The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-07-17 00:00:00

Je tottrbribge Ob'serber.

SATURDAY, JULY 17th, nao.

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WIMBLEDON RIFLE MEETING.

TWENTY years have elapsed since the National'
Rifle Association, which was established in 1859;
under the presidency of Mr. Sidney Herbezt,
afterwards Lord Herbert of Loa, held its first
meeting at Wimbledon. Looking back a couple
of decades, and glancing at the mighty political
changes.which have since been wrountbnt upon
the continent, and observing the altered position
of_ affairs at home, one very curious fact may be '
noted in 'connection with the statesman who
holds the first place in the counsels of the Queen.
Mr. Gladstone was Coancellor el the Exchequer
then; he is Chancellor of the Exchequer now.
When the volunteer movement sprang into exist-
(nce in 1859, Lord Palmerston had returned to
power, and amongst the other chief political
figures of that time were Lord John Russell, the
lute Lord Derby, SirJaznes Graham. Mr. Sidney
Heibert, Sir George Cornewall Lewis, and Mr.
Roebuck, who have all uisappearea ftorn the
stage, leaving Mr. Gladstone and Lord eaoons-
fienl almost alone to represent the inteLectual
athletes of a former generation Abroad, the
late Emperor of the French had arisen to the
climax of his power. Since he began hie reign
seven years previously, he had dealt with two
of the nations which had imposed upon France
the Treaty of 1815. He had gone, to war with-
Rusiia in 1854, and with Austria in 1859; and
in the last-mentioned case had accompanied the.
the late Victor Emmanuel in a triumphal pro.
grese through the prircipal streets of Londenely.
Having humiliated two of the. Powers at whose
hands France had suffered humiliation in 1815,
a belief ran through this country with the rapidity
of an epidemic that the Emperor intended to
deal with England next, and this conviction so
took possession of the minds of the:'people, that
the male population rushed to arms in order to
repel what they believed to be an impending in-
vasion. Nor was the prevalent fear coniiiiel
only to the masses. Readers of Sir Thecdore
Martin's "Life of the Prinee Consort"- Neill re-
metnber how the Court took alarm when upon
its visit to Cherbogrg, in the Autttinn of 1858,
the menacing fortifications of that dockyard
town were presented te.i the view. Rightly or
wrongly, these were regarded as of threatening
omen to thisnonutry ; and so • impressed vit-r,.!
the Queen_ and the Prince Consort with this idea,
that when the, Volunteer movement began, it
received every encouragement from the Court,
the Government, and the military authorities.
In a few months a hundred - thousand eivili.ins
had become sufficiently acquainted with the
means of self-defence as to constitute a very
efficient guard to frustrate any schenze.of invzx-
sion, even if such had ever been intended.
Formed in 1859, and holding its fir3t competi-
tion at Wimbledon in 1860, from its infancy to
its majority the National Rifle Association has
been a success. National it is in every sense of
the word, for no institution could more
thoroughly represent the nation. When a deep
interest is taken in a movement by the Queen
and by all classes of her Esubjects, there can be
no doubt respecting its comprehensive and re •
presentative character. The camp at Wimble-
don has become year by year more popular;
year by year the meeting has improved ; and
there is, perhaps, nothing which tends moro to
the popularity and stability of the Volunteer
movement than the gathering of the Natioeal
Rifle Association on Wimbledon Common. The
camp is within an easy distance of London, and
the idea of life under canvass for a fortnight is
sufficiently attractive to. induce a largo num-
ber of volunteers to combine rifle practice with
a pleasant change of life should the weather
prove as favourable as in the middle of July it is
expected to be.
There is one point in connection with these
gatherings which might be worthy of the mili-
tary authorities. The review that usually ended
the proceedings at Wimbledon has been discon-
tinued. From a military point of view it may
have possibly been of very little value; but it-,
must be remembered that the Volunteer move.
ment depends greatly for its success upon popu-
larity, and there can be no doubt that such de-
monstrations as those which usually completed
the Wimbledon fortnight were very conducive
to increasing the interest taken by the masses
of the people in our citizen soldiers. This year
is the twenty-first anniversary of the establish-
ment of the volunteer movement; and as it hag
been considered that a Royal Review should net
be held in Hyde Park, it would have been meet
that the old Wimbledon Review should have
brought the present meeting to a close. Her
Majesty frequently shows her deep interest in
military displays, as for instance by the review
of the Aldershot division at Winds )r this week ;
and the readiness with which the Princess of
'Wales expressed her willingness to distribute
the prizes at Wimbledon, is a proof that a review
would not have lacked approval and encourage-
ment from the members of the reigning House.