The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-08-23 00:00:00

THE PROSPERITY OP THE COUNTRY.

In cwilmenting upon the dividends paid this half-
year by the various railway campanili', no Times re-
marks : .

We Must repeat, then, that there can be no greater
mistake at the present time than to speak generally of
the trade of the United Kinsdoin as depressed. It is
a common saying among ahrevrd and experienced men
in the City, who have seen many ups and downs in
trade, that business is seldom so good as when prices
and wager are low, and the exports are at a nominally
low level, and everybody is more or less complaining.
The reason is that at such a time there is no
inflation ; that merchants and manufacturers are
careful and economical in their management so as to
avoid loss ant make some profit, which they mostly
succeed in doing ; and that all classes are more thrifty
than in times of iofietion, so that there is more
money saved, even if there is lets money male, than
when trade is advancing by leaps and bounds.
7'h• present period is no exception t tbe rule. The coign-
try is enjoying a year of saline and undoubted prosperity.
If money, wages, and the retie, of profit are low, it must
also be remembered that at the present level of prices
wages and profit. go much further than they did in years
like 1872 and 1873. There are excsptlons, and large ex-
ceptions to the general prosperity, but, as a whole, the
thirty.four millions of people within the United Kingdom
are better housed, clothed, and fed, and hove more of the
luxuries of life than at any former period of the national
history. If this Is what is meant by prosperity, then the
country is prosperous, although the workmen in some
Ueda' are not able to idle hall the week and live riotously
an they did a few years ago to their own real loss and that
of the community as well, and although capitalists are
equally without those immense profits, for the most part
paper profits only, which gladden them in year. of infla-
tion.

TIIE TELEPIIONE IN AMERICAN PRISON.
That walls can be made to have ears in a very literal
sense, the denizens of American prison* are likely to learn
in rather unplessmt fashion (says the Pall Mall Garage).
An ioganious ofli:ial is said to have hit upon the bright
Idea of utilising the zwerophone and telephone in the
service of justice, by putting them to the tuAin use of
listening to the con•ervation of prisoners awaiting trial.
In • New York prieon a microphone is adjusted to the
wall of a cell anti carefully covertsl with thin paper,
pierced with small and s-arcely visible holes, lot, this
cell the accomplices or relations of prisoners are admitted
Si viaitors without being embarrassed by the Presence of
any r theist. Meantime • war der stretches • leas ear from
another room to the inside of the cell by me.ns of the
telephone coonerted with the transmitter, and listens
with delight to the unrestrained eonversatitma of the
victims of eociety. It is said that this method of getting
prisoners to turn evidence against themselves be suc-
ces.ilid admirably; but, if It becomes of univerrel appli•
e scion, we suspect the dodge will soon come to the know.
ledge of those moat interested, who may then turn the
table on their operators by putting them on the wrong
scent.

THE iwoHENDEN ME:VOR-lAL TO LoRD

BEACONSFIELD:

The first instalment of the memorial at ilushenden to
the late Earl of Beaconsfield has Just been completed by
the addition of two belle to the peal of six already in the
church tower. It was desired in ge,ting on toot this
memorial to effect several improvements in the church of
Sr. Michael, which had received the sanction of Lord
Beaconatield during his lifetime; these iocluded a sub-
stantial addition to the organ, the completion of the bells,
and of internal decoration and the filling of I w.o
driers with stained glow. When contributions terra in•
vited f•d, these•purposes, Mr. Robert Warner, of the firm
aloha Warner and Sons, London offered to give the
two bells rrqiiirei, and thew were placed in position on
We.ine-day. The xiatieg hells are very ancient, two
dating from the time of Edward 111., and two others
hiving been cast In ilia Mr. Warner', gift consists of a
treble and second bell, each of which bears the inscrioVon
"In memory of Earl Bescocafield. Presented I.y Robert
Warner, Lfq., bellfounder to Her Majesty (41, en
Victoria." The other portion of the work is in hand, and
it, hoped that some part will be completed by the date
of the dedication festival of the church in September.
Four new windows will be put in, which, with two
already plecel, will form a series of designs illuetralive
chitty of angelic appearsove recorded in Scripture. Ooe
of them will be the epecial gift of the executors of the
late Lord Boacon.field. and aoothor that of the under-
wradustes or Oxford University. The subscriptions re-
ceived amount to £612, and it is estimated that £l5O
more will be required. In addition to the public minnow!,
will he the memorial for which Mr. Belt has received a
c =mission from the Queen. It will be placed on the
north wall of the channel, over tbe seat occupied by the
deceased earl, the chief (attire being •portralt medallion.

THE LATE REV. CANON °LEATHER,
Tho death of the Rev. G. P. Cleather. vicar of Aldbourne,
and Canon of Sanatory, tisis occasioned deep e•grea. His
whole ministerial life. extending over a ;orient of 59 years,
was spent continually In the dkeese. lie was ordain, d
in the year 182510 the curacy of Erchfont, which he held
for five years In IBZ' he removed to the curacy of
Cherington. which he held for 25 years, during which
time he effected the building of a Nationel schoolroom
and tte restoration of the perish church. On quitting the
curacy, the parishioners presented him with a handsome
testimonial. In 1852 he was collated by Biehop Deoi.oll to
the benefice of Aid bourne. Here his Brat object was the
erre:ion of a school chapel at the outlying lutenist of
Woodtend, distant three miles from the perish church.
Subeequently he succeeded in rrecting capacious school.
buildings in the stiletto of Aldbourne, and finally by the
prompt assistance and liberality of the inhabitants he was
enabled to restore the parish church. In 1898 he WY
colhtsd by Bishop Hamilton to the canonry of Netherbury
In (Telesis. Hie life and work were alike, was quite on.
obtrusive. He belonged to no school or party in the
church, but held to the teaching.of the Prayer Book with
• steady, clear, unwavering conviction, and endeevoured
to the best of his judgment and opportunti.. to carry out
Its formularies and onforer its doctrines. He never bore
any active share in matters beyond his immediate
parochial and diocesan duties, but be always took a keen
iuterest in the controverges of tte day, and thaw who
consulted him invariably found that hie opinion had tim
carefully formed, and that his judgment was round and
valuable. Thoush latterly he had become somewhat
feeble, yet he con.inued at his post and discharged his
duties to the lest. He preached on Sunday, July 24th, atd
on the following Sunday was attacked by a disorder, from
which he never rallied. but quietly fell asleep on August
3rd. He was buried by his sons-in-law, Rev. C. F. Willis,
rect. r of II meinghato, and the Rey. T. I:angford-Sainsbury,
vicar of Frampton, in the churchyard of Aldbourne, and
the funeral vise witnessed by many hundreds of parish-
ioners, whose sincere esteem and affection he had gained
by a faithful =Witty of gie year&