The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-06-25 00:00:00

Ji) ur fonlion Carrespoubent.

rWe deem it right to state that we do not at all time 3
Itlenfify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.)

The long-looked for day has come and gone,
and the official celebration of Queen Victoria's
Jubilee is a thing of the past. A thousand pens
have described the varied glories and many
beauties of the scene, and it would be useless to
attempt to add to the glowing accounts of the
whole pageant, which have already been given
to the world. The most remarkable feature of
the Jubilee, and the one which history will con-
fider it the most important to note, was the
extraordinary. uprising of_ popular
_enthusiasm
which accompirifed it. For some time it luta
really seemed as if the people had become tired
of talking of the whole affair. It had been
referred to so often, and had been discussed
in so many varied fashions that a sense
of weariness crept over the public mind; and
superficial observers a month beforehand had
not been backward in prophesying that the
Jubilee as a celebration would be no striking
ruccess. But as the day grew nearer, and as the
full extent of the occasion was seen, the popular
enthusiasm broadened and deepened in a re-
markable degree; and the result was an over-
whelming display of loyalty of which the Queen
has great good reason to be proud, and which is
the highest testimony to the worth of her
reign that it is in the power of her people to
bestow.

It was curious that while all London, and the ,
West-end in particular, was 'looking forward to
the great State pageant of Tuesday, the East-
end was enjoying a Royal procession of its own.
It appears that for last Saturday the various
trade, temperance, and benefit societies of that
portion of the metropolis had organised a "pro-
cession of Kings and Queens of -England " in aid
of the hospitals; and the principal thorough-
fares of Shoreditch and Bethnal-green were
thronged for hours in anticipation of its
passing. Every coign of vantage was
taken possession of. Roofs were crowded,
windows were filled, the pavements were
impassable; and hardy and enterprising
youths swarmed up lamp-posts and sat on
elevated railings in their eagerness to witness
the sight. At length, and after hours of
waiting, the patience of the crowd was rewarded
by the coming of the long-looked for procession,
and as it wended its slow progress through the
thronged thoroughfares, with gaily-coloured
banners flying overhead, and coloured lights and
rockets blazing as it went along, the spectacle
was indeed a striking one. It was not only a
testimony to the desire of the more provident of
the working classes to aid the hospitals, but the
fact that such a gathering was utterly unknown
to dwellers in the west, while attracting so enor-
mous a crowd of denizens of the east was a fresh
proof of the immensity of the metropolis.
This procession proved an effective preliminary
to " Hospital Sunday," which came the day after-
wards. More than usual interest has attended
that oceasion this year, for, greatly as the fact
is to be regretted, it is unfortunately incontest-
able that the funds of our great hospitals show a
fad falling off, anel.that unless the public are more
generous in their support, either the energies of
some of the best of them will be sorely crippled
or a movement will be commenced to secure
State support. The story is well-known of how
a foreign visitor once declared that of all tho
sights, at once striking and pleasing, he had seen
in England, that which struck him the most
was the inscription over the portals of so
many benevolent institutions, "Supported
by voluntary contributions." It would be a
thousand pities if anything should occur to mar
the effect of that impression, but it is certain
that the effect will be marred unless
the public proves itself more generous
than ot late in support of the hospitals.
It is not to be believed that there is
less generosity than of yore, and, for the
honour of ourselves, we are bound to believe that
it is because the necessity for giving is not fully
appreciated that the, present demand for further
help has to be male. But it is never to be for-
gotten that" evil is wrought by want of thought
as well as want of heart ; " and that
it is a distinctly ill thing to allow the hospitals
to be starved through sheer thoughtlessness as
to the necessity for giving. There is not one•
ameng 11 3 who does not receive benefit either
directly or indirectly from these valuable insti-
tutions. Not a single person can tell when acci-
dent may compel him to seek their shelter and
aid; and even that gratitude which has been
cynically defined as "a lively sense of favours to
come: should, therefore, prompt us to help.
The medical journals are consistently alarmist,
and hardly a week passes without their discover.
ing that something or the other, apparently inno-
cent, threatens us with disease-or death. Some-
times they find that piano-playing is a cause of
madness--which, in undue proportions, and in
thinly-partitioned suburban residences, it un-
doubtedly is—oh n'ther occasions the smoking
of cigarettes is stated to give promise of paraly-
sis. and still another, telegraph-operating is held
to be an incipent cause of 'paralysis. One might
have imagined that by this time they had ex-
hausted their powers of alarming us, but any
who thought so had miscalculated the extent of
their ingenuity, for their latest effort is to tell
us that , even .perambulators are poisonous.
A do'efhl story- is" told of an unfortunate
babe which had been sucking the strap
of its perambulator, and which after-
wards died. This is, of course, . very sad,
but one does not quite see what good object
the tale will serve. It will do harm by alarming
a great number of young mothers, who will
suspect every • strap end will dread every
perambulator; but as it is impossible to make
sure that a -baby. will
,never, and under no con-
ceivable circUmstances, touch, taste, or handle
that which is poisonous, it seems a pity that
a fright should be given and no good ho done.
Swindlers are ever on the look-out for victims,
and though it is but seldom that a really new
device is hit upon, the variations of the old are
so many and so ingenious that they may almost
be considered new. Arnong.the latest dodges is
that of the prfictithaner upon the credulity of his
fellows who; by studying the advertisement
cohunns of the daily journals, ascertains when a
musical professor will be engaged at a concert,
and calls at his house during his absence in the
character of a messenger who has been sent for a
violin or some other musical instrument. The
innocent folk at home, not suspecting a swindle,
hand him what he asks for, and he walks away
triumphant with his spoil, sometimes, indeed, his
effort being so successful, that he carries off two
instruments, though originally having asked only
for one. But this, after all, is nothing more
than a variation of one of the oldest
devices in the history of swindling. The story
has often been told of the judge who, during the
hearing of a case, happened to mention that he
had left his watch on the dressing-room table,
and of how, whoa -he reached home, he found
that a thief called, asked for, and obtained
it. The remedy, however, is obvious. No one
ought to give a thing to 'ad thicredited mes-
a-evict.* a note, at least, a card from the
person suppezed to be-in want ef. eliould in-
variably be demanded, ."
It has long leen,conceded that a more com-
plete system of techssioat edhcatien is rnuch
wanted in this eouritry;but reek of the discus-
sion upon it has ended in talk, and some who
were eagerly interested the matter had been
coming almoat to the conclusion that this would
be so until the- end of time. A tangible step,
however, haienov.l7.lseen taken, from which good
results may be anticipated. Lord Hartington
presided a fewslaysi ago, at Devonshire House,
over a meeting convened in-support of the
movement for establishing a National Asso-
ciation for -the' Protnotion of Technical and
Commercial Education, the main outcome
of which wks the adoption of 'resohi-
tion appointing a dub committee to draw up
a scheme. .of the proposed association,
and to submit- it to a future general meeting.
Assembled at the. fierginal gathering were men
whose devotiorr to the cause of technical educa-
tion is well-known, and it 'cannot be doubted
that the result of discussion and organisation
will he to strengthen the cause. Compared
with German; for , instance, England in this
matter is rnmehebehind, and it behoves all who
are interested in the commercial welfare of' this
country to diethteir bet to make up the lee-way.
It is upon thi3 greater skill and , intelligence .of
the people that our prosperity must depend, and
every step taken in the direction of securing that
greater skill and intelligence deserves general and
- hearty supaprt perennially.
No more popular institution, whether for
children or grown-up people, can be found in
London than the Zoological-Gardens, or, as the
institution is fir. more generally called, "The
Zoo." Founded considerably o'er hart-a-century
ago by Sir Humphrey Davy and Sir Stamforil
j;ealea, it has progressed from small beginnings,
and its especiel; charm now is that, wLile pro-
viding food forethought and study to the ecienti tic
naturalist, it gives amusement and irstruction to
tens of thousands of happy clalidreo. 'lt is a
moot question in casuistry whether it is
right to keep wild animals iu captivity
for our Pleasure. or even for our nrofit ;

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'4'*s

but even those who would answer that
question in the negative, will be the first to
admit that nowhere could they be better
treated than in the Zoological Gardens. Their
cleanliness, comfort, and health are alike attended
to with the greatest assiduity; and as far as
animals can be said to be happy, these certainly
can be so considered. On a fine day there is
scarcely a pleasanter lounge in London than the
corner of Regent's Park in which "the Zoo" is
siZ5-date; and it is certain to be long before thc
institution will cezza La popular among us
all. A. F. It.

TILE KING AND QUEEN OF SERVIA.
_ he Vienna correspondent of the Daily Chronicle
says that be has received from it trustworthy source,
a somewhat startling explanation of the causes that
led to the recent change of Ministry, and consequently
of policy, in Servia. It is as follows: King Milan is
about to sue for a divorce from Queen Nathalie, whose
return to Servia is doubtful. Since her departure
from Belgrade last month the Queen has scarcely
communicated with her husband, who has only re-
ceived a few lines from time to time from her Majesty's
secretary, who travels with her. For several years
past the Royal couple have been living virtually apart,
although, in spite of this, there have been frequent
quarrellings and violent scenes in the Konak. Jealousy
is said to be the cause of this unfortunate state of
things, which has for some time past been the public
talk of Belgrade. Ihe Minister of one of the Great
Powers and the wife of a Minister of one of the lesser
States are also mixed up in the affair. The differ-
ence between the King and Queen, however, is not
confined to domestic troubles, King Milan believing—
and, if report speak truly, not without justice—that
his wife was constantly conspiring against him,
and was intriguing to have him deposed and herself
appointed as Queen-Regent during the minority of
the Crown Prince. Queen Nathalie, who is a
Russian, has, of course, been supported throughout
by Russia, and by the Russophil party in Servia, in
her attempts to get rid of King Milan. Preparations
to this end are said to have reached so advanced and
dangerous a stage, that the King, seeing that the
growth of Russian influence had become too great
for him to destroy, resolved to change his tactio, and
to adopt the very policy that the Queen had been
directing against him—namely, the substitution of
Russian for Austrian influence. By this means King
Milan counted upon averting the revolution that he
believed to be brewing against himself, and upon
checkmating the Queen. His Majesty thereupon
sent for M. Ristics, with the result that is known.
Moreover, adds my informant, the King had
another end in view when he decided upon playing
the Queen' a game. By surrendering himself to
Russian influence be hopes to facilitate the annulling
of his marriage with Queen Nathalie, as he will have
on his side for political purposes those who possess
I the requisite influence in the Orthodox Church to aid
him in this matter. Finally, my informant states
ti at, from a desire to please the Czar, Germany,
through the intermediary of Count Bray, her Minister
at Belgrade, has been largely instrumental in in-
ducing the King to take the course he has done.