The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-02-04 00:00:00

ALAS! POOR FATHER!

...,..... _ _ _
Au incident of the battle of St. Qnentin le reported by a
correspondent of the Dryly Semi The only son of a poor
man was in the battle, anti the father, getting no news of his
whereabouts, resolved to go in search ot him. lie went to
Across day or two alter the tight, and frun thence to the
place where the ambulances then were, twinning constantly
for his eon hut no one knew any thli.it of him yo the talker
went on t. 3 the liattle.:teld itself, e ught it over, looked
among the dead, hot still found no trace of his missing son.
At length, utterly diaheartened, he decide I on returning to
Arms, arid there to his surprise and joy he met tin son, who
having received no injury had succeeded iii esc.,ping thither.
The poor mania grief was turned to happinees ; hut be was not
destined long to enjoy it. Ile was seized with an attack of
confluent rear-pox. Ile neturcel to Bouloin.e, and within
a couple of days enter he had assured himself of lila ton's
safety he was himself dead.

A SAD I`ROSPECT.

" Pauperism," says —Herr Wechenhusen, of the Cologne,
will on Übe conclusion of peace prevail In one hal'
of France and wilt eat up the other half. Already armed
bands are roaming about which plunder the country houses '
and chateaux, and murder their own countrymen with the
very arm! out Into their hands by the cluntry a.. Francs.
Then's. Hundreds of thousamis have been tuff _ring ftr
month.. they are enduring all privatiors for a time
as a eacrl'lce imposed on then. by the ardsfortunes
of the c mntry, but with the war their repignatlon
will cease. Hundreds of thoutands of officials an
starving with their WWI, I because too old to carry
a imuket; in the occupied towns the inhabitants have
long cra/oat work, and have not the means to procure the
req itsde materials. Entire communities have emigrated,
and will, perhaps, on their retort', find half their property
burnt Who will restore all this, and who will be loss able
to do so than a new ll,publican Government, which will
send a multitude of spouters and followersinto the Provinces
to make the confash n greater than It in already? I often
hear it said, "What matters it tool how France will get on
Its legs again?" This point of view is quite a wrong one
0,1 the contrary, it Is of great importance to ns how France
will reconstitute Itself. Murder and conflagration on our
rontiers, eepecially on the frontiers newly acquired, cannot
he ind,fferent too., and an these will infallibly follow the
war, .lerrnany Is In some degree bound for a time to keep
up a kind of guardianship over this unfortunate country.
This in of course a question for the peace negotiations."

SENSATION SEEKERS!

The piece ci Longwy attracted a great number of specta-
tors from Luxemburg aL d Belgium, to spite of the (tang, r
kn,orted by too bear an approach to the place which gene-
rally moiled to Me fire of the asmilacts in the proportion of
three to two shots. Among these adventurous persons were
a conple of tourists from Brussel. and Bruges_ They atarted
to see the bombardment, but on reaching the skirts of the
wood of Musson found they had chosen a warm comer, and
retired hastily to the village here a bright idea dawned on
their nand,. They made a bargain with four smugglers to
carry a ladder for them Into the wood. No sooner said than
done; a finely, grown oak was chosen, and the ladder placed
uslost it. The two sensation-hunters ascended the ladder,
and then c,inhied up to the re, y top of the tree. They had
no sooner bottled themselves in their observatory than the
smuggler., who bad already been paid for their pains, In

stated 0! Walther reward. This request being refused the
smugglers took away the ladder, leaving the unhappy
tourists very thoroughly up a tree, and swearing horribly
that nothing should induce them ever again to reek such
means of seeing a bombardment, the terms of which were
for more obvious at such a height than had they been on the
ground The ruthless siongglers left them to pursUe their
observations for two hours.

Pt'NON AND WIRT IN PARIS.

' ---
" The Besieged Bee Went writes of the bombardment of
Parts that It has no moral effect. " Punch," he mays " goes
his round in the threatened streets the same as ever, and the
little children gather round him to see his enormities. and
to laugh at his unearthly voice. is Punch changed VC., I
am afraid he is In one respect changed. Toby is 110 more ;
Toby has been eaten. In some establishments Punch has a
cat Instead of a dog; and, sad to tell, the cat has also disap-
peared. [he cat has either been promoted to rabbit, and has
been consumed in a savory stew ; or it has roared into the
altitudes of fowl, and has been presented to mankind as
galantine de volaille. Punch wanting hie dog and his cat, Is
certainly changed, but beta not changed through tear of shot
sod shell."

"110 SHALL lit KING?
I have not yet says the Correspondent of The Time, with
the German Army of the Loire) been In a town so decidedly
anti-Republican as Almon. Never much disposed to sup-
port a democratic form of Government, the utter inefficiency
which the members of the Provisional Government have
shown in the provinces to grapple with the emergency, the
misfortune to prolonged resistance, which Is attributed
solely to the influence of M Gambetts, Is bringing upon the
country, the postponement of the elections for party pur-
poses, the suppression of the Ganeral Council. and those of
the arrondissements, and the arbitrary conduct of Demo-
cratic functlonartes, have utterly estranged ally who might
have been disposed to give • Republic a fair trial. Every
day this sentiment is growing stronger, and the chances of
the /deans family are improving throughout the whole
north-west of France. Excepting among the peasantry I
I have never heard • treed said In favour of the Napoleoni
dynasty, and the sentiments of this class are rather negative
; than positive. It merely amounts to this, that if any
' political party in the state chose to reinstate the Emperor
or his sou they would not object.