The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-11-17 00:00:00

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Our non Cormpoaent.

[We deem it right to state that we do not at all times
identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

Her Majesty and Princess Beatrice return from
Balmoral so regularly about the end of November that
the efficial notice closing the State apartments at
Windsor Castle about that time is an invariable re-
minder that Christmas is at hand. Nor is this the
only indication of the approach of the festive season.
AlmanaAs for 1864 have been in circulation for weeks
pat, and announcement. of Christmas cards, annuals,
present., aqd all the ether remembrances of the time
are pier. t ful enough in the papers now. Another
year has in fact nEarly rollcd round, with all its recol.
lections and the fluctuations which have surrounded
its numerous hopes.
Parliament, by Royal proclamation, has been pro-
rogued from the 12th inst. to the 19th December, and
Convocation to the following day. The fact that the
prorogation extended to only 35 days is held by many
to indicate that the meeting of Parliament next year
will be somewhat earlier than usual. It will certainly
be earlier than this year, when the 15th February ar-
rived before the meeting of the Legislature. That was of
course in consequence of the autumn session, for the
House of Commons did not rise until the 2nd December,
and therefore the winter recess until the 15th February
was short enough. Now, however, that it will have
been of the usual length a meeting of the Legislature
very early in February may be expected.
It will be recollected that last winter the Prime
Minister made arrangements to address his consti-
tuents, and that medical advice compelled him to
forego this intention. He was to have addressed his
constituents in Midlothian in the middle of
January last, rather a bleak time of the year
to make the circuit of a Scottish county ;
but was dissuaded from doing so by medical ad.
vice. The Premier's campaign in the shire of Edin-
burgh in the winter of 1879 was a very arduous
and trying one, his speeches being often delivered in
the midst of snow and bitter winds. Sir Andrew
Clark has interdicted the Prime Minister's delivery of
any out•door addresses this autumn. This, however,
did not interfere with the right hon. gentleman's at-
tendance at the Lord Mayor's banquet, where he was
in capital voice and excellent spirits, and put on the
cheerful tone of a man who believed that he should
continue to respond for her Majesty's Ministers at
Guildhall for many years to come.

Many obvious puns have been made on the conferring
of a knighthood on the late Lord Mayor, Mr. Alder.
man Knight, but the event is not so very uncommon
that it should attract especial notice. Lord Mayors
have before to-day received marks of Royal approval
on going out of office. For instance, Alderman Dakin
was made a knight, so was Alderman Phillips, and
both for precisely the same reason—the great flow of
charity in the direction of the Mansion House during
their year of office. Alderman McArthur was made
a Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George,
and Alderman Ellis was created a baronet because
the Qieen during his mayoralty declared Epping
Forest for ever free and open to the public. Alder-
man Knight's duties appear to have been discharged
during the twelve months in a manner which has
called forth the approbation of the Sovereign, hence
the mark of distinction.
The London Municipal reformers have taken heart
of hope at Mr. Gladstone's Guildhall speech, for it is
clear that the Cabinet has not yet decided as to the
order of business for next session, and so there is a
chance of the London Municipal Bill being taken in
good time if the metropplis shows that it really is in
earnest over this question. It can scarcely be said
that up to this time there has been any strong
popular movement in this direction, the mass of
Londoners being generally too busy to concern them.
selves about parochial matters. But a challenge

having been thrown down by the Leeds Conference,
it is being heartily taken up, and the people of the
capital are endeavouring to show that there s a real
and urgent need for a naeasnre which has twice
been promised in her Majesty's Speech from the
Throne and in two succeeding Sessions.
Lord Coleridge has taken occ.sion to express his
opinion very strongly about the Royal Courts of
.lu.tice, aid bas pplen of them as ".unattractive,

uncharacteriAio, and inconvenient." This is what a
good many people have teen thinking for a long time
past. It would, however, be unfair to the memory
of Mr. Street to place the blame of the failure on
the dead architect now in his grave in West-
minster Abbey. His plans were ruthlessly cut
down by the Treasury on the ground of expense,
so a strueture which was intended to be an
ornament to the metropolis is neither a thing of
beauty without nor one of convenience within.
Fortunately for the architectual beauty of the Houses
of Parliamett the same system was not carried out
when the designs for that stately pile were before the
Treasury. When the late Emperor Nicholas was over
here in 1844, he spoke of the Palace of Westminster
as "a dream in stone ;"it is one, which, however has
been realised.

Sir Charles Dilke, in his Scotch speeches, promised
Ins a stormy session ; but so far as political events are
concerned the recess is certainly quiet enough. The
only contestel election thus far has been that at Man.
cheater, and that was more of a flash in the pan than
a genuine stand-up fight in which both parties polled
their utmost strength t') the last man. As to the
election for the city of Limerick, Irish politics have
ceased much to interest English constituencies ; but
the outstanding election in the city of York is a
different matter, parties in that historic town being
generally balanced pretty evenly.
The recent great fire in London has induced the
Metropolitan Board of Works to consider tie propriety
of applying to Parliament for power to prevent the
stacking of vast banks of timber and firewood such as
those which Ist ly took fire at Haggerstone, lighting up
the north side of London night after nigl.t, and for
days reqe;red all the exertions of the Brigade to keep
down the frames. Although the damage done was
nothing like so greet as at the Wood-street cal fl 'gra-
tion in December last, the blaze was considerably
larger, and it o :curs t ) many in a great city that they
stand perpetually in the presence of a merciless foe
against whose attacks it requires all their constant
vigilance to guard.
These are essentially the days of celebrations. Not
many years ago we commemorated the three hundredth
anniversary of the birth of Shakepeare, now the Pro-
testant countries of the world have kept high religious
festival over the four hundredth anniversary of the
birth of Lather. The universality of the commemora-
tion, more especially throughout the vast Fatherland,
Irons the Danube to the Baltic, has shown that al-
though the world is much busier than it was in the
days of Edward IV. it can even now spare time to keep
green the memory cf those who have stamped their
name and secured their fame upon its enduring
huuale.

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