The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-05-08 00:00:00

Pildropolit n

BY Or OR OWN CC:ZaESPONDENT.

oho remarks under this head are to be regarded as the en-
fl) eSson of Independent opinion, fnan the pen of a gentlemius
srs eisom cc have the greatest confidence, but for whinh we
nevertheissa do not hold ourselves mspuhsiblej
Slowly, but decisively, has the Government and the
Liberal party gained success after success, in reference
to the Irish Church Bill, and it is now on the eve of
completion, so far as the House of Commons is con-
cerned. Successive majorities of over a hundred will
naturally have their influence when the bill reaches
the portals of the House of Lords. Whether their
lordships will reject the measure is now a much-dis-
cussed topic. That they can do so needs not be in-
sisted on. They could act with regard to this bill as
the House of Lords did with respect to the Reform
Bill. of 1831. That measure was carried in the Com-
mons by 367 to 231, but the Peers rejected it by 190 to
158. But then the bill of the following year was
accepted by their lordships, owing partly to the king
having threatened to create 50 Liberal peers. Their
lordships may reject the Irish Church Bill in the same
way, but the same course is open to the Sovereign and
the ministry as was threatened in 1832. But no one
appears to believe that any such course is likely even
to be hinted at. Whether the Ilmse of Lords, as it
stands, will accept the measure, and how far ministers
will be ready to adopt any alterations that the peers
may snake, are among the undecided political questions
of the day.
- - • •• •

-
Six persons are now committed for trial on the charge
of conspiracy to establish and carry on certain sporting
lotteries or "specs." The result of the trial, whatever it
may be, will be very important. If the Government
succeed in getting a conviction—and there does not
appear much doubt of it—sporting lotteries will be-
come things of the past; and, unless the ingenuity of
specutators can discover any other mode of gambling
in much the same way, but still within the letter of
the law, society will receive an inestimable boon.
The present trial hi but an experimental one. The
experiment must be made on some who may chance to
be selected; but it is well known that hundreds of
persons have been doing the very same thing as the
unfortunate lottery-keepers who are now awaiting
their trial. That trial will be looked forward to by the
public generally with great interest, and especially as
there is reason to believe that after this trial Govern-
ment intend to prosecute the owners or managers of
turf exchanges and the professional book-makers.
Pauperism is an old, old subject, but it is not worn
out, and is not likely to be. lam not about to dilate
on it, but there is one sad fact just officially announced
which may be worth reference. Paupers are increasing
in the metropolis. A Poor Law return just published
shows that there are 144,419 paupers in London,
whereas at this time last year there were 0n1y142,951 ;
in 1867 there were only 134,228 ; and in 1866, 103,118,
so that workhouse poverty has been steadily on the
increase. 18 it not marvellous then that neither the
Poor Law Board nor the guardians of the poor will
thorrughly enter on the only available means of
materially lessening this pauperism, and that is emi-
gration! In America alone, without reference to any
other country, there is ample room and verge enough
for all the pauperism of England— that is the able-
bodied and moderately intelligent paupers,—provided
only they were once set on their legs by employment
being found them. The stream of emigration is now
Sowing out rather strongly, but the majority of the
emigrants are not the class of people we can best spare.
It is high time for Government to propose some
scheme by which the pauper class at home may be
thinned by judicious emigration. Meanwhile, it is ANOMALIES OF THE BRITISH
rather surprising that those who would benefit by emi. MARRIAGE LAWS.
grat!on do not avail themselves of the advantages The following Is an extract from the "loyal Commission
offered them. For example, the Government of New on the Laws of Marriage," In the British vaarterly Review :
Zealand offer free passage to that colony to female The more scandalous anomalies presented rby the
domestic servants, and assisted passages to farm nu'lliriiagn et
illea';;aogfetshor thislatbllduse a-
aa however,aainalLd, dealt
labourers, ploughmen, and shepherds; and yet these may trust, disappear. Although the cases are naturally
classes come forward very slowly, few in which they work injustice, they are so glaring
Miss Burdett Coutts has done a very kind and noble vto make
eiveairaaaedr ies)rasraeirilaatgrtereaot jrierlm,remiemr.porsiracinrie. M
deed in the kindliest way, because all ostentation of upon each sister country a litigation precisely calcula-
charity has been avoided, in causing to be built ted to bring to light the most shameful defects of its
that splendid market in Bethnal Green which was in- system. In Ireland, her marriage turned on the legal
augurated the other day, and which is now in full import of a profession of religion ;in Scotland, on the
proof of union not only without ceremony, but sp.
operation. The metropolis has always been strangely aentiy, s without consent. A Roman Catholic priest
deficient in markets, and it is only of late years that in Ireland cannot legally marry one of his own church
any effcrt has been made to supply the want. This to a Protestant ; aid a Protestant is anyone who
munificent lady, however, has been working—or setting within twelve months before the ceremony has pro-
rotestantism—whatever that may mean. It
other people to work with her money, which is much the !ess'd
is of no consequence that all parties believe themselves
same thing—while others have been talking, and thus good Catholics.
a market only second to Smithfield has sprung up North of the Tweed anything proves a marriage
The place is a great ornament to a very poor locality, which shows the consent of the parties to be husband
where poverty, alas! presents a painful uniformity. !indsviff3e.ralaialonlyasoa; a
lso promise of marriage, fol-
lowedalts clock tower and belfrey, its fine large quadrangle, theypramfaaitatei
b writing, not
taotterwmaimse.Tu'rtttetr
its noble hall, its Gothic arcades and commodious still : though not only there be no promise at all
shops, all show that a market need not be that dirty, provable, but the evidence shows that marriage was
make-shift place which London markets, with one never intended, yet if the connection last for a few
modern exception, have always hitherto been. The years, and be not openly intruded upon society as
erection of Columbia Market in Bethnal Green has avowedairia acolitcaulatgheraitaesiereer
ithat,taheaaliaz
w unitesiiatr the
been a work of genuine charity without the name of I the facts, the necessary CoLient has bere'n given.
charity. It is said to have cost at least £170,000, and ' A recent case has illustrated a still more mischievous
that Miss Coutts looks for a return on only £lOO,OOO. iniquity. As we remember the facts, young Derby-
It would be by no means surprising, however, if this shire girl, of good position, clandestinely married a
fine market, accommodating as it will an immense servant, but was foundLuttalbyalfiteerr parents, s-paratel
populous district, were ultimately to pay as though it if:irate r iiry ecis withn immediately
Many yearst afterwards and
had been built with the most mercenary motives, was courted by a Scotch advocate, and under legal
Londoners and their country cousins just now go in advice she and her formal husband separately went
goodly numbers to the Gallery, where some additional acrrhorses
itil'eSclo'wtleriednd coßjerstheascelletic!rew'sufotAteTendt"t'os resi-
rooms, formerly occupied by the Royal Academy, form to the courts of the country jurisdiction in divorce. A
a new attraction, The National Gallery perhaps is suit was instituted for that purpose, and a divorce oh.
still scarcely deserving that appellation, but it is much i taMed. The lady married, and lived and died in Scot-
store worthy of it than before, and it is evidently I land, leaving children. Long afterwards, in the course
likely to continue to be very attractive. But the oa. relative,administeringtTi e question propertyar sneEwni England
dr
lefttita bgitteenwwi will or
were
Royal Academy is just now the rage among the OW. legitimate (a.; they were undoubtedly considered to be
It is not a popular resort except among the higher in Scotland), and the House of Lords decided that for
classes, but with London fashionables it is the proper the purposes of English law they were not. So that a
thing to do to go to the Academy, whoever exhibits or man may be &bastard on one side of the river and legiti-
mate on the other, though both banks are under the
whoever doesn't. same legislature.
I doubt whether we sufficiently honour the Society Scandals of this kind nowadays meet with more
of Arts, for in a quiet, business-like, practical way it summary justice than in the times of Bentham. It
is continually devoting itself to those practical ques- needs noßrisirtgTizetwoef
treat
ts ..icreasrasis t t
all asahreaiar gup
we
lions on which so much of the welfare of the com- m.graary 'not dismiss them all with equal slight. The
munity depends. Its last effort is to improve the Scotch manner of treating marriage as constituted by
Channel steamers plying between England and France, mere private agreement is stoutly defended by several
and that they require improvement no one will deny Scotch lawyers ; it is popular in Scotland, and was
who has crossed in one of them. They are far too once
seemly,
eaalr rtalta:ur—se be e.a
enjoined bay aewrenslyilinisittoencliy
small and not a bit too commodious, but there is some and jolt many years irregular marriages have been on
excuse for their smallness, inasmuch as, generally the decrease in Scotland itself; but it is one thing to
speaking, the harbours are so shallow that it is neces- treat an unceremonious union as illegal, and punish it,
wiry that the boats should not draw much water. The and quite another to treat it sans union at all. Indeed,
Society now offers its gold medal and its large silver irtaiirse a a vaeraryarflittlecillatwtaraigi be to eide
absolutelyvhi
echaoaftnera re.amedal for the best and second best models of steamers valid marriage. After much evidence, p7:'.us advice,
for Channel traffic, not exceeding in tonnage and and great deliberation, the commissioners have come
draught the beat vessels now running between Folke- to the conclusion that a ceremony of some sort, and
stone and Boulogne. May the best man win, and may before some one, whether minister or registrar, must
we, ere long have a much-needed improvement. There be of the essence of marriage.
will be plenty of time afterwards to discuss the merits
of rival projectors) of bridges over the Channel and
tunnels under it.
A drawing is now to be seen representing alterations
which the artist, Mr. Sang, proposes to effect in
Trafalgar-square. The chief feature is the erection of
two trophies celebrating the naval and military victories
during the present reign. What Lord John Russell
called "the finest site in Europe "—or was it Sir
Robert Feel?—would certainly be much improved
from an artistic point of view were these suggestions
carried out, but still I for one think we have quite
enough of military and nasal trophies, and quite
enough statues of warriors already, and too many in
our religious. temples. Montgomery perhaps is extra- he..
vagantly rapturous when he says: Cheap-.
Oh that for ever from the rolls of fame the other a
Had perished every conqueror's name; Sir Robert Bu,.
lie slays his thousands by his living breath, ing, on hearing that
killed a favourite white 1.,.
ilia tens of thousandi by his fame in death. and all, were in the King's te.
But why not have trophi,s, if we must add to their record, it will be found that hi
number, of peace, for " peace bath her virtues as well buck, horns and all, in the belly of ni
as war." Our warriors have hitherto had rather more counselled the King to kill the but.,
than their share of honour during their life and after was adjudged that this was a distinction e.
a difference, insomuch Sti the King was
their death. own counsellor on the occasion. These, remarks Black-

Why shouhl the people not have banks where they
Gan save up as much as £300? The Government can
see no reason why they should not, and their bill ex-
tends from £l5O to the sum named as the amount that
a person may save. But the old savings banks and the
joint-stock banks object, the latter seeing in the
Government proposal an attack on joint-stock business.
And no doubt it will to some small extent affect these
banks; but the main thing to be considered is the pub-
lic welfare, and the extension of the Post Office savings-
oanks limitation will no doubt be generally accepted
as a public boon. The only difficulty is that of saving
the £300!
"If this should meet the eye," as advertisements
say, of any one who has £5, or a sovereign, to spare,
he perhaps could not do better than send it to Mr.
W. Clowes, printer, Duke-street, Stamford-street,
London, to aid the Printers Almshouses fund. It is
proposed to erect another wing to the existing alms-
houses, and £.200 more is required. I think society
owes a debt of gratitude to printers, and when the
printer gets old and infirm it is well to give him a
retreat in the otherwise very gloomy evening of his
life.

The Crystal Palace summer season was inaugurated
well on Saturday, by the Rossini festival. In gran-
deur aml power the performance was not equal to a
Handal festival day, but I think the music was pret-
tier and the instrumentation more finished. The
absence of Mdlle. 'Miens was a great loss, and many
no doubt longed for Mr. Sims Reeves. but Mr. Rigby
was an admirable substitute. The Palace and grounds
now look beautiful, and the former never looks so well
as when thronged with a well-dressed company. The
Rossini orchestra, as it was for the day, was itself a
beautiful sight, and when this was combined with the
delicious music of "the swan of Pesaro," the pleasure
was &Mile. The Cryst .1 Palace ought to I.e a finan-
cial succe=s for the management really is spirited and
ealightenedl