The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-02-10 00:00:00

to the 'c•-incliesion that the storm-drum has been hoisted.


And if we natty regard this as a fact, is it to be re-
gretted? I trow not. We are commercially active,

and political aotivity, as opposed to sluggishness and
apat'Oy, is a healthy state of thiogs.

_
Whatever measures Government may or inly no
Introduce, whatever turn political affairs may take,

there is one 'wildcat event to which most peaple will
look forward with interest, and that is the Budget. It

I. generally believed that the ChanceLlor of theft.

chequer will have a surplus, and the question is, " What
will he (hi with it ?"--always supposing of course that
he really has a surplus. Many people think, and more
hope, that he will take 2,1. elf the income-tax; and it is
argued that the working classes having had taxation,
aa it specially affects them, considerably reduced of

late years, it is now the turn of the middle classes— and

so thinks your humble servant. One consideration
that leads to the hope that there will be a reduction of
taxation is the prevalent belief that the ministerial
policy will be one td retrenchment in several directions.
But one never knows what a Budget may bring forth,
and the safest plan is not to raise our expectations
too high.

The- nomination for the North-West Riding was
neither so orderly an affair as it ought to have been
nor so turbulent as it might have been, but the entire
proceedings are worth study in one respect—that nomi-
nations, on <lit, are about to become historic. The
Government have set their hearts, supposing Govern-
ments have hearts, on abolishing these antiquated but
now useless and frequently riotous affairs, and as no
political party has any particular interest in preserving
them, they will probably ere long become things of
the past. In the ease of an unopposed election, the
ceremony of nomination is all very well, and some-
thing of the kind must be kept up, but of what use are
nominations when two or more candidates are deter-
mined to go to the poll? On the other hand they
are in the majority of eases the occasions of riot and
disorder. Look for example at the nomination for
Galway. We are told of the mob in waiting sweep-
ing aside the police awl immediately filling the Court
flouse ; of the noise awl disorder being so great that
the speakers could not be heard; of a sub-inspector of
police nishing in with a drawn sword ; and of
a gallant captain essaying to speak being assailed with
turf sods, sticks, tobacco-pipes, shoes, herrings, dm.
And of course all this proved nothing so far as the election
was concerned; the real business has to be done just am
if this riot and disorder had never taken place. In the
public interest generally, and without any reference to
party polities, the sooner nominations are abolished
the better.
It is deeply to be regretted that when we were
making up our mind that the difficulties arising out of
the Alabacin claims were in process of amicable settle-
ment, the United States Government should make de-
mands that we " Britishers " never contemplated.
The prevalent feeling in England is undoubtedly in
favour of fair, reasonable, and even liberal settlement,
but Brother Jonathan now appears in a very exacting
and unforgiving humour. This Anglo-American
quarrel is now unhappily becoming, one of the most
pressing. topics of the day, and the fact cannot be
denied that the public mind is just now very uneasy
on the matter. "hopes aol fears alternate reign,"
though at the moment sf writing hopes decidedly pre-
dominate.

The Workmen's Peace Association may be regarded
by many as a company of visionary onthusiaWs, but I
look upon them as being simply in advance of their
age, that's all. They advocate a doctrine to which the
hopes and aspirations of Christians of all denomina-
tions tend, and their theory is one which, we are bidden
to believe, must some day or other be put into practice.
But when they denounce "the persistent efforts now
being made to damage the cause of international
arbitration," I think they go too far. The stern,
hard fact is that arbitration, to be effective, re-
quires at the back of it power to enforce its
ci•dons. This is the one weak point of the 3dvo-
cates of international arbitration. But success to their
argumentative effoi is, say I; let them accumulate
moral power. "Opinion is stronger than armies,"
said Lord Palmerston ; but opinion must have time to
work.

Better late than never, and the South-Western
Railway directors deserve a word of praise for at
last deciding to issue third-class tickets by nearly all
the trains on their suburbaa lines. 'rho_ scarcity of
third-class carriages on this railway has long been
matter of complaint, but this railway has been by no
means singular in this respect. No stronger argument
for Government " taking to" the railways, as they
have taken to the telegraphs, can be offered than by
referring to the want of accommodation, on
some lines, for third-class passengers. Apropos of
railways, I have been looking over the new paper, the
Railway Service Gazette. If we are to believe all the
promises, protests, and plans indicated in the
opening article, the new journal bids fair to be a
valuable advmate of the rights of railway servants,
without ignoring or attacking those of railway directors
andshareholders. This new labour organ, by the way,
gives us an inkling of a 'Demure to be brought into Par-
liament next Session, which measure is certainly new,
and news to your correspondent. "No doubt these
views," it is said, "will find many exponents in
Parliament when the Railway Servants' Bill is sub-
mitted to our legislators." This is the first I have
heard of such a bill, the object of which, it seems, is to
limit the hours of labour on railways--a very, very
difficult and ticklish thing to do.
It is a pleasure to note that the Joiners' Company
has placed at the disposal of the liirkbeek Literary and
Scientific Institatiois—one of the few successful insti-
tutions of the kind here--three prizes for the encourage-
ment of technical education. lam persuaded that it
would be greatly to the interest of the working classes
of this country if they would turn their attention to
technical education, which simply means that kind of
education which would enable them to carry on with
more technical and practical knowledge than they now
possess the various processes of manufacturing in-
dustry; and now that the nine hours' movement has so
largely succeeded, it cannot be said that wo; king men
have no time for such studies. It is never well to shut
our eyes and ears to the fact, and itis undeniably a fact,
that the mechanics and artisans of many foreign
countries have advantages in relation to technical
education that our own do not possess. But much
depends on themselves, and if they would make a
move towards technical education, there would be
plenty of people among the upper and reiddle classes
who would come forward and render aid to their
working brothers. Your working-class readers will,
I know, pardon this hint, which is given in all
sincerity.

I observe that at a public meeting in Friatol in
favour of extending the franchise to women, Lady
Amberley presided, and two other ladies also addressed
the audience, resolutions being wanted in accordance
with the object of the meeting. All very good, hut
where is this kind of thing to end, supposing— a very
extravagant supposition—that we have numerous
similar meetings all over the country, and that the
Legislature gives women votes? If our sisters vote for
members of Parliament, why should they not them-
selves be eligible as members? If members, why not
hold rffice ? A female Whip would be a novelty, but
it is onty extending the " woman suffrage" to a logical
corollary. And a lady Speaker, or Speakerese, —why
not But what a deal have the advocates of woman
suffrage to accomplish before they get votes for them-
selves and their sisters! One little thing they certainly
have to do—make women care about votes, for perhaps
not one woman in a thousand Li anxious for a vote at
present.,

The New Testament Company of Re v leers, it is stated,
havecarried on their work aster as the Bthchapterof St.
Luke's Gospel. As a matter if course, the Gospels
according to St. Matthew awl St. Mark are coniploted.
Would it not be well to publish these ? I am not
aware whether the learned Company of Revisers are
bound down by any royal mandate or Order in Counctl
as to the non-publication of any of their version till the
whole is completed; but if they are not, a publication
of the first two books of the .New Testament would,
undoubtedly, be highly appreciated by the public.

"CIVILISATION AT ST. PAUL'S."—This Waß
the startling heading of an article which appeared a
few days ago in the Times. What could it mean?
men asked. What traces of lingering barbarism had
been detected and effaced within the walls of the na-
tional Cathedral! Some readers surmised that the
fees had been abolished; others asserted that the
monuments were never again to be allowed to get
dusty andidirty; while a few were sanguine enough to hope
that the Corporation of London and the wealthy City
Companies had undertaken the restoration and decora-
tion of St. Paul's at their own expense. After all, it
wee found that nothing more was meant than the
delivery, by the Dean, of the last of a series of lectures
on " " in the Cethedrel.—Panch.

THE THANKSGIVING SERVICE AT
ST. PAUL'S.

_
The papers have been authorised to state that at
the visit of Her Majesty to St. Paul's on the 27th inst.,
seats will be provided, as far as can be at present ascer-
tained, for between 7,000 and 8,000 pernons. Of three
the greater number will be apportioned to
peeresses, members of Parliament, the Lean and eleZ;
Chap-
ter of BC Paul's and clergy, the City of London, '
the Metropolitan Board of Works, the Bigh-
Sheriffs •of counties, the Mayon of the United
Kingdom, the Representatives of the Army, the
Navy, the Bar, the Civil Service, and
other bodies and persons selected to represent the
nation, run information will be published in due
time as to the distribution of these seats. The
remaining places will be distributed by the Lord
Chanil.rlain, to whom applications may be address.'
by letter to his office, at ht. James's Palace ; but, in
order to prevent disappointment, it should be stated,
that the suplirations already received there exceed by
hundreds the limited number of seats which can possi-
bly remain at his lisposaL