The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-05-20 00:00:00

Our Konben Torrtsponbent.

We deem It right to otate that we do vot at all !Imes
lUtity oursvlv,s ‘‘ith wrelrorlunt's opiutous:,

From the moment when the Franco-Prussian war
merged into that horrid civil war which, though it is
nominally c mtined to the neighbourhood of Paris, is
yet desolating France, very few English readers can
have failed to watch with deep Interest the progress of
events. Happily we now receive news which indicates
"the beginning of the end," Fort Vanves has fallen
beforeithe tire of the Versailles troops, and there is good
reason to believe that that fall will be speedily M. I
lowed by the capture of Fort busy, the village being
already captured. Meanwhie the "Commune"
strangely belies its name; it eeeuis to have nothing in
common, and conflicting views and interests are con.
usually struggling fir the mastery. "Everyone
deliberates, but no one obeys," said M. Rowel the
other day when he had "the honour to demand • cell I
In Mazes," and his words have been decidedly verified
since. "The Commune," says the Special Paris Cor-
respondent of the Daily licit's, "I. failing fact; the
eoulusion becomes worse and worse, and the want of
confidence is spreading. Nobody is to be trusted;
It ie supposed that everybody is a possible traitor."
On the other hand, though there may be difference
of opinion among the party of order generally,
as well as among the Versailles troops, there is at least
unity of purpose, and there is little doubt that the
great majority of the civil inhabitants of Paris must
heartily wish the success of the Versailles party.
Surely, under such circumstancee the end cannot be far
off -the end of the insurrection at least, whatever else
may come after it, and we in this country must pretty
generally hope for the fulfilment of M. Favre's promise,
that order will speedily be restored by force. Some of on
who were at fleet iinclined to sympathize with the in-
surgents, thinking that they were chiefly aiming at the
mere establishment of municipal government in Paris,
have lost faith in them, and the prevailing impression
must now be that it will be beet for the interests of the
civilised world if this horrible insurrection be put down,
France will then be heartily sick evolution!
When revolutionary zealots p to the surface,
be it but for a time, we must e prepared to find
strange theories discussed, and it is not surprising,
therefore, that at a club in Paris the subject of mar.
usage has been discussed, and that it has actually been
proposed that a wife should be taken, like the lease of
a house, for a term of years. It is stated to have been
ultimately decided by this club that "the sacrament of
marriage is altogether a foolish, useless, and ridiculous
institution." But what will the ladies say to this? It
Is not worth while, however, seriously to discuss such a
question as this of temporary marriage, and I only
allude to it to point out to what lengths of criminal
folly this ' Communism " carries its disciples.
We have just had from Mr. Ayrton, a member of
Government, a somewhat ruinous expression of opinion
with regard to the new measure that the Home
Secretary intends to introdt.ce, to regulate the hours
of closing public-housee, and for exercising police
supervision over them. The former gentleman says
that Government do not intend to infringe on the
rights of the people, but that he thinks the earlier
closing of these houses will check intemperance ; and,
at the same time, he thinks the proposed hours of
closing may be worthy of reconsideration in the new
bill to be brought in. Mr. Ayrton's remarks just show
what • very difficult subject is that which the Govern.
ment have undertaken to deal with. They have had
to give up one portion of the bill, and it is by no
means improbable that they may have to abandon
the other part. And yet that the Home Secre
try has done his very best to deal properly
with a subject on which opinions o much
differ is . beyond question. Expressing an indi-
vidual opinion only, I believe it would be for the
advantage of society generally if some such restrictions
as those which Mr. Bruce proposes with regard to
public-houses were carried out; but at any rate his
motive Is gcod, and the discussion on the new bill of the
Government will be a most important one.
Sir Robert Phillimore has acceded, it is said, to the
request of the Government to act for the present as
Judge Advocate General. Whether Sir Robert will
also receive the proportion of £2,000 a-year tor it also,
not stated, and it does not much matter, for the pro-
bability is that the office, which is little better than a
sinecure, will ere long be abolished.
The Postmaster-General will probably retract his
decision to prohibit the sale of postage damps at the
post-offices, and if the decree of prohibition be not
withdrawn, Mr. Moneell may depend upon it that
there will be a very strong agitation against the
new regulation. We have only to consider what
an immense amount of money passes to and fro in
small BMW, represented by stamps, to see at once
what an immense convenience is this mode of
payment. For example, • little took is pub.
lirhed at lld., "by poet free for seven stamps ;" why,
thousands of copies of this little book may thus be
sold, and then, what Is the bookseller to do with his
stamps, if he is prohibited from selling them, as
heretofore, at a post-office? The only argument that
Mr. Moneell can ume—that stamps endow d in letters
are a temptation to robbery—has certainly something
in it, but this dieedvantage is more than counter-
balanced by the great convenience of remitting small
sums by sending en many Queen's heads. Mr.
Montell, too, will probably find that he will after all
have to modify his new money-order system. It is a
great disadvantage, for example, that under the new
regulations it will cost more to send £'2. than it did
before.

Very late in the day comes the report of Sir Hope
Grant on the Easter Monday Volunteer Review at
Brighton. Considerable difference of opinion exists as
to the verdict that the General gives, but it must be
generally admitted that at all events there is sound
sense in it. Such large displays as these are calculated,
he says, to do more harm than good, inasmuch 83 there
Is neither time nor opportunity to correct any fault
that takes place, and if the errors made on this occasion
had occurred in actual warfare, "whole brigades would
have been annihilated in a few minutes." Pleasant
thoughts, that ! This report, however some volunteers
and others may differ from its conclusions, will pro-
bably do much to aid that reform towards which we
are inevitably tending—the making our Volunteers a
thoroughly efficient force, by more rigid training, more
strict supervision and discipline, more Government
" capitation,"land a clover approximation to the regular
army.

The International Exhibition improves on acquaint-
ance, and although there is not in it such a mass cf
artistic and industrial products as were on view in
former exhibition!, the fact of nothing being admitted
t 3 the present exhibition but that which is excellent
of Its kind, gives a value and importance to the
"International of 1871" which former exhibitions did
not possess. The preliminary high prices and aristo-
cratic attendance having passed away, and popular
prices being now the order of the day, the Exhibition is
now Largely attended, and a very pleasant day may be
epent there. The performance of the Belgian uides
in the Royal Albert Hall; the lovely Horticultural
Gardens ; the galleries of paintinge and sculpture;
the tapestry, carpets, woollens, &c. ; the machinery n
motion; the porcelain and pottery—all these and
much more constitute a really charming exhibition
whick is daily becoming more popular. Let me
specially recommend a visit to the separate little
building in which are displayed the means and ap.
pliances of teaching as employed in Sweden. No one
can study these without coming to the conclusion,
however distasteful it may be, that Sweden is far In
advance of England in modes and systems of edu-
cation. Our School Boards might advantageously
study the fact that they manage these matters much
better in Sweden than we do. But it is never too late
to mend, and never too early. In one thing the pre-
sent Exhibition differ@ from its predecessors—in the
police being conspicuous by their absence, but in their
place are a number of soldiers of the Royal Engineers,
whose intelligence and courtesy to those who seek
mu rmation render sight-seeing all the more pleasant.
The weather lea perennial topic of conversation, but
'' at these presents " there Is really something to talk
'lit, and I only hope the weather will change before
the e 5 lines are- read. Meanwhile the bitterly cold east
wind and the dull, leaden sky, with but a fitful gleam
of sunrrhine now and then, are very discouraging when
we were Anticipating genial sunshine and comparatively
balmy air. Fine weather is the very essence of the
London 818P01:1, and if we only had nice genial weather
we should have a more brilliant season than we have
had for years. But of more importance is the check to
vegetation and the dearness of vegetable food oc-
csaloned by this cold and painfully elistwreerible
weather.

ANTICIPATING Tug ECITURIS !--SOMe interest-
ing revelations of the policy of the second Empire
with regard to the temporal power are contained
In the last series of the secret papers found at
the Tuileries. Among these papers is a note addressed
to Napoleon by M. Rooland at the time he was
Mini-ter, describine, the probable conseuu.ncea of the
promulgation of the dogma of Infallibility, which, he
es" must necessarily be full of danger for the Papacy,
as it converts the Pope into an emperor of all the
Catholic peoples and kings. Another note on the sub-
ject, dated the 20th of October, WA, is fume M. de
Sartigee, then the French ambassador in Rome. It
&Undo, to the ill-feeling with which the Pope containee
to regard France owing to her having given a morta
blow to the Papacy by her interveiition in Italy in
1059, and says that the discontent of the Romans is
daily increasing, as they see thorns-lees enpplanted in
the Pope'm favour by mercenaries and foreigners. Ile
adds that the destruction of the temporal power ap-
pears inevitable, and that he has not the smallest con-
fidence In the Papal army. 'The only way of escape
fmm this position would be to recognize the principle
nf a free Church in a free Pete