The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-02-08 00:00:00

Out YoOon Tonispubtat.

Ae (teem ,ght to state that we do not at ell flutes
ientify oursslvee with our Correspondent a lAntons

Writing on the eve of Parliament wain assembling.
I can but note that the signs of the time in Heat. the ,
attasion of 1873 being a most important one. We are
alway r clined to take this view of any approaching ses-
sion, but there are special reasons why we should take
this view in the present case. It is generally regarded
as almost a certainty --there is no necessity for it, but
all the probabilities are in this direction-- -that this
seasion will immediately precede a dis.iilution. When
the general election takes place it will be the first
general election under the Ballot, and everybody will
be an_xious to see what effect on the composition of the
next House of Commons the new mode of voting will
have. Now of course this in some 'unsettle depends on
the question or questions on which the Ministers
appeal to the people. It is said that the Government
bill on Irish education will almost to a certainty be
met with determined opposition an the part of the
Conservatives. It is rather premature to spe inlet° on
the probabilitiea of this, lent supposing that an appeal to
the country should be made on this subject, I take
the iiherty to lubt whether the country at large will
much care about it, and perhaps the same remark
may be made as to the measure on local taxation,
honld the country be appealed to on this subject.
Bat in any case the mere fact of an impending disso-
lution will give a rest to the debates this session that
would not otherwise exist.

I am Jae to see that subscript'ons are coming in to
compensate Dr. Hessel for the uuwarranted pain and
indignity he has suffered in being accaked of the nn-
trace I crime in Great Commetreet. Having tarefully
studied all the incidents connected with hie arr.-t, bre
prie ailment, and examination, I think he woe most
unjustly treated. The police were not wrong in arrest-
ing hint n suspicion, as he was identified as the
enpposed murderer by persons who were presumably
able to doe; but, having secured Dr. H estiel, the prime
should at mire have gone to "Kroll's " hotel and have
aecertaine I the alai that was subsequently so clearly
proved. Ile might then have been at once set at
liberty, with the poor compensation of an ap ilogy.
it has been asked why did not the German pastor pro-
duce this evidence on the first examination. Probably
becauke he wanted the case t take its due course, to
have all passible evidence —such as it was—produced
againet him, PO Vast his crushing proofs of innocsnce
might come at last, and thus his character be thoroughly
cleared. Be this es it may, the universal opinion must
now be that the dector has been tie victim of mistaken
identity ; and as has had to give up an appointment,
and has been treated with the neseesary severity in the
case of suspected criminals, and as his wife as well as
himself must have suffered much, s clear case for
voluntary compensation has been made out. Mean-
while the honourable acquittal ought to be a warning
against haste to professing to identify a man seen but
once. How many men and women I wonder have
been imprisoned or hanged unjustly on evidence which
was, if the truth could have been known, simply lilies
taken identity. The speedy action of our Government
in compensating the doctor for the suffering and indig-
nity he has undergone is worthy of all praise. All the
expenses to which he was put by the proem eition andsby
his own and his wife's enforced stay in this country are
to be reimbursed, and their passage is to be paid to •
port where the chaplain can make asrangements for ful-
filling his original engagement, which was cut short by
his arrest, the Waage-Hand setting sail without him.
And as a subscription is being entered into for the
benefit of the doctor and his wife, it will, perhaps, turn
out in the long run that his arrest was pecuniardy
rather • fortunate thing than otherwise ; though
nothing can compensate theidoctor and his wife for the
imfferings they have endured.
The Home Secretary probably receives the approval
of the vast majority of the country—certainly that of
the working classes, in remitting two thirds of the
penishment of the imprisoned gas-stokers. That the •
men committed a grave offence, and that they were
fairly tried and convicted, I feel assured, but perhaps
their isentene was on the whole more severe than the
men deserved. Many other warking men have done
much the same thing, but have had the good fortune
to escape prosecution, and moreover these gas-stokers
were led away by others, although they themselves
wer- is the wr •ng. Four months' impris n.
inent w.II be a waning to others not to leave their
work su Ideally without notice, aol in th;s resvect the
whole ease will be • benefit to the public, but I do not
th'ok that the practice of "making an example" of
people nll oft sudden ought to be arbitrarily indulged
in. The mitigatie nof the punishment of the stokers
meets with the approval, as far as I can lean], of the
public at large, but there are some people who delight
in having a grievance, and a certain committee is now
complaining that its memorial to the Home Secretary
was taken no notice of. I dareasy, however, that it
had its weight and that it was taken into account
when the Hoe Se, retery Was conferring with M
Justice Brett on the mitigation of punishment. The

committee, however, is ndt satisfied with the result,

and intends to memorialise the Prime Minister for the
Immediate release of the men. The committee might
just as well memorialise for the removal of Gibraltar.
Mr. Gladstone has nothing whatever to do with the
sentence or the punishment, and if his opinion were

naked I venture to say that he would heartill, approve,
an I believe the public do, of the determination at

which Mr. Bruce has arrived.
When we hear so Dam h of strikes, I think a word of
commendation is due to the Post-office rmployes for
their determination t 3 rely solely on the justice of
their demands, and for declaring that they have no
intention of striking if their demands are not complied
with. I believe that the London letter carriers far
more deserve an increase of pay than some others
among the working classes who have struck for an
advance; hut at any rate, the postmen in assuming
their present attitude command the goodwill and the
respect of the public.
Hospital Sunday, for the whole of London having

been definitely decided on, arrangements of detail are
now irk progress. The movement receives the he irty
co-operation of numerous influential ladies and gentle

men,among whom are the Dowager Marchioness of
Lothian, the Lady Meyortss, Mrs. Gladstone, Miss
Nightingale (I am sorry to see by the way that this
philanthropic lady ii still in had health), the Lord
Mayor, Archbishop Manning, the Bishop of Rochester,
Sir W. Gull, and several clergymen and ministers.
The benefits of this movement will be very great.
Hospital Surflay will not only aid all deservin insti-
tutions, hut it will have the effect of expoAing th un-
worthy. It has been decided that the receipts shall
be distributed among existing hospitals, provided that
they have previously published accounts of receipts
and expenditure during three years, and that the ex-
penditure has not been found excessive. There is more
in this than meets the eye at the first glance. Though
the fact may not be generally known, there are some
so-called hospitals in London which are mere private
affairs, got up for the benefit of a few people who live
on the subscriptions of the charitable, while the
amount of good done through these institutions to the
genera public is very small indeed.

There appears to be no prospect of coals yet be-
coming cheaper, bat on the csntrary it seems likely
that they will be dearer, aid they are already about
425. a ton in London. It is unfortunate that under
these circumstances none of those important dis-
coveries of coal which have been announced from time
to time have been, as far 18 I know, realised. Nothing
has come of them; and at present noting has also
heroclnn in respect t., finding a substitute for coal.
Fs is to be hoped th it better fortune may follow two
inventions whkh are just now attracting a good deal
o attention. I refer t.. 3 a plan for utilizing "slack or
duff coal dust" with other ingredients made no into
blocks or bricks, rometbing in the style adopted in
France and B lgium ; and also to another plan, a
process by which peat is converted ints hard fuel.
Both these syitems apppear to me to be perfectly
practicable, and, even allowing for the natural exagge-
ration of ivxeystary.R.ns irv-zar,,,4214- were err acder or
Who( these et steins are likely to tend to the cheapen.
no of fuel, which at this time of the year is becoming
a met urgent consideration.
It is said that the extraordinary and unprecedente 1
fact ofl large and a cultivated nation rejecting its own

language and adopting another, is about to be ac-
complished in Japan. The Government 1,9
mined on taking this step, and, on the recommendation
of a commission of learned men, the English language
is to be adopted. Our tongue is to be officially need;
the laws are to be written in It; the printers will adopt
; it is everywhere to be taught ; and in fact the next
generation will not sneak Japanese at all, but English!
But it is tosbe rather curious English. It will be written
on the phonetic principle, every word as it is pro-
nounced, and all irregularities of the plurals of nouns
or the tenses of verbs are to be abolished. Supposing
the following sentences were written phonetically,
they would be cotrect Anglo-Japanese : I reached the
childs ; you seed two ores ; be bited a apole ; we
lighted ; and it was more than could be beared ! Those
who live to see this change will scarcely recognise this
as English, but at bast England and Japan weU thus
have a language that both Can understand.

At the ani,al meeting of the Manchester Chamber
of Cerro-nun:, on Monday, Sir Thomas Baxley, M P., in
moving tn adoption of the report, made a inlet reference
to the new commercial treaty with France. Be was alarmed
that the President of the French Republic should have em-
traced the retrograde policy of taxing the people at large for
the protection of the individual manufacturer or capitalist.
lie felt that with ordinary energy French manufacturers
ought to be able 0 oompete with our own, and without pro-
tection. Mr. Jartob Bright, M.P., and Mr. Bliley M.P.,
were amongst UM speakers.