The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-01-16 00:00:00

THE GORDON BOYS' HONE.

The council of the Gordon Boys' Home held a
meeting on Tuesday at Marlborough House under the
presidency of the Prince of Wales to receive a report
upon the position and working of the institi.tion
brought up by Lord Napier of Magdala. The initial
difficulties to be overcome in organizing an under-
taking of this kind are very great. It is, in point of
fact, a kind of public school for boys who have in
most cases had but little preliminary training. Hence
the details of material organization, numerous, and
troublesome as they are, present fewer difficulties than
the moral equipment of the institution for its ap-
pointed task. Tradition, esprit de corps, the moral
atmosphere, and the unwritten code of manners—
everything, in short, that most powerfully conduces to
the harmonious and beneficent working of an educa-
tional organization, has to be evolved in such a case as
the present out of such materials as come to hand.
It is therefore very gratifying to all well-wishers of
the Gordon Boys' Home, and especially to those
directly responsible for the selection of the staff, to
learn on such high authority as Lord Napier's that
in the short space of three months the whole material
and moral machinery has been got into working order•
with a degree of completeness and success which is
already reflected in the improvement of the pupils.
Tice institution has been greatly helped by the action
of the Government in providing it with a home at
Fort Wellington, and thus relieving its managers of
the cares and expenses incident to the setting on foot
of an entirely new establishment. But notwithstand-
ing this timely and valuable assistance its funds do
not admit for the present of more than very
modest and restricted efforts. Fifty lads are all that
it is thought prudent to admit in the existing con-
dition of the finances, a number which is obviously
too small either to secure all the objects aimed at
in such an institution or to enable the maximum
of economy to be attained. A comparatively small
expansion of the teaching and managing staff re-
quired for fifty boys would adequately provide for the
wants of five or six times the number. The
meeting was undoubtedly intended to serve the
purpose of forcibly calling public attention to the
exiguity of the institution's present resources; and a
formal resolution set forth the impossibility of de-
veloping the scheme without larger funds, as well as
the importance of making further efforts to obtain
them. In furtherance of this good work the Prince
of Wales announced that, in case it should be thought
desirable, he is ready to take the chair at a public
dinner to which wealthy and charitable men might be
invited, and which would place the claims of the
Gordon Boys' Home prominently before the public at
large.

The California News speaks thus irreverently about
art boom in sculptileim ages just now. All the
French-clay-slappers and marble-chisellers are turn-
ing out General Grant (mole warranted), from the
size of a ten-cent. doll up to a Bertholdi statue.
A stylish-looking umbrella fell down the stairs of
one of the French theatres the other day. A gentle-
man picked it up to see if any of the ribs were broken,
when upon closer observation he discovered it was
Sarah Bernhardt.

ALLOTMENTS AND SMALL HOLDINGS.

SPEECH BY MR. CHAMBERLAIN.

The annual meeting of the Allotments and Small
Holdings Association was held on Monday at the
Westminster Palace Hotel. Mr. Z. Collings, M.P.,
presided. The secretary read the annual report,
which stated that the object of the association was
generally to facilitate by all legitimate methods the
restoration of the rural population to direct connec-
tion with the soil, and added that "its objects have
been fiercely assailed and as strongly supported.
Allotments and small holdings have been a leading
topic of discussion. The hot controversy concerning
'three acres and a cow' was based on a gross misre-
presentation of the objects and title of the third of
the association's series of leaflets, written by the
honorary secretary, who first circulated the phrase.
This leaflet has been the means of drawing much
public attention to the advisability and practicability
of carrying out our policy." The programme of the
association had been accepted at the recent election
by 100 Liberal candidates, most of whom had found
seats in the House of Commons. The Chairman
moved the adoption of the report. He stated that
the Allotments Act of 1882 was the first measure
that gave the labourer a right as distinguished from
a privilege in allotments. There were about half a
million acres of charity land in this country, scattered
up and down, and it was estimated that half of that
land would come under the operation of the Act; but
it was found that the Charity Commissioners had
objections to carry out the Act, and this association
was therefore formed to assist the labourers in secur-
ing the benefits of the Act. The association asked
that compulsory powers to purchase land for allot-
ments should be given to the local authorities. Dr.
Forster, M.P., seconded the adoption of the report.
Lord William Compton, M.P., who supported the
motion, said it was partly owing to this association
that so many county seats were won by Liberal
members at the late election.

Mr. Chamberlain, M.P., who was received with
cheers, ventured to think that the committee had
been wise in calling the meeting in London on the
very eve of the first session of a new Parliament. It
was true that the air was full of rumours, and there
, might be some who thought that it was hopeless to
elaim public attention for the humble details of
domestic legislation at a time like the present, when
we were threatened with the destruction of the
Empire, and even the very existence of the United
Kingdom was said to be in peril. (A laugh.) But
he did not agree with such reasoning, He did not
think that they, at any rate, could have post-
poned or set aside the agitation to which
they were committed. (Hear, hear.) There were
two reasons, he thought, why they were bound to
take the first and every opportunity of pushing for-
ward their views. The one was that although their
proposals were not revolutionary, not even exciting,
yet the question with which they had to deal
, was one of vital and urgent importance. The con-
dition of the agricultural labourers of this country
was the key note of the solution of the land question,
and that solution was a first step towards the im-
provement of the great masses, which in these times
of depression was a matter of no small anxiety, and
even perhaps of danger. The second reason was that
it would be a breach of faith on the part of the asso-
ciation were they not to deal at the earliest possible
moment with this question. (Hear, hear.) They
had put their proposals before the people of the
country; they had claimed and received support on
account of these proposals; and now they must not
allow anything to stay their hands in endeavouring to
secure practical application of the doctrine they had
preached. He did not think this Parliament was
i likely to be a long one (hear, hear) ; and he did not
hope that it would be so. (Laughter.) They would
have to meet their constituents again at no great dis-
tance of time, and if they could not show that they
had tried to carry out their programme, if they could
not point to the party to whom the failure was due,
they would not receive the support given to the
Liberal party at the last election at the cost of so
much individual risk and suffering. (Cheers.) Well,
now, what were the promises they had made? The
Tories had lied on this question with a vigour—
(laughter)—and persistency, and unanimity—(re-
newed laughter)—which had elevated mendacity into
the rank of a virtue. (Laughter and cheers.) The
Tories had universally asserted that the promoters
of the association had promied every labourer as a
free gift three acres of land and a cow. (Cheers
and laughter). Well, he did not think the labourers
were fools; they had not shown that at the last
election--(cheers and laughter)—and he did not
suppose many of them had been deceived with
that falsehood. If the Liberals deemed it necessary
to repudiate this burlesque of their intentions, let
them do nothing to discourage the expectation, per-
fectly praiseworthy and reasonable in itself, that at
all events facilities shall be given by legislation for
every labourer to obtain an independent and direct
interest in the soil which he cultivates. He went on
, to speak of the change that would take place in exist-
ing arrangements as to land now that the labourers
, had become a power in the State, and to contend that
no settlement was possible which did not afford the
labourers facilities to acquire a direct and indepen-
dent interest in the land. With regard to the bill
which had been framed by the association, he would
net, of course-,-say that he would commit himself to
all its details, but it embraced three great principles.
The first was that a representative local authority
elected by the ratepayers under the protection of the
ballot, should have power to purchase land for public
purposes; secondly, that this body should take land,
instructed by the local authorities, by compul-
sory powers; and, thirdly, and this was a point
of very great importance, that whenever
it was necessary for the benefit of a com-
munity that land should be purchased, it
, should be bought at a fair and reasonable price. For
too long a time land had been sold at rates far
beyond its value, and it was now time to compel
owners to sell it at its fair value. When these sug-
gestions were carried out something would have been
done for the improvement of the labourer, who would
then be given the means of obtaining a comfortable
livelihood. He was hopeful that they would be able
to get their bill read a second time, but if they did
not succeed in doing this an opportunity of discussing
the question would be given in the Local Government
Bill of the present Government.

The Yeport was then adopted. The meeting was
subsequently addressed by Mr. F. A. Charming, M.P.,
Captain Verney, M.P., Dr. Clarke, M.P., Mr. Ban-
nister Fletcher, M.P., Sir Bernard Samuelson,
M.P., Mr. G. Newnes, M.P., and Mr. W. C. Quilter,
M.P.