The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-10-31 00:00:00

AN APPEAL.

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The Rev. John Atkins Vicar otOmbereley, near Droitwieh,

4

Cnring

These

What turn events in Spain may take, even in the
next few hours, I will not speculate upon, but at the
present the great institutional changes which have
sprung out of the revolution are being gradually and
fearlessly worked out, without either military des-
potism on the one hand or popular anarchy on the
other. Whether they will have a king, and if on. what
king, a double problem which it will be very difficult
to solve. So far as England is specially interested in
the solution of this problem, public opinion seems
pretty decided mains* the proposal to make the Duke
of Edinburgh king. Were England, either through
her sovereign, her government, or her people, to give
the Spaniards any enconmeement, doubtless they
would be only too glad to have Prince Alfred for a
king; but, for many reasons which will at once occur
to the reader, the Anglo-Spanish sovereignty would
never be popular here.
It is somewhat remarkable that while the atten.
tit es of Europe is called to the progress of the revo-
lution in Spain, a political revolution is being worked
out 'in France. The statement may at first appear
rather startling, hut though the revolution ie
paratively undemonstrative it is none the less real.
It affect* the right of public meeting, which everylsely
knows dome not exist in France, as we unaerstand the
phrase. It appears, however, that at Bordeaux, where
the Opposition is very strong, a nominally private, hut
really public meeting has been held, to organise
nosaseres for the return of certain Opposition candis
slates. There were no less than 4£4.1 persotne preaent,
each one at the special imitation of the master of the
home, and ceming as his ;sliest ; but he was per-
sonally unacquainted with many of them. There were
speeches of inch a character that the French press
dare not publish them, anti arrangements were made
preliminary to the return of certnia candidates. At
two other large towns similar private-public meetings
were held, but judicious precautions were not taken,
and the police came uninvited. That there will be
Isere such meetings is morally certain. But, besides
this, there is in Paris itself a public hall where lectures are
etintinually being delivered to the working classes. A.
Paris correspondent, alluding to this lecture-hall, says:
" All I inei•tion4, even the most subversive in point of
religion, political economy, and social intercourse, are
here openly and freely discussed. At one of the last
meetings a lady was tremendously cheered for having
develope I the following idea—namely, that it was
NU time for women to shake off the yoke of their
husbands, and organises ' strikes ' against their nimters.
She concluded by expressing the hope that the wind
which blows in Spain will not stop at the Pyrenees."
Whether on the whole Francs is to be congratulated
on the public utterance of such strong opinions as those
need not be discussed, but in our own country there
will not be two opinions as to the right of free speech,
while it is universally admitted that the suppression
of public meetings is a sad blot—and not the only one
• —on the otherwise good government of a great nation.
As a kindred subject, just let me say a word about the
Lae:erne. Its flickering light is now very feeble, and
M. Rochefort has become of considerably less impor-
tance than he was a little time ago. I was tempted
. to buy the last number, and really it was not worth a
quarter of the money. Perhaps hail the author been
allowed to print and publish in France, its glimmer
would have been extinguished before this.
The extent to which adulteration is carried en wiay
partly be seen from a very curious fact. The repre-
eentatives of the Seed Trade have met at the Royal
Horticultural Society's rooms to disease matters arising
from the report on the adulteration of seeds, dress n sis
by a eommistee of that society Of course, there is no
reason why seeds, as well as other things, should not
be adulterated; but are we always to be learning new
facts which add to our existing stock of very unpleasant
knowledge, and are we never to obtain an effectual
rose dy against this prevailing evil? We are looking
re the next Parliament to do a great many things for
bet it is to be hoped that we shall at least have a
retonu in this matter, one of the most important
width can engage the attention of our legislators.
hekstone tells Ili that there he no wrong without a ,
„s„es3., wt the learned commentator on our laws toek
an intensely 1..,w1 and not particularly practical view of
our jurisprutleme. It is to be presumed that there ,
WM no remedy then for s'iLting off a lady's hair against
lee will, but one of our mafristrates, Mr. Mansfield,
thinks there is one now. A Isiy came to him and
• eel:plainest that on two suceessive oceasions she went
- to the shop of a hairdresser, and that the first tune the
master cut if a part of her hair on the right side, and
• the next time the assistant cut some off from the left
chute. The Lily was advised to got" the county court,
lay' her damages at £lO. if she take the advice it
is to les hoped the defendant may be east in that ,
amount lessitlea the expenses; but meanwhile most ,
people will agree with lier that "it is stealing." And '
it is a very common offence. Ladies are, in feet, fee-
smently afraid to go to a hairdresser', to have their
bar "clone" from this very came. There is now such a '
demand for false hair that the temptation to, we will
say, cut off snore than is wanted, is very strong. But
"her hair is a woman's glory," and she certainly ought
sot to be deprived of it against her will.
I notice that a sham situation agent in a seaport town
4 town sent to prison for twelve months for obtain-
money from clerks and others, on pretence of pro.
ts them employment Why cannot the rams
tug be done here? We have far more trickery cq
.is sort here than there oan be in Liverpool, and the
tjury that is time to those WhO are poor, just because
my are unemployed, is cruel. So-called registration
Slices are established where all the registration is en
ins side. Potpie wanting situations are ready enough
Lo regieter their names if they think they can thus
gasa employment by it, and they are also tist ready to
pay a repstration fee but all they get in return is to
be sent to places—which are tilled up! The keepers
if some. I will not say all, of these resietration t ffices
save only at their command just what is open to all the
rerld—the advertisements in the principal papers.
hese are sulimarised and tabulated. and they do duty
fee and over again, while the probability is that the
situations offered have been filled up within a few
hours of the appearance of the advertisement,

writes to The lames—
Will you kindly permit me to make known that the
money which I last year received for Richard Gwynne,
who served at Waterloo, is very nearly expended?
The old man, aged 83, is blind and bedridden- The
only means of support for himself and his wife is a
small pension. I should be sorry that the few extra
comforts with which I have been enabled to supply
bins should be discontinued through the c:Arning winter,
especially as it must be nearly the last of his life. I
will faithfully and carefully expend for his benefit any
contributions that may be intrusted to me by charitable
persons kindly taking an interest in a well-conducted
and now suffering old man who has served his country

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