The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-12-28 00:00:00

Eke 3tottririby qstrint.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1872.

THE NEW YEAR.

The year 1872, with all its joys and sorrows,
with all its sweet and bitter memories, with its
burden of woe and misery, and its records of
love and kindliness is dying out, and will now
have passen away and be " numbered with tho
years before the flood.- What pen could write, '
what tongue could tell the history of one year?
Even one year's history in the life-time of any
individual would be a volume. What must be
, the full history of a year of national life—what
most be the history of a year of the world's life I
And it is marvellous how little we can ,recall by
by the power of memory of what we have done
or suffered, what we have gained or lost, morally
and intellectually in a single year.

_
Years, following years, steal something every day;
At last they steal us from ourselves away."
•

.......... ___ ,
But it is wise to take a retrospect of our passing
years, and no time is so fitting for this as when
we are, as it were, crossing or about to cross the
threshold of another year. Certain it is that
every year that dies out leaves us better or worse
than we were the year before. In mind and
body, in our intellectual, physical, and moral
nature, we must progress or retrograde. There
is no stagnation, nothing stationery in Nature.
We talk of the "everlasting hills,' and of im-
movable rocks, and the language is in some
sense true; but nothing in the universe is un-
changeable but the 6od of tin universe, with
whom "there is no variableness, neither the
shadow of a turning." Have we then progressed '
or retrograded—have we become better or worse
during the year that is dying out? The same
questions are applicable to the Nation of which
! we form a part. We woupl fain believe, and we
think there is warrant for the belief, that Britain
, has made eatisfactory progress during the year

that is dying out.
The horrors and miseries of war are univer-
sally admitted, and they have ever been in theory
but we cordially believe that never during the
memory of living man has there been so much .
accomplished towards obviating war for the fu-
ture as has been effected this year. This is say-
ing a good deal, and perhaps it can neither be
proved nor disproved. But we venture to say
that the arbitration between Great Britain and
the United States is a grand and glorious fact
that cannot well be too highly appreciated.
Whether the award of the Geneva Convention
is strictly just or not matters little. The great
fact in our history is that a bitter dispute which
but for arbitration might have led to war, as
many a less bittir quarrel has led to it, has been
ineicably settled. the future alone will prove
how mighty will be this peaceful system of arbi-
tration, but meanwhile we cherish the hope that
' this is but the inauguration of a pacific settle-
ment of international disputes in lieu of the
barbarous, cruel, and desolating policy of war.l
In our internal affairs we think it can scarcely
be disputed that we have manifested real pro-
gress in many respects. Certainly we have pro-
gressed, and are progressing in education, the
importance of which it is impossible to over-rate.
In this respect we were, till recently, disgrace-
fully behind other nations, but we are now, so
to speak, setting vigorously to work to accom-
plish our self-education as a nation. There is
no means at hand to guage oar intellectual pro-
gress in this respect, but that we are progressing
is absolutely certain. The great work is yet but
young, but we are in a fair way of establishing
a universal system of national education under
which primary education at least will be within
the reach of all. Here, too, time alone will tell
us what we have gained, but it is but reasonable
to conclude that we have already achieved edu-
cational victories which will be fruitful of good
results in time to come.
An have we not progressed commercially?
The question must, we think, be answered in the
affirmative by any one who will impartially take
a retrospective glance at our recent history, ex-
amine our position, and estimate probabilities as
to our prospects. It is not long since that the
Chancellor of the Exchequer publicly stated that
the country was in a condition of almost unex-
ampled prosperity. Higher authority we could
not have, and be certainly would not have made
this assertion had he not substantial ground on
which to take his stand. It may be urged, that
since this utterance trade has become somewhat
dull, owing to the continuance of disastrous
weather; but we trust brighter days are in store,
and we will at all times hope for the best. May
the opening year bring continued and renewed
prosperity; may there be " peace and plenty
o'er a smiling land ; " and may it be to all who
read these lines