The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-10-05 00:00:00

Allow me, in Justice to the Germane, to reverse the picture
for a moment.

I hove on my wall, harming before me, • "Slap of the Soot
of War," Issued as • eupplement to the Illustrated London
Nom. rote august C, 1,70. On that map Is marked out
the " slice" which France had the Intention, openly de-
clared, to manes had the war been successful on the aide of
France. Thls slice, it may here be remarked, Is coloured
_

. .
I personally remember some women from Sale, one of the
places near the former German boundary, informing me
only 19 years ago that the Emperor had then homed a decree
that French was henceforth to be taught in the schools in-
stead of the German, I. which language the education of
that pert of the country, at al evente, was carried on, and
the woman's expression then we., "Can you imagine any-
thing more cruel than this, as the old parents will no longer
understand their children, not knowing French themselves!"
I have little doubt, however, that the nearer to France the
sooner that change of language was made.

That Alsatians will not Immediately give In I think shows.
In 8003¢ respects, their obstinate yet faithful German origin
and character but by the same rule that they were in time
Irrenohlfled, they will again become Germanized.
- - -

- • __, . , -
Vet, again, had Napoleon been conqueror be would have
done with the Germ. Rhine provinces exactly what Ger-
many Ls doing with Its own Alsace, to which I fancy, at
all event*, it has. certain amount of previous right. apart
from all uniquest. But war must, of nenessity, bring all the ,
Irksome oonsequencee of it, and it ever will do so. I
A. for Eeglialimen, who have without prejudice looked on I
In the matter, they considered the Germans to have dealt,
oa t'm whole, f drly toward* the French . whether the latter
would have behaved equally well towards the Germane Is a
matter which the writer of this Is inclined to doul,l,
especially after a visit to France and after Intercourse
with ante of the first French gentlemen who have since
visited this country.
War ever vas and ever will be an ugly subject ; let
nations, therefore, consider long beforehand what the con-
sequences will be should the scale* be turned against them.
There is one thing, however, to be mentioned hero: an
Englishman would bear with Ms misfortune, thought in touch
a case I dare any he would fence out the griumng part of the
affair, but the French themselves seem to me to feel like •
parcel of ill.temoered echoolnoye who cannot put up with
tne licking they have hal, though they would have been
pleased enough to administer it.. Having lost the game, and
helm( unable to retaliate in any other way, they do so by
blackguareing their opponents In their papers. Whether
they act wisely in so doing is a matter which time will prove.
Germans feel on one subject as well as other nations, and
I will conclude with the word. "Country before family."

Mr. Shapland Menne+ Tandy, a commissioner for
the Irish Court of Chancery, was engaged on Saturday in
taking the depositions of Mr Vale tine O'Brien 0 Connor,
relative to ht. claims against the United States Government
for £45.102 IS., St., and 4,15 000, eleven years' interest on
this sum, this being the amount of loft sustained by him by
the deatruction dung the war of 746 hogsheads of tobacco,
his property. The United States consulted vice consul were
present. Dr. Boyd, instructed by Mr Mills, attended to
examine on behalf of the United States Government. Mr.
o Connor having ueen examined by Dr. Boyd. hie deposi-
tions were signed by Mr. Tandy, and forwarded, with Other
papers cemented with the claim, to Washington, to the
emrstary to lb. lOW Ootomialcs on Amid,..and IMO

LORD ROSEBERY ON THE AGRI-
CULTURAL LABOURER.
The Right Hon. the Earl of Rosehery WU promoted with
the freedom of the burgh of South Queenafirry, near Edin-
burgh, on Saturday afternoon, in presence of a large
&inflame. In acknowledging The honour which had been
conferred upon him, the noble Earl spoke at some length.
Having thanked the magistrates and council of the town for
their kindness, his lordship proceeded to touch opus the
question of the condition of the culturalagr labourer, and to
refer to the Scotch Education Act. lathe course of ills re-
marks he said :
I think we must all acknowledge that the condition
of the agricultural labourer in parte of this kingdom
has been almost a reproach to our civilisation. I will
not identity what I say with any particular place, but
I do say there has been a strange negligence of the
interests of that clans. Various language has been
Ildea about the action they hove now taken to
improve their position. One right rev. prelate said
in a p at-prandial moment, that he should wish
the leaders of the Agricultural Union, if they
visited his neighbourhood, to visit a hianepond.
(Laughter.) That was strong and inadvisable
language. I think he employed it inadvisealv,
and that he has been rather hardly used. He
limply meant one of the mildest of jokes
(laughter)—and he has been taken up in a blood-
thirsty sense; but that ahould teach na to make an ad-
dition to a very ordinary proverb, " never to meddle
with edged totals," or with horseponds. (Laughter.)
The disadvantages of meilaling with horseponde are
two—the first is that A horrepond is not an argu-
ment that carries permanent convictions to any minds
whatever—(laughter)— and the second is that if
you once take to recommending horseponas as an
argument, and if the person to whom you recommend
them happens subsequently to disagree with you,
he may remember your advice—(laughter)—and
put it in practice against yourself, and you may find
it neceseary to make a personal experiment AA to
whether truth lies at the bottom of a well or • horse-
pond. (Laughter.) But the question is not one to
be treated with light words or with horimponds. The
agricultural labourers of this country have formed
themselves into a union. It appears to me—l know it
is not an opinion which is universally held— that a
union within ligitimate bounds, and governed on legi-
timate principles, is • perfectly fair combination for
the defence or for the propagation of any principles ;
and I do not think that any legitimate objection can be
taken to legitimate agricultural unions in defence of ,
the interests of labourers. When they come to strikes I
to defend or better their position, the question becomes
an economic one. A strike, where it is intended to raise
the wages of labourers above their legitimate level as
compared with the price of other commodities, is
economically a mistake. It would not take long to
prove that ; nor would it take long to prove that if
you raise the price of labour you will have to raise the
price of all that sustains labour—the food that is pur-
chased by labour; and therefore the labourer whose
wages are raised, though he receives a larger amount of
money, will not, because he has to pay more for the
, necessaries of life, have bettered his position. (Ap-
plause.) As to the Scotch Education Act, I am
told that the schoolmasters of heotland will be
greatly jat:rveed
that
thdieroep:;iaLthi)3l::
any
y thdeanAgcetr,
(liutthldo e
good schoolmasters being depreciated in value. The
objection which I took to the measure was from
another point of view, and those with whom I
acted and with whom I agreed believed, and still
believe, that the interests of religious education and
the interests of fairness towards the ratepayers would
not be 'satisfied by the bill. We believed—rightly or
wrongly, for the decision must come from the country
—that religious education would not be sufficiently
attended to where it is only a part of the school system,
and where it is not a separate and careful subject of
instruction. We believed, and still believe, that it is
not fair to make a man pay for that education which
is directly and dogmatically opposed to every principle
which he bolas. Those are opinions which are stigma-
tised now, but we are perfectly willing to leave them
to the operation of time to see what their worth may
be. We believe that if you take sway religion from
the lay instruction, it will be more carefully taught by
the parent and the Church.