer
may reply. Ah well, there may be something in that;
but there need be no fear of revolution in this eountry,
and the safety-valve is a nuisance.
The death of Mr. Charles Buxton, M.P., at the
comparatively early age of 48, may be regarded as a
national calamity. Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, the
friend of Wilberforce, left a name celebrated in the
history of the world in connection with enthusiastic
and successful efforts against slavery and for the
benefit of mankind, and the deceased gentleman
worthily followed in his father's footsteps. Mr. (*harks
Buxton, who has tiled too *ion, was honoured and
esteemed by men iif all political parties, and was
specially loved by the viols Would that we had
more such men. The deceased gentleman wnae a
memoir of his father, the celebrated antislavery advo-
cate. I hope that the biographer will himself be
biographed —to coin a word. His life contains ample
raaterials for a goodly biography. Biographies of this
clam— id such people as Howard, Wilberforce, Buxton
—father and son—Wealey, Wffitefield, Mrs. Fry, &e.,—
do the world far more benefit than the lives of
warriors. Of the one class of biography it may be
sail in the woras of Longfellow :

Laves of great men all remind us
We can make our 11151.111 511111/1. ;

while the other class may perhaps suggest Mont-
gomery's lines;
that for ever frnm the roll of fame
111.1 perished every e..nqueror'A name !
He slays his thousands by his livjh breath,
His tens of thousan,ls by his fame in death.

The men engaged in the various branches of the
building trade in the North are, on the whole, pretty
well employed—that is tolerably certain from the nine
hours movement being revived. The Nine Hours
League looks rather formidable, and more pay for less
work--which is what is demanded in some cases—is a
state of affairs which may well give rise to some serious
misgivings as to a rupture between employed amt em-
ployer. But these trade disputes frequently look more
formidable at first than they turn out to be. Supply
and demand, after all, is the principle which really
settles these disputes. It is a great pity, however,
that so little has hitherto been done towards establish-
ing Councils or boards of arbitration. These boards
would frequently effect in a short time what trades
unions effect in a long time, with very little expendi-
ture of money in the one case, and a great deal in the
other.

Certain periods of the year bring round OA C.Ttaill
crops) of 'accidents," as they are canal, of a particular
kind as we have cereal crops at certain seasons. In
winter we have fatal caeualities for tire, and poltle are
burnt to death owing in a great measure to our Ilefec-
five arrangements for extinguishing "the &wonting
element" and for escaping from it. In the htuding
season we have recorded every now awl then 'fatal
accident in the hunting field." In the sheeting season
every now awl then we hear of set-110..1y shot I lead
owing to some " practical joke" with a gun- -some-
body istinting a gun, not knowing it is lowled, to some-
body else (by the way the man who would invent seine
practical signal to show at a glance whether a gun is
loaded or not would be a public benefactor). The
skating season never passes without its fatal accidents.
The tourist season bringe us itCr. es of fatal falls in the
Alps and elsewhere. The bathing season is always
marked by people being drowtesl at I sir watering-
places, and some such casualties are new recorded. The
Lifeboat Institution and the Royal If umaneSeciety do
much to save life from the yawning waves, but a great
deal more nemls to be done by the authorities of .air
several watering-places. In some place.; that I could
mention, the lathing is somewhat dangerous, and at
very few are the precautions agltiust &owning what
they might be. One little matter only will I name. I
think the bathing arrangements at all our watering-
places ought to include a man rowing about in a boat .
at the place where bathers must do congregate. In
France and Belgium, although this is not de rigocor,
it is far more common than among ourselves. This
might make bathing a trine more expensive perhaps,
for the man must is jaLl, but it wash! make it more
safe, and therefore more agreeable.
I have no intention to puff the Alexandra Palace
and Park at Mnewell-hill which are about to be opened,
but it is especially worth reference in one respect, that
he Directors intend that it shall comnine facilities for
healthful recreation and elevating instruction —blend-
ing, as it were, the South Ketaingtou Museum and
the Crystal Palace. This, at least is what is intended
at present, but thistpombination is very difficult to
carry out There is nothing, Perhaps, in which people's
ideas are so likely to be modified as in planning a place
.f amusement and recreation. They may be influenced
by the highest and beet /naives, and may start out on
this principle, but in working an institution which is
intended to pay there are continual inducements to
swerve from the
,original park. I hope this lovely
park and grounds will at all events be devoted to
nothing worse than the Crystal Palace, and then this

new attraction for over crowded London will indeed be
a ham.

Now that the International Exhibition is drawing
towanbi a close it is becoming fully appreciated, and pro-
vincial visitors especially throng its courts and galleries.
As a matter of course, there will be thousands of people
who will put off going till they campt go at all. Such
procrastinators, however, will have the sorry consola-
tion of making up their minds to gonext year, and may
also console themselves with the reflection that next
year's Exhibition will be better than this. And I think
it will be. The principle ..f this annual series of ex-
hibitions is that certain classes of exhibits constitute
the feature of one particular year --certain other ex-
hibits another year, and 1.1111. Next year the speciali•
ties will be jewellery, cotton, musical instruments,
piper, printing, stationery, and the machinery im-
mediately connected with these several matters. Ent
then the finearts -the paintings, scidliture, engravings,
decorations, &e., also constitute a feature id every
year's exhibition, not forgetting the Horti-mltinal
Gardens.