The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-08-01 00:00:00

ur

Our lionUn orresponbent,

(We deem it right to state that we do not at all times
identify ourselves with our correspondent's opinions.]

Parliament dies hard. It has been for some time
past " moribund," but its natural death is a long time
coming. It has, however, been wasting away by
degrees ; it has been getting thinner and thinner, and
has evidently been in a galloping decline for weeks
past. Long ago it was found to be in such a state that
it was advised to go to the country, and to this com-
plexion must it come at last. In a day or two the
fitful fever of Parliamentary life will be over, ail
alter a little relaxation and change of scene the
pOlitical struggle will be renewed in another form.
Instead of waging friendly but earnest warfare from
ministerial and opposition benches, the battle will be
carried to the offices of registration agents. Parlia-
mentary agents, revising barristers, election agents,
but the fight will always be fiercest at the
hustings. There are ample indications that the
elections this year will be unusually warm. On all
sides it is felt that it is more inus•rtant than any we
have had since the first general election after the
Reform Bill of 1832; and never in the histor) our
country has there been so large a hotly of reople
directly interested in the contest.
-

There is a rumour to the effect that shout 1 the
present Government be in office next session, they
will bring forward a proposition to increase the
annual allowan T to the Prince of Wales by r 25,000.
We can readily understand on what plea the pro-
posal will be made, and it is easy also to uuderstand
that, however unpalatable the proposition may be,
very few people in the House of Commons will
like to oppose it. For a year or two past there
has been a talk of an increased allowance, and the
revival of the rumour may be regarded as ominous.
The Prince is very popular ; but the proposal of an
ncreased annual grant will raise certain consider-
ations which nee not yet be insisted upon, but
which will infallibly he pressed on the public mind.
Opinions widely differ about the Metropolitan
Cattle Market Rill, which the Ministry has now
abandoned. On the one hand, the country party- the
tattle-breeders, graziers, and dealers—were in favour of
it, and on the other the populations of our large towns
were in the main opposed to it. Nominally dealing
with the Metropolis alone, it WWI felt that in a country
of railways it would affect other towns also ; and there
is not much doubt that had the bill been passed it
would have tended to raise the price of meat, though it
might have given us sonic additional security against
the cattle plague being re-introduced front abroad.
On the whole it is well, perhaps, that the measure has
been abandoned; it had not received sufficient attention
from all parties concerned. A better planned measure
can well be introduced next session.
It would require a man to be a very clever grumbler
to find reasonable fault with the Civil List pensions
that have just been announced. They are small in
amount, and are granted either to the survivors of
persons who have done their country good service, or
to such persons themselves. The only thong, perhaps,
to be regretted about such pensions is the smallness of
the fund to provide for them. There is but £3,200
annually t.; devote to the widows, orphans, and de-
pendents of men eminent in science, literature, and
art. Some of the very few financial reformers we
have should see to this. We waste thousands ot
pounds annually on useless offices and for very doubt-
ful services, and some of this money might well be
spared so as to reward other deserving persons who
now are obliged to go empty away.
While we are always hearing an much unpleasant
truth regarding the mismanagement and abuses con-
nected with our public schools, it is consolatory to find
that the attempt made in the city of London some time
ago to establish first-rate middle-class schools at
moderate charges has proved wholly successful. A
day or two ago the Midlle Class Schools Corporation
held their first annual prize distribution meeting, and
it transpired that accommodation had been found for
700 scholars, and that promises have been obtained
which will afford facilities for the education of 300
more, besides providing a large play-ground, without
which. I think, no school is complete. Much credit is
due to the Rev. W. Rogers, who, from the first, has
been the leading spirit in this important movement.
From inquiries I have made I can testify to the
truth of his statement, that the object of
these schools is to provide boys who are de-
stined for commercial life with such a liberal
course of instruction as shall be useful to them
hereafter the middle-class schools in this re•
spect widely differing from many of our rich founda-
tion schools. It would be difficult to exaggerate the
importance of this middle-class educational movement.
The rich can always command good education for their
children; and, although the education of the poor is
far from what it should be, still great advances have
been made of late years ; but the education of our
middle-class children is still bad and expensive. Take
them as a whole, the boarding schools, either for boys
or girls, are merely so much machinery for extorting
tie much money as possible from the parents, and
giving as flimsy and rubbishing an " education" in re-
turn for it as possible. The time will soon come, I
hope, when we shall have good public middle-class
schools for girls, which shall offer them something
better than the fal-lal frippery of modern boarding'
schools.
Year by year there appears to be an increasing
number of people who, on the breaking up of Parlia-
ment, and therefore of the London season, rush to the
Continent as though it were a sacred duty. 'I he sea-
side resorts of France, the bathing and gaming towns
of Germany, the dull, classic, sombre towns of Itsly,
the etock show places of Switzerland -all these
receive their hundreds, if not thousands, of English
visitors, to the great delight of hotel-keepers, waiters,
guides, and that army of money-bunters who lie in
wait for tourists. Now travel is a very excellent
thing in its way—it undoubtedly tends to expand the
mind and remove prejudice and national jealousy; ,
but it is doubtful whether much good can be derived
from continually visiting foreign countries, and ne-
glecting the beauties and scenery nearer home. I know
a worthy bootmaker and his wife, who have long since
acquired the wherewithal to enjoy a couple of months'
holiday in the year, who have for thirty-three years
gone every summer to Msrgate. London and Margate
comprise their geography, history, and natural philo-
sophy. How far this has expanded their ideas may
well be questioned. Would it not be well for this
sedate couple to go elsewhere for once before they
die! And would it not be well for intending tourists
to the hackneyed continental resorts to change their
minds, and go, we will pay, to Ireland? The Emerald
Isle is noted for its splendid scenery ; but it is thus
celebrated more from report and hearsay than from
experience. Its lakes, mountains, wild glens, and
noble rivers, its calm retreats, and rugged natural fast-
nessee, have been sung by peke and chronicled by his-
torians ; but how few are there among us who know any-
thing of them by actual experience? If Englishmen
and Englishwomen were to take it into their heads to
have their autumn tours in Ireland, depend upon it it
would do more good incidentally in imp...sing the rela-
tions between the two countries than has been done
for many a session of legislation.
A favourite subject of scepticism is the safe custody
of coins, dtc., placed in foundation-stones, and people
who believe that such memorial); are allowed to re-
main where they are officially placed, are regarded as
having more faith in human nature than knowledge of
it. At Belfast wee recently laid the foundation-stone of
the Orange Hall, and number of lawful coins of the
realm were placed in it; but a few days ago it was dis-
oovered that all these coins had somehow or other
evaporated. This ahould act as a " caution," as tin
Americans say. Were such dep. sits more Ws, I
wonder, when George the Third was king? The query
occurs to me, as I call to mind that we have, as yet,
heard nothing of the cuss and documents placed in the
foundation-stone of old Blackfrianebridge. Li it not
time that these were found, or have they been found
and nothing said about it?
Sidney Smith said -or, if he didn't say it, everybody
says he said it —that the number of railway accidents
would never be lausened till a Bishop had been killed.
But there are more accidents in London streets than
on all the railways in the United Kingdom. We have
now to regret the sad fate of a banded Sir Henry
Seton who has been killed by being run ovor by a
Cab. Why not, then, have hridge-crossings over our
most crowded thoroughfares ? The idea has often 1
bet-n broached, and most people think it would he a
good thong; but it seems business bi do it,
nor does it appear to I,e anyone's bllSitle&l to see that
definite promise is fulfilled. When the London,
Chatham and Lover Railway obtained Parliamentary
sanctum to min the view ..f St. Paul's, by carrying as
railway bridge across ludgate-hill, they agreed to
conetruct a light iron bridge across the road ler foot
passengers). This was years ago; but nothing has been
done.

It is satisfactory to hear from all parts 1.1 the
courntry good reports of the harye.t. In a few days
the cort, harvest will have been got iu throughout the
southern ilistrjets, and the yield promises, on the
whole, to he good. From the Continent, too, favour.
able reports arrive, and the vine-crops in France have
never been so bountiful for ninny years. In some
places already casks are nearly as valuable, if not
I lithe, as the wine they are to contain. We may,
therefore, look for plentiful and cheap supplies of
Bordeaux, Sauterne, Chablis, and Grave wines; and
the commoner sorts of claret ought to be sold here in
a few months far It, or even Is., a dozen. The claret

trade Is only now beginning to develop itself, but it
has been increasing, and will increase, amazingly;
while, on the other hand, it is remarkable that the
export ale trade with the Continent is also daily in-
creasing. During the recent hot weather the con-
sumption of light French wines in England has been
. _ _

enormous ; butwif we have a moderately fine slimmer
next year, the probability is that claret will be drunk
in quantities unknown here before.

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