The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-08-14 00:00:00

as' etropo lit an 6ossip.
Fr OR OWI4 ooaasspommer

(The remarks under this head are to be regarded as the es
premien ndependent opinion, from the pen of • geuttemai
II whom w have the greateit confidence, but foryMlch w 0
' do not hold ourselves responsible.)

rthelS

The session that is at its last gasp as I write will
certainly be a memorable one, not only for the im-
portant measure on the Irish Church, which, after so
much laborious discussion and such severe party fight-
ing, has become law, but for the hard earnest work of
both branches of the Legislature. The 1-louse of Lords
at the commencement of the session complained of
having too little to do. Looking back on their unusually
frequent and prolonged sittings, the public cannot
grumble at the Peers having shirked their duty. As
to the Commons they probably never before worked so
hard, and although, as usual, a good many bills were
abandoned towards the close of the session, the amount
of actual legislation will stand eginparison with pre-
ceding sessions. On the whole the public have reason
to congratulate themselves on the progress of legisla-
tion, and especially with regard to the Irish Church.
Whatever might have been said against the ministerial
measure during its progress, now that it has become
law it will pretty generally be agreed that it will con-
fer a boon on Ireland, and tend to unite her to our-
selves by stronger bonds of friendship than at present
exist. It is rather remarkable that both the Premier
and the Chancellor of the Exchequer— so it is said—
intend to visit the Emerald Isle during the recess.
The conclusion will naturally be drawn that they in-
tend to acquire personally some information on the
relations of landlord and tenant, preparatory to the
measure on the land laws that we may look for next
session ; but it is scarcely likely that the public will
worry themselves about this question for some time to
come. We are only too happy to have got ea of Irish
questions for a time.
We have been a great many years talking about the
universally admitted anomalies in our weights and
measures, but we are apparently as far off of reform as
ever. For years a royal commission on standard
weights and measures has been sitting, and they have
now just issued their second report. Needlessly
enough they recommend that no legislation should be
undertaken till they have completed their inquiry, and
they suggest that whenever legislation does take place
It should be merely of a permissive character, so as to
give the metric and decimal systems a triaL With all
due deference to the commissioners, I think this would
be a mistake. Merely permissive legislation never did
work well, and is never likely to work welL Give us a
decided, definite system which is unmistakably superior
to the present, and then, after fair notice and time
for preparation, make that system compulsory. After
an immense amount of inquiry on the subject, the com-
missioners declare in favour of the metric and the
decimal systems as very far supetior to the present no-
system. For the Board of Trade and the Post Office
to adopt those systems, as is recommended, leaving
the public to do as they like, sounds very judicious
perhaps, but it would inevitably create confusion;
whereas the metric and decimal plans are so easy and
simple that they can be mastered in a few hours.
Luring the slack time between the prorogation of
Psrliament and the renewal of activity when the
holiday season is over, efforts will be made to organise
on a large scale a National Education League, the
chief object of which will be "compulsory, unsecta-
rMn, and state supported education." It is said that
already more than 1,100 persons have joined the
League— clergyman, dissenting ministers, members of
Parliament, am. The new organisatim therefore bids
fair to be a powerful one, and if it go to work well,
and have a series of large public meetings this will
undoubtedly considerably advance the cause of us.
tional education. More and more does it appear to
be felt that it is high time that England took
a decided step in advance in the direction of
really national education; and the more the subject is
argued the more is it felt that, strong as may be
opposing opinions on religious matters, there is a broad
ground of union on wbiffi many, if not all parties, can
take their stand. "The National Education League"
has a good bold liberal sound, and the very name of it
seems likely to attract support.

No more sincere or more hard-working nobleman is
to be found than the Marquis Townshend. As Lord
Raynham he was everywhere known as the beggars'
enemy, but he was their enemy only as far as they
made mendicity s profession rather than they would
work for a living ; he was really the beggars' friend, and
he has dine an immense amount of good, especially to
poor children who have been sent out by their parents
to beg, rescuing those unhappy waifs and strays from
continued beggary and sending them to asylums and
reformatories. And a very good work this is. But I
cannot but think that the Marquis has quite enough of
such work on hand without directing his attention to
another philanthropic work, which is positively
appallirg in its magnitude. The benevolent nobleman
has presided at a meeting to organise a "society for
the assistance of respectable persons who are falling
into distressed circumstances." Can anyone give the
faintest guess where such a society will begin or end.
And yet it is undoubtedly true that this class requires
sympathy and aid far beyond others who may be more
clamorous.

---
A great deal of interest is manifested here in the
duels that have recently taken place in France, where
it would seem, duelling is becoming more than ever in
vogue. The duel between M. Paul de Cassagnac and M.
Flourens ; between H. de Is Pouterie (editor of the
Paris), and M. Gustave Naquet (editor of the People),
and between the Viscount de Is Poem and Mr. Reginald
Russell—these affairs are the talk of the town, and
people generally appear to talk very lightly about
them, as though they were mere quarrels decided in an
interesting and fashionable style. There seems a clarn
pr of duels becoming for the upper classes what prize-
fights till recently were for the lower classes and a few
depraved members of the middle and upper sections of
society. The strangest duel that has taken place of
late. is that between two nuns at Genoa, which was
perfectly harmless but supremely ridiculous. The
adiesexchanged pistol shots, but neither was hurt, and
the honour of both was, no doubt immediately
satisfied. I have heard that no less than three
duels with swords have taken place in London
during the last year or so. Names are given me
and localitim are mentioned—a " mews "in one case
and a coach house in another—and my informant is
one who would not willingly mis-state facts, but I can-
not believe the statement nevertheless. It is difficult,
however, to prove a negative, and the statement may
be true. Certain it is that it is only the law being
gidly enforced that prevents duelling being occasion-
ally resorted to in England as elsewhere. It is all very
we to say that public opinion is against it, and that
the law makes it criminal. Very true, and it is well
for society that it is so, for were not the law most
rigidly enforced, there is quite enough combativeness
in the upper ranks of society to make duelling an
occasional pastime, even in the England of to-day.
An experiment has just been made in London which
for its novelty is worth reference. The evil effects of
music-halls in connection with the facilities for ob-
taining intoxicating drinks has often been alluded to.
There has now been established a place called the
Alhambra Temperance Music-hall. The entertain-
ments offered are neither better nor worse than many
at the ordinary music-halls, the only peculiarity being
that intoxicating drinks are not allowed, and the pro-
moters apparently desirous of exciting continued in-
fluence on the neighbourhood, advertise a temperance
meeting every Sunday evening. Such facts show at
all events that the advocates of teetotaliam are making
headway, and that there are other modes of argument
besides talking, lecturing, and writing.
A very interesting discovery has Leen made in the
city ot London. In man down a house in Birchin
lane a Roman grave has been found, the tomb being of
brick-work, and containing a skeleton, at the head of
which was a vase of gold coins, and at the foot being a
lamp. Such a discovery possesses great interest in
tself, but the surveyor who found this tomb, in writing
to The Times about it, makes one of the funniest
blunders imaginable. He says, There is a date inside
the tomb which can be easily deciphered as B.C. 407."
The gentleman is evidently under the impression that
this means 407 years before Christ, which would make
the tomb 2,276 years old—a marvellous discovery indeed.
The fact is, however, that the letters B.C. were of
necessity employed only outer the commencement
of the Christian era, in speaking of long preceding
events, and even then the letters A.C. (ante Christum)
were usually employed. The merest tyro in history
will at once see the absurdity of such a date as this,
and the Roman tomb is quite interesting enough with-
out it.

Here are a couple of laughable advertisements, which
nevertheless are put forward in perfect seriousneas :
"Au artist, willing to paint in oils, on very reasonable
terms, in the style of Etty, will oblige by addressing,
ac." When we consider how high Etty ranks among
painters, and what very large sums have been paid for
his paintings, it is rather cool to ask artists to paint in
his style "on very reasonable terms"—so much per
vinare foot perhaps. If the advertiser succeeds in
getting a cheap Etty, possibly he may be induced to
extend his enterprise. He might, for example, adver
tine for a person who will be willing to paint, on "very
reasonable tenon," in the style of Michael Angelo or
Raphael. "The lady who held conversation with a
gentleman at the West End about May last, and who
promised to write to an address then given her, is very
earnestly requested to send her name and address in
onfidence," Au This is deliciously vague. "About
May last is a phrase that will well take in a couple of
months, and "at the West End" will apply to a ter.