The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-11-12 00:00:00

Our fonbon toritspoubmt.

IWe .teem it right to state that we do not at all lima,
Ceutaly ourselves with our correspondent's upiaioua I

Hope and fear with regard to the armistice and
ultimate peace seem to Ahern ite in the ',min mind,
and it would be easy to enter at ieng thiuto v.e chances
for and against the latter " consummation most de-
voutly to he wished, "hut thia it inalvitable as the
position of allure changes almost hourly. It was
thought that whin the news of the fall of Metz bvcauie

known in Faris. the effect would be moat discouraging
and ler a great incentive to the acceptance of a props.
'Rion intended to pave the way to peace, bnt it does
Lot seem to have Lad this effect. On the contrary, the
mere proposal of au armistice produced a riot, the
members of the Government of National Defemse were
Inept blockaded in the Hotel& Ville, end roily released
by the National Guards; during the riots a rifle being
thrice directed against General Trocbu. No wonder
therefore that the Government shirk the responsibility
of accepting the armistice, and throw it upon the
luhabitants. Meanwhile, preparatione for a howl,
went of Paris have been carried on, and you ma)
to announce this terrible calamity, while on thee o -
hand we hear from several towns and districts of rene it. .1
energy and exertions for defence. News from all quer•
tern also shows that the tnieery, desolatior, and ruin
carrs,.l by war are extending and seriously affecting '
Lot ouly the vanquished--a word that may now
fairly be applied to the French—but the victors. We
who look upon unhappy France from a distance, who
are, so to speak, spectators of her haplees and helpless
struggler, must lie forced to the conclusion, whatever
our hopes and wishes may have been, that it is utterly
in vain for France longer to struggle against " stern
necessity" and "the inexorable logic of facts." For
her delays are not only dangerous but they are fraught
with irremediable disaster. Her true policy is to yield
and obtain the beet terms of peace she can induce the
victorious Ueru,ns to accede to.

We may look, as a matter of course, to the war pro-
clueing it, epeolal literature. Earl Russell is at work
on a paumhlat, or he may have produced it by this
time, on " the Military and Political state of the
Nation reterence to the Francs-Prussian war.
Mr. Gladstone, is the author of a splendid
article in the current Qulrierly, on France, Ger-
many, and England; and the celebrated "Monsieur
N." is to give. us a pamphlet entitled "What is your
name? N. or M.," in which he will deal withsome of the
moet prominent pceple in Europe just now. I suppose
we may also confidently look for books on the war from
Dr. Russell, Mr. this, Mr. Henty, Mr. Forbes, or
some other of the war correspondents. If no, may
they be well written and adaptel for our children
when they grow up. The present generation will
have had quite enough of this lamentable warfare.
It has been decided by the Cabinet, of course in
eonj unction with Her Majesty, that Parliament, on the
occasion of the marriage of the Princess Louise with
the Marquis of Lorne, is to be asked for a dowry of
E:ti,ooo, and an annuity of £6,000. This lain accordance
with precedent. The cases of the Prince of Wales
end the Princees Royal are exceptional. An annuity
of £B,OOO was settled on the Princess Royal. The
Prince has an annuity of £40,000, with £lO,OOO a
year settled on the Princess to her separate use for
life, and £30,000 annually as a jointure in case of her
surviving her hueband. Tile Princesses Alice and
Helena have ha I do cries and annuicies granted to
them the same in am tont as those which will be pro-
posed for the Pr noes! Louise. It is said, too, that the
Queen will settle £10,004 a year on the latter,
and that the Duke of Argyll will Nettle £4,000
a year on the Marquis. If co, this will give the young
couple I:20A00 a year, which will " keep the wolf from
the door !" It is said, that the fortunate young noble-
man will be "raised to the first order of the peerage,
and have precedemei after the royal dukes." Ent
shot shout his two younger brothers, both of whom
are "in trade ?" One is in a firm of tea-brokers, and
the other with a mercantile home, in the wine trade.
rut this act of a thoughtful parent, whose intention
ie to make his eons femiiiar with the routine of real
business,—which is at once apparent, neither of the
gent!, men taking any remuneration by way of salary— I
and therefore useful in the world, deserves commenda-
tion, and may he imitated with advantage by some who I
sneer at industry, and to whom work—real honest
work—would be a blessing indeed.

It may fairly be. hoped that the royal commission
which has just been nominated to inquire juts the
operation of friendly societies will have a beneficial re-
sult, thongh, accordibg to all precedent and experience,
this result may be far distant. Toe commissioners
will inquire into the existing state of the laws relating to
these societies and to building societies, and on the office
and duties of the R.gistrar of Friendly Societies--this
officer by the way having no exlstence, noose having been
appointed, if my mom try serves me, to fill the place
of the lat Mr. Tidd Pratt, though the business of the
office may be carried on by deputy. Toe working
classes are deeply interested in the toquiry now to be
set on foot; their representatives will be examined be-
fore the commissioners, and the good effected by these
societies, as well as the evils thut mu. their usefulness,
will be thoroughly searched into. If we can but have
friendly and buildinz societies pl iced ou a firm foun-
dation, and give their supporters security for their in-
vestmenta.--small individually, but enormous in the
aggregate —it will be an immeasurable boon to the
provident section of the working class, and will un-
doubtedly tend to increase that section, and thus so-
ciety at large will be the gainer.

We Lot (loners are tread of St. Paul's though we
know lees about it, and see less of it than our country
cousins who come no to ptyno a visit. We may all of
ne therefore find some esti-fa:thin in the progress of
the snbicription for "the completion of St. Faure,"
and it it to be hoped that this will include the throwing
open of the churchyard and the flue space in front of
the cathedraL But why, it mry be asked, is not the
work commenced? The committee have collected some
£34,000 already, and they want another i:100,000. A
great deal ought to be done for that money'
With the commencement of term, the Act, parsed
last eessien for the remuneration of jnrymen has come
into operation—after a fashion. By the new law,
special jurymen are to have a guinea and common jury.
men 10s. a day during the performance of their duties ;
Lot the Legialarnre that has decided this—the common
jurymen being thus much better off than before—has
not said out of what fund the money is to csne, whe-
ther they are to he paid by suitors or by the State; so
that we must look for an amendment of the Act next
senior. Meanwhile, however, jurymen have nothing
to grnmfde at, seeing that they are paid —somehow.
The British Museum ranks Al among the show-
places of the metropolis, and most people who come
to London for • few days holiday make a point of
visiting it. It may bs interesting, therefore, to note
that the trustees of this great national establish-
ment have just made an alteration in its internal
management that will by no means prove generally
acceptable. For a long tinse the public, the
officials of the Museum, and the "readers,'
had separate dining and refreshment rooms. These
were found to be a great boon; but either they have
been badly managed, or were not found to pay, or both;
and at all events they have been all abolished. This
is a great pity. Such rooms might to pay well and
would, if properly managed, and at any rate they were
a great convenience to the public.
Souse time will naturally be nquired before the
public, and it nay be added the post-office officials
themselves, get thoroughly acquainted with the details
of the new arrangements. Complaints meanwhile come
thick and threefold. Some of these are reasonable enough,
and same the reverse. When, for instance, a firm writes
to say that they had some circulars sent to them-
selves, to test the charge, and that the halfpenny
stamp carried a circular, but that when the remainder
were sent out to their °lreton-1r es the letter-rate was
charged, it :oust be concluded that the Post Office is
at fault. But when several people complain that they
have gent out circulars, ecc., with a stamp partly en
the cover and partly on the circular, and that the
Post Office then stamps upon these "closed against
:nspection," and charges as if they were letters, I think
the senders are quite in the wrong. The regulation in
such cases is plain enougn, and ought to be followed.
There are still souse discreparciee and uncertainties
about the new regulations which ought to be cleared
up; but in the main the new system works admirably,
and is found to be of great public convenience.
In the sportins, articles of the newspapers it is com-
mon enough to reed such remarks as theses "At the
betting clubs yesterday Rosie, ucian went badly, every
one being desirous,' ire. Oh, indeed ! —then there
are "betting clubs ?" No doubt of it ; every one knows
that. Why then, it may be asked, does the Treasury
prosecute such establishments at the Knightsbridge
Exchange, and leave others untouched? One man, it
seems, may steal • hone, but another must not look
over the hedge ! There certainly are betting clubs
here and in many other large towns, and it is rather
strange that Government does not prosecute them : but
there are legal loopholes, it is said, which render
further prosecution of very doubtful result. Be this
aa it may, Government deserves the thanks of the
community for what has already been done.
The Oxford Union,Debatint SocistN, having dies.
cussed the question, "that it is desirable that the
bishops should retain their seats in the House of
Lords," have decided in the aflirmative by 23 to 16.
The bishops must now feel (Olt° safe ! Doubtless their
lordships trembled as this important question was
debated in solemn conclave, but now they breathe
oirmin