The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-04-01 00:00:00

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 1871,

A POSE 4 POE A SailOOL BOARD.—Ote of fp,
members of school board, says a correspondent, a fte, days ago, was discussing the question with a free add
independent elector, who addressed him as follows :.. "Well, master, and is this Itihie truth what Id 4 hear—that you gentlefoias is gnin:t to tdhcate
chldren whether I like Aorno °- The memher fthe hoard ,xolsmed. "Weil, rnsettr, you say as hot
they must to,.e ; I says as how they rotyn't,
and they shan't. Ft/ drown 'em flirt
A LOAD TANEN OFF - (Colt THE TIME) —Tht
nous' Paris Correspondent, writing on Sunday even.
lag, says:—

Is It any wonder, thee, that a load wea taken oft the hearts
of the citizens last evening when they found that, u there
termed to be no chance of snideness from Versatile,. no
arcommodation had been arrived at between the leg./
tle) ors shd the Illegal Connuittee, and that for a 114 ct
two at all events they adght re-npuu their boices and
remain their ordinary avocation.? I rarer witnessed am.
thing like the change that came over Paris when the eecoot
editions of the evening papers arid nuourrona qiirhes Male
Miiown to the citrz Iris that Me Mayor. sud Committee had
agreed to a truce. Shutters were lath u d,,W.A With ntagiell
rapidity, shops were lit hp with gas, and articles for sale
exposed in the windows : men, women, and cMidren Rocked
out to promenade on the Boulevard., and if A Pnorian
E.appeir commander had iequhlthrbed all the jolimusars of
Paris, carriagei could not have appeared on the scene with
more instantaneous rapidity. The lines of bristling bay, net.
disappeared from the corners of the Rue Prouot and tas
Rue Vivienne ; Nationals of Order andof 'Nationals " Daorder"—i suppose I must use the term by
way of dhlinction, though it does suund rather disrempectial
to the party In power, —embraced and kissed ; and 1 fon-4
myself curled away in a crowd, who were shoutinglv " Ca R:ptiblilloe 1" and waving their hits as a battalion Of th,
Montmartre troops murched proudly along the Boulevard des
Bailees. To-day the elections have been going on peaceabi,.
and all Paris taunt promenading. The Rue de in Pair is opee
down aa far as the barricade j doing the Rue Ne live des
Petite Champs and the Rue Naive dee Capering. Eeersou
ie turning dOWO from the Place de ii Ipi,ra to see the tortlele Mona ii, tile Place Venddme, which they—the pUblie—ara
allowed to view acrou the paving stone obstruction if they
obey the order "Cireulr/" ny tr,t standing toe long In one
spot There Is free pusses rip the Rue Cutiellone also, and
on to the barricade at the intenection of the Rue St. Honore.
In compliment to my nationality I was permitted to eater
the Place Itself and hapset all the defences. I believe that.
foreigner of any nationality, even Proud*, does not stand a
worse chance In Parts now than he did before the Civil Wu commenced.
"THE WEED THAT CHEERS," &c.—Smoking
must be carried to a great excess in the 91st Regiment
(" Argyllshire Highlanders"), to oblige that corps to
have a " Pipe-Major."-Punch.
A WOMAN PASBING AS A MAN FOR SIXTEEN
YEnits '.- On Monday, at the Manchester (!,,unty
Pollee-court, two persons were brought up in custody
charged with being drunk and disorderly. Superintru.
dent Bent said nine of the two persona in the dock was
a woman. When arrested on Sunday morning both
prisoners were respectably attired in male cordrime.
While they were at the police-station witness was
struck with the appearance of the smaller of the
two, and after looking closely at the prisoner,
Raid, " Why you are a woman." The prisoner stoutly
denied the charge, but shortly afterwards, on
being closely pressed, admitted the fact, and
told • remarkable story of her adventurer. She
said that sixteen years ago she and her huel3and
were schoolmastir and echnohnistrees at a national
school in Glouceatershire. her husband lost his
eituation through drinking, and subsequently they
both learnt the art of house-painting Her hußband
made her cut off her hair and Bell it, areas hersetf as a
man, and go about the country with him. She had
worked with men on high buildings in Loudon without
fear of detection. She had been separated from her
husband for seine years, and the other prisoner was her
nephew, and ehe always passed r his uncle.-The
usual penalty of live shillings and costs wee inflicted,
and the prisoner went off in her male attire.

FASHIONABLE ECONOMY.—iiere is a scrap of
highly interesting Intelligence from a fashionable!
writer :

-The reversible Wins are gradually gaining ground in
England."
If we were the father of a fashionable family, we
should be deeply gratified by this momentous news,
We presunie, of couree these satins, when worn out
upon one side, can be turned and worn till they are
worn out on the other. Thus, a fashionable father
may chuckle and quote SIIAKSPEARE of hie faehionable
daughter," Aye, Phe can turn and turn, and still go on
turning "her reve^eible satins. Satin at fleet thought
Pews hardly a 121 11.,ria1 to be landed by economists.
But it may do a man a good turn when it in made
revereible.—runlit.

THE " RED " PLAN FOR PAYING THE INDEMNITY.
—The Journal Officiel of Friday contains a letter,
which is printed in large type, in which the writer
points out the equity and possibility of compelling the
owners of property In France to bear exclusively the
burden of meeting the German indemnity. He di.
vides the population into five classes, ranging from ex-
treme opulence to the lowrst poverty, and sets forth
their possessions in due arithmetical progression. The
total value of the entire real and personal property in
France he estimates at 310 milliards. lathe possession
of the first class, comprising 7,200,000 households, and
including workmen's clothes and tool he reckons 10 mil.
lisrds, or 400 millions sterling. The second class, or
3,600,000 households, comprising workmen on their own
account and labourers with small possessions of land,
is credited with 20 milliards, or 800 millions sterling.
The third class, the smaller shopkeepers and retail
traders, taken as representing 1,800,000 families, with
a total property of 40 milliards, or 1,000 millions stet.
ling. The fourth class—the wholesale traders and
upper middle classes are assumed to possess property
worth 80 milliards, or 3,200 millions sterling; while
the fifth clam, including the great land owners and
capitalists, and comprising 450,0(.0 families, is repre•
sented as possessing property of the aggregate value of
160 milliards, or 6,400 millions sterling. The writer
concludes from this statement that the proper course
to pursue is "to impose a tax of 3 or 4 per cent, upon
the fortunes of the last-mentioned class, which is coin.
prised in great part of the organizsrs or the favourites
of the Imperial banditti, and by that means the
amount required to satisfy German rapacity will be
easily raised."