The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-12-18 00:00:00

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411etropolltan 605541.
iT lot"It OWN COIIIIIII.OIIDEIT.

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rrhe remarks under this head are to be regarded as the r.,•
of independent opinion. from the pen of a gentleman
oni we have the greatest eoutldence, but tor which w
: I tries, do Out hold ourselves responsible )

As it is very unusual to have three Cabinet Councils
in ...le week, the fact of there being three last week
raturally excited much attention, and there can be no
done that Ireland formed the special subject of con.
ebb-ration. Tint the earlier convocation of Parliament
aed the suspension of the lieheses Corpus Act were
r et leg ago contemplated is pretty eertain, but the
aheruative of dispatching troops to Ireland was de- ,
cided on, and this step appears to have had the best
pow ible effects. The magistracy of Ireland have also,
in 11.1.,5e districts than one, sated with considerable
Interims in the interest of public order, and the com-
b nod remit is that bellied has her me more tranquil
teen she hen been for a log time till very recently, and
the tact forms one of the pleasantest topics of the day
Ireland always has been the chief difficulty of the
',merit Ministry, and will, doubtless, continue no for
wane time, but If by minietsrial firmness aed the aid
4.f the Lich see !tonnes, the ontburets at Fenieniem
I-e repr. seed, legislaVen will he made f.r more
e L$V, and will have a far better chance of workieg eut
tie permanent tranquillity of the Etnerald I.le.
Teo recently established Leagues ere manifesting
censiderable activity. The Labour Repreeeritatien
League hal just met and made arrangemeets to
estaelish branches in each of thy metropolitan
berelighe, and it seems that the League has obtained a
laege number of adherents in many of the previncial
tee es. And the National Education lesague is
requiring strength rapidly. It now numbers 5,836
ine tubers, of whom 410 are clergymen or ministers of
V 611.-11.1 denominations, and upwards of i:33,000 has
lite,r been subscribed or promised. If these two
oremisations proems se hitherto they will exercise
great influence on society. Each has a difficult task
to perform, the first League an especially difficult one,
but the object sought is in each case at least a legi-
timate ground of agitation, however opinions may
cider as to the propriety of having working men in
Pei figment, and of having a national system of educa-
tion ou the principles of the new Leegne.
It was expected that the telegraphs of the United
Kingdom would be transferred to Gevernment on the
let f January next year, but it now seems that
smother month will be required to make the arrange-
ments. There is probably more work to do than was
thuneht, and then efficial people take a great deal of
tine to do a very little work. However, letter have
the plane perfect before making the change.
I observe that a further redaction of fifty men has I
just I een made in the shot and shell foundry at Wool-
,* eh Arsenal. Very probably this reduction, though
a 1. .inful one, and coming after 60 many other reduc-
tea& in the Government deckyards and arsenal, is
desirable in the interest of the pul-lic ; bet why should
the reductions be always among the men, and scarcely
ever among the officials! Such compulsory dinrinu-
tine of employment leaves the Government open to
ti e charge el cheesepariug economy, while greater
economy might perhaps be more fairly exercised by the
diediarge or pensiouing of a few highly paid officials.
People are talking of an era of free trade in cabs, to
commence with the new year, but the change will
scarcely amount to that. The duty on cats is to be
ate-iished, there will be improved vehicles, and the
present system of fares will be modified, but the cab-
men will not be allowed to charge what they like, as
scents to be the general impreesion. There will be
4. -tee ent classes of vehicles, and the Commissioners of
Pelieu will certify to the class, allowing certain rates
of fore to be charged accordiugly, in all cases the fares
I evee; to be painted or I,2inted pi duly on the outside
.4 tele cab. Taken altogether the fares will certainly
mot be lower, and are more likely to be higher in the
I. rein, but the vehicles will be superior to the pre-
sent ceder. The cabmen generally appear to be in
foot tie of the prop and changes, as far as they can at
pi ,ent, understand them.
As Caristmas approaches it is worth noting how
very unaccommodating are the railway companies.
.Ilit nef.,re and after Christman Day people in all sorts
of id ,cee want to go to all sorts of other placsa, to see
paren, s, country cousins, London friends, and en on,
sod railway directers might reasonably be expected to
lie 02 this desire ley runii:ng excursion trains, hut at
piece rit nothing of ths kind appears to be e totem-
II 0,0. It would be a great boon, particularly to the
p •,cre classes if the railway directors would meet the
Fir* ,1,1 want isf tics time of year when kindness one to
an tier becomes seasonable. As to Choietmas Day
is-eilf elle trains are fewer than than on ordinary days,
tor tile order of t' e day is "trains run as on Sundays."
and if this be adhered to it will break up many a family
p..rty unpleasantly early.
Shall the Clerkenwell Sessions Rome be added to
the list of London places of amusement? The ques-
tiers is not so strange a cue an it may seem at first
sight, for really there are some very droll scenes at the
Mid Ilesez Sessions, and rather siting scenes too.
Tee other day, in Sir W. Bodkinle court, a man
1-avine been tried for assault, the jury found him
Tit,t guilty. On this verdict being given, the Judge
acted, "Do you think the man struck himeelf
Seeing that the poor fellow had had his cheek bone
fractured, a tooth knocked out, and that three pieces
of his jaw had since been taken away, this was rather
a startling Question ; and then came an altercation
between judge and jury, the former telling them to
YXPI,'IIe their mammon sense, and the latter resolutely
adherieg to their verdict, the prisoner in the midst of
the argument exclaiming 'I claim ths verdict ;" and
then the jury were sent to another court, like naughty
eve. And on the same day, another judge and a coun-
sel lias a passage of arms, or tongues, which must have
1.2. n quits a treat to hear. The counsel was crose-exa-
11111ANI1 a woman (the women are frequently more than
is match for counsel) when the judge remarked
that lie thought the witness was too strong for
tbe learned counsel, and then came nothing leas than
is sharp quarrel between judge and counsel, renewed as
the CASS proceeded and male all the more piquant by
one juror disagreeing from the other eleven, and ulti-
mately the jury being discharged without giving a
-verdict, while the prisoner exclaimed that she had
been wild like a sheep at Smithfield. All this may be
eiy entertaining to the loungers in the court, but it is
very nubefitting to the administration of justice.
Our laws as to gambling certainly require modifies-
lien. Mr. Knox, the police magistrate, has taken
e ....lesion testate that "tie fact of playing cards at all
ter teeney or money's worth, in publichouses eon
%unites • legal offence, and that a friendly game at
eel es among the private friends of the innkeeper, for
it .tn.II .take, in the bar parlour, is an offence against
the license." Very proper too, perhaps ; but how is it
Mott plioing cards for money is allowed at the foreign
cafes in the West End, where it is common enough,
suet piecing dominoes for money is an every day and
every night occurrence, while playing biliarda for
ni mey, both in publichouses and elsewhere, is Alm
minim.' enough, in fact, a great deal too 601119011.
And then rook at the anomalies of the law against
letting, which is Illegal in some places and permissible
in others. The Commissioners of Police have also just
honed a notice warning publicans that skittle-playing
ter beer or money is henceforth prohibited, and that
oneteler• will be summoned before a police magistrate.
but there will still be places where the sitllle thing will
vot be illegal. All these restrictions are not a bit too
severe, but the Legislature should see to it that there
is some little approach to equal justice.
The Right Hon. G. A. Hamilton, who has for mary
yeais occupied the position of Permanent Secretary
to the Treasury, and this with the respect and esteem
t,l all political parties, was soon after the passing if
t e Irish Church Act made one of the Church Corn-
s.,s deers, and it was understood that he would then
no ion the poet he lied held. But in the latest official
Ii to Ids name still appears in that capacity, and it
weeld seem that he has only now resigned, and that at
t'W • ernmenisement of the year hem ill be succeeded by
11r. E. It. W. Lingen, at present secretary tithe Com-
mittee of Council on Education. Who is to CI the
he ter position? It will perhaps le mote than formerly
in.; ort ant,ineseronch as the new secretary will probably
have: some share in we eking out the details of the new
Ydneation Bill upon which Mr. W. E. Fenster is said
to bo now engaged. It ia to be hoped, by the way, that
ne'lting will prevent the p teeing of a good bill for
netienel education next session. Ireland of course
will demand a large share .4 the attention of Parlia-
ment, hot the Mated Kingdom is nose fully alive to
t necessity of national education, and Irish effe:re
might not to be permitted to frustrate our Love
i suppose we shall seen hear the truth about that
mysterious Welsh fasting g7rl. CLrgymen, doctors,
reel nurses have formed themselves into a body of
• desectivea, and if they ele net arrive at the truth it
rerbenly will not be for want of mats or efforts to
le.mit the secret. And when the truth alxiut this case
be known, perhaps some of our learned literary de-
tectives will tarn their attention to some of those
etrenge records of alleged fasting which history con-
fab,. Spottiswood records that "St. Anthony lived
to tee age of 105, on twelve ounces of bread and
water. James, the hermit, lived in the same manner
to the age of 104. St. Epiphanius lived thus to 115;
Sin-eon, the fitylite, to 112 ; and Kentigern lived by
MaLit sr means to 183 years of age." I suppose twelve
mowed of bread and water a day must be meant, but
it.l.e not much matter. Diogenes Laertins says that
Itemocritus subsisted for forty days by smelling honey
and hot bread. Very cheap living that, but we all
hueat what the result would be if we were to try it ;
‘,1,1 wry soon not the hr al and 1-nnt y. There