The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-02-25 00:00:00

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Neither is it fair to suppose they cherish any pre-
tonsiona which the public would refuse to ratify.
Still, we regard that early publication of their
collective opinion against a contest, as an indis-
creet exercise of authority. Authority, when
indiscreetly used, does not ,grow. Yet our cleri-
cal friends are in the fortunate position of the
rich capitalist, who can afford mistakes. We
shall say no more, therefore, upon this head.
There is however a wide-spread feeling in the
neighbourhood, to which it is our duty, as jour-
nalists, to give expression; and which we trust
will not be peremptorily put aside. That feeling
is, that a fair proportion, probably at leaut half,
of the seats up in the School Board should be-
long to laymen. We place this feeling upon
record all the more willingly, because there seem
but scant means for giving it practical validity.
Several of our most cultivated laymen are en
gaged in professions. We have in this town lay-
men who preach, teach, and lecture ; others
there are who, by the aid of science, administer
that healing art whieh may be deemed symboli-
cal of the Gospel. Many of these, apart front
their reluctance to take part in what they might
think trivial disputations, cannot, or will
not give the time. Yet the psychological, com-
bined with the physiological view of education,
would be at °nee novel and important.
But there are other laymen, of no very
great culture, who would give the time. Other
distinctions also might be drawn. For indeed
there are laymen and laymen, as the clergy well
know, when the question is about relations with
them. Were it left, for instance, to the clergy
to select, no one could be surprised if they were
more disposed to secure it folloaing for them-
selves, than for the neighbourhood an independ-
ent representation. Yet what the public most
needs is the point of view which is really cha-
racteristic of the laity ; not usually to be found
iu the class of parum's favourites, that is, in the
more sequaciona of our order. Again, laymen
of rather restricted culture are apt to find them-
selves reduced to a sort of inefficiency ris-a•ris
the clergy. Either they subside too nearly into
the position of satellites, or else they assert a
sort of feverish independence, by ignoring die, •
Unctions which they feel they ought not to :
ignore. For the distinctions of rank and pro-
fession, or that which intellectual culture alone I,
gives, are not to be passed over as non-existent,
and they place him who does so in a false posi-
tion. The temperament required Li that which
upon certain occasions, and within certain limits,
can be to the clerical temperament what alkali is
to acid. rather than simply what acid-and-wilt er
is to acid. Again, one mark of the clerical mind
is subtlety ; and that subtlety shows itself both
elsewhere, and in the transaction of business.
For instance, MI, but a clergyman would have
thonght of publicly advertising Stourbridge as
;ill edntiational " parish," merely because it utiy,
perhaps, bccome one under the Edneatiou Act :1 :
It reminds us of Miltern's—
Ilad earth existed then,
AU earth had to her centre .hook.
There are some who try to trace this subtlety,
in its historical origin, to that Greek philoso-
phy, with which the Church has been in such
intimate relations, dating from some eighteen
hundred years ago. Butt a sacerdotal order
never had any need to learn it front
philosophy. Upon the whole we should reCOlll-
- it to the township, or parish, of Stour-
bridge or of Oldswinford, as tile case may be,
not only to elect a fair number of laymen, but
to choose laymen who are sufficiently alkaline.
But to return from this digression. Our •
readers will have formed their own opinion as to
the addresses lelivered, and the action taken, at
the meeting we are engaged in describing. The
vicar of Saint Thomas's was quite in his proper
place in moving, us he did in suitable language,
the resolution fora School Board. The dunay in
seconding it was mainly due to objections taken
to the competency of the meeting itself, most of
them being simply frivolous. It way, indeed,
be a fair question whether the parish of Oldswin-
ford, or the township of Stourbridge, which is
considerably less extensive, should be the area
for the activity of a local School Board. We
should like to see this question argued on
grounds both of philanthropy, and of economy.
A more effectual interruption to the iuteuded
programme came from Mr. R. Kelly, a working
man, who remarked that if it had been an even-
hug meeting, the members of his own close,
who were specially affected by the compulsury
sy stem, might have attended ; and he suggested
an adjournment for that purpose. Various ob-
jections, technical and other, were soon raised
to this suggestion; when it found support in sev-
eral quarters, and particularly from Mr. Scott.
It was then that we heard, with the greatest sur-
prise, the opinion of a solicitor called in ques-
Lion ; positively his distinct and formal opiniuo,
that au adjournment would shelve the whole
question for twelve weuths. We can only bilV
tout we have reason to *Arm that Mr. Scott au;
in the right. But the portfolio of education in
this neighbourhood beloegs apparently to tLe
ituv. D. Maginnis ; and accoroutgly ween that
able minister rose in his place, or rather just a
trifle out of it, there was considerable attention ;
and he proceeded to pour the oil of statistics,
and of arithmetical facts, in large measure upon
the troubled waters. As to the question of ad-
journment, however, the meeting Lad made up
its miod ; personal influences were of but littie
avail, deployed though they were with activity in
both directions. For the first time, probably,
the really La.pie tuinister of the Prestuytere,n
eougrewition, iligh-street, failed to carry uotl
. • .
. . .

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((care Minna to say, a btourbridge am:d-
euce ; and that Loa at a 1111:etihg &dwindled by
hans,if. 'rue Rev. li. Slier fare vith a candour
winch did him honour, revoked his opinion as to
the legality of the adjournment. but the pro-
ceedings WM, lapsing more and more into the
nature of comedy, end not altogether of genteel
comedy. The limit of the ridiculous would ap-
pear to have been reached, when it was sought to
isake the excellent pastor of the Presbyterians
personally responsible for not having brought to
justice the parties implicated in the Adcock
lrauds. It occurred to the meeting after this,
that they had better disperse, and try and reco-
ver their senses.

We hope that a better spirit will prevail on
Monday evening next, and that the assembly wilt
support the chairman in upholding the suititar
rules which are always understood to govern
public discussion.