The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-12-20 00:00:00

tf

Alt yantran Curespoatut.

of a diplomatist who has won advantages for his
country of as enduring a character as though they had
been obtained by the sword. But it is the statue of
a man who, in the most hopeless days of the last
century, founded the first Sunday school in the city
of Gloucester—a man of very humble position, Robert
B.aikes by name. The idea of Sunday schools rapidly
spread; and there is now scarcely a place of worship,
of whatever faith or creed, without its Sunday school.
Not until after life has brought with it the chastening
experiences of maturer years are the unrequited, or
rather unremunerated services of superintendents and
teachers appreciated as they ought to be. The scholars
are unable to realise the sacrifice of time and comfort
which the teachers make, traversing considerable dis-
tances in all weathers, in the hope of instilling a re-
ligious feeling into the minds of those who ought to
show by good behaviour and attention that they are
grateful for the interest thus taken in their spiritual
welfare. All honour to these unpaid instructors; and
it is well to know that, in London's most magnificent
thoroughfare, honour is to be paid to Robert Raikes I

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11,111.111111.1111111.1111. W
Yantion CurespOOnd of a ciiplomatist who has won aciv:
'4 • •
• country of as enduring a character as f
1.
[We deem it right to state that we do not at all been obtained by the sword. But it
1, identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.] times a man who, in the most hopeless
century, founded the first Sunday
[
i• , [ .: ' Every week seems to bring us some new sensation of Gloucester—a man of very humb
4 , : fe-'" from the land of Ormuz and of Ind. The unhappy B.aikes by name. The idea of Sun
4„
P. Yakoob Khan has no sooner been carried off a prisoner spread; and there is now scarcely
f
- •if to Peshawur than a number of the tribesmen in the of whatever faith or creed, witho,
land over which for a time he nominally ruled, make Not until after life has brought w
,
a desperate attack upon the British army in posses- experiences of maturer years ai
sion of the Afghan capital. Partly in the valley near rather unremunerated services c
i... .r-''''? the river, and partly in the bills which wall in the teachers appreciated as they ou
city on the south, the sanguinary struggle was carried are unable to realise the uteri&
, ‘ on. It is impossible for us, with our broad and en- which the teachers make, tray
lightened views of religious toleration, to realise the tances in all weathers, in the
I,
, fanaticism with which these followers of the Prophet ligious feeling into the minds
1 .
k' endeavour to exterminate those who differ from show by good behaviour ane
polemics.
RegaridtinisgathdenEtyngtloishmasandoonagsetantdo
welfare. All honour to the grateful for the interest thte
them in lelil
s,
whose
extinction
.; • ' .;* effect, and which. he would regard with an eye of plea- it is well to know that, in 7
thoroughfare, honour is to
sure, these hillmen fall upon our troops with all th-elero-
I
city which,centoxies ago,distinguished Saracen warfare.
Honours and !rewards innumerable, according to the ANNIVERSAF
Koran, await them in Paradise, in return for the FRO
slaughter of the Giaour ; and as they thoroughly be-
lieve in the teachings of their Great Book, no wonder he late (1b
1)h)
Prm being
ce Co
that their arms are nerved for the conflict with the occasion was observed
t Christian, upon whom they look as salt which has Queen and Royal Ft
t? lost its savour, henceforth fit only to be cast out and Duke and Duchess of
I. trodden under the foot of man. on Saturday evening,
" 4 and Princess of We
Simultaneously with the intelligence of the renewed of Lorne), the Duke
fighting in Afghanistan came the news of the attempt Her Majesty, att
on the life of the Viceroy of India. The rapidity with of the Royal Howl
I which this event was communicated to the authorities Wales thethe Duke E
Louieei Duk,
in London,and by the newspapers to the public at large, Prince, Leopold,
:1 1
is strikingly illustrative of the nearly perfect system proceeded from I
of inter-communicatiOn which exists between Great on Sunday to th
Britain and the uttermost parts of our great empire. grounds of Frog
, and Princess (
Lord Lytton described the occurrence as having taken had driven fi
place in the evening of Friday, the 12th of December, Park. In t.l
'
•
and by six o'clock that evening the papers containinK phagns conta
1 his own account of it were selling in the streets of the service, ,
London. Of course the time in Calcutta is several held amineHon. and 'V
hours ahead of that with us, just as the time in New
t Windsor o
i York Is behind us; but never was there a more corn- under the
, plete illustration of its practical annihilation by the The cererr
f - -L telegraph, be done,'
,•I
When, a generation ago, Tom Hood wrote of the after whi
.
46th Pea'
r t "dull Deeember light," he did not in the slightest the The
degree exaggerate the description of this dark and which w
r
ot gruesome month, But for Christmas and its sumo- Ulnae'
then re
, , ciations, its pleasant family reunions, its abolition for
the hy
,1 a few hours of the cares of the outside world, its cele- watch
• bration of a festival recognized in all Christian lands, salem
and the delight which it brings more especially to the Be'
, junior members of our households, it would be difficult the
1 the
, f to face this month of December at all with any
degree of equanimity. The Registrar-General tells
MI from time to time how many hours the sun is
1
t I
1 above the horizon, and the quantity of registered
sunshine that falls upon the land in each particular 1,
. week. Well, it is hard for Londoners to believe that the e
sun has not temporarily left these latitudes. Most
of them have now learned to be content with three or
t t 1 four hours of daylight. One hour before twelve
o'clock and three afterwards now represent the time
of freedom from gaslight—the remaining twenty are,
if not pitch dark, sufficiently so to require the aid 43,
artificial illumination. Let us, however, be thankfr
r 4 that in one respect we are better off than our for
. fathers, They also must have had to face the glo3r
December days; but they had not the appliances
possess for lightening the Cimmerian darkness v
which they were enshrouded. What,with gas ane
electric light, these dull December days are madi
best of; and there is the consolation of knowing
December is, after all, only a twelfth part of ow
40' on earth.
In the severe weather which has passed over 7
the intensity of the frost has been even grea
S.' it was last year. Even in this temperate c"
seemed suddenly to have drifted into the fri
,
and the accumulation of ice in the tidal etre(
Igreat rivers was a suEficient testimony to
temperature which prevailed. This year t
- 1 r.,, i
,
,
has been virtually locked up at a much es
LW'
than it was last winter. Huge blocks of s
Ice came down the tideway from the upy
the stream; one appeared to grasp thi
, either bank as they floated lazily along the
current; and so it came to pass that f
,
I r
f ON manses, gradually adhering, formed nor
I
of the river, and entirely stopping
impenetrable barrier, extending far out
; above London Bridge. The specta
and remarkable one, and attrac
spectators at high water, when the
a few minutes suspended and iv
" .... ,
= . ' nearly covered with this frozen cf
have been looking upon the Neve
'i Fts4f-
r weird was the aspect of the etre
. WWI the silence which settled
. . , strongly contrasting with the f
• ' presents as a great commercis
the scene might have bordered
- i to those who were suffering frc
-
- , industries represented by the
was one of very different imp
, r The unpurchaseable powel
I . Press itenever put to a bett,
t ' nobler purpose than when, c
time, it opens its columns
' which are just now eng
' . benevolent. A glance ti
4
any London paper MA'
I
amount of misery and d
, !
which the perusing wayf,
~..
lit' ficial knowledge—
' f " In lighted West-end
show;
'•
:1 In foul St. Giles's 11
) • And so the conduc
columns to appeals
as for assistance to
it 1 0 themselves, some
once again. It is
great joy " to be
. few comforts he
' •
, 4
:-k, `."''
"7-..:. r
( f
thoughtful care
enabled for a b-
! , I
tearable emotic
an agreeable r
to spread goo
appeals are r
4 i mas festivit:
stitutions, f
feel for mo
0
Once a
who are t'
;
a COMMC
takes pl
Palace,
Castle-
' beautif
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, where
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