The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-12-11 00:00:00

COMMEMORATING MR. CARLYLE'S
80th BIRTHDAY.

On Saturday, the 4th inst., being Mr. Carlyle's
80th birthday, the following address, with the medal
referred to in it, was forwarded to him : . _

"Sir,—We beg leave on this interesting and memorable
anniversary to tender you the expression of our respectful
good wishes. Not a few of the voices which would have
been dearest to you to hear to-day are silent in death. There
may, perhaps, be some compensation in the assurance of
the reverent sympathy and affectionate gratitude of many
thousands of living men and women throughout the British
Islands and elsewhere who have derived a delight and in-
spiration from the noble series of your writings, and who
have noted, also, how powerfully the world has been in-
fluenced by your great personal example. A whole gene-
ration has elapsed since you described for us the hero as a
man of letters. We congratulate you an ourselves on the '
spacious fulness of years which has enabled you to sustain
this rare dignity among mankind in all its possible splendour
and completeness. It is a matter of general rejoicing that a
teacher whose genius and achievement‘ have lent radiance to
his time still dwells amid us ; and our hope is that you may
yet long continue, in fair health, to feel how much you are
loved and honoured, and to rest in the retrospect of a brave
and illustrious life. We request you to do us the honour to
accept the accompanying copy of a medal, designed by Mr. J.
B. Boehm, which has been struck in commemeration of the
day."
The names of those who signed the address follow.
The medal mentioned in the addresss has been en-
graved by Mr. George Morgan, and bears on one of its
faces a medallion of Mr. Carlyle, by Mr. Boehm, and
on the obverse the worth: In commemoration;
December 4, 1875." Silver and bronze copies are
struck for the use of the subscribers, with a few for
presentation to public institutions; the copy Mr.
Carlyle was requested to accept is in gold.
Ten of the most German professors and politicians,
among them Ranke, Sybel, Droysel, Treitschke,
Gneist, and Mommsen sent a congratulatory tele-
gram to Thomas Carlyle on the occasion of his
80th birthday. The telegram thanked Carlyle, the
champion of Germanic freedom of thought and moral
integrity, for having done so much to promote cordial
relations between the English and German nations.

"Nemo writes to the Daily News :—"ln your
paper of to-day you say It is yet too early to
know whether his teaching really went deeply down
into the mind and heart of the public.'
.Some -
months since I was conversing with a tanner, whose
manufacture has always been remarkable for its ex--
cellence, when he said, If I had not read Carlyle I
should never have made m 3 her so good.' It ie i.
this way that Carlyle's deepest influence has been:le-4%i,
and I believe the venerable seer would consider this
one of the highest tributes to his influence. Who that
tramples through the mud and slush of this city would
not desire that the "than- villO taiiried his solo leather
was a pupil of Carlyle " "

SHOCKING TRAGEDY IN PARIS.


The Paris papers report a terrible tragedy acs having
taken place at Montn,uge. At about half-past three
on Thursday morning, a policeman named Sarrazin,
having finished his duty, returned home to the
Avenue-d'Orl4ans. Going to the bed where his wife
was sleeping, he drew his sword, and with a single
stroke nearly cut off her head, and afterwaels ran the
weapon through her body. He then proceed ed to theroom
where his daughter, twelve years of age, was in bed, and
killed her in the same manner. His son, somewhat
yonnger,was awakened by the noise made; and seeing his
father approach, holding the blood-stained sword, hid
himself under the bed-clothes. The murderer then
drew out a revolver and fired a shot which struck the
poor boy, and wounded him dangerously. The detona-
nation alarmed the neighbours, who at once gave notice
at the neighbouring police-station that something
unusual was going on. Meantime the man had fled,
but traces of blood put the police on his track, and he
was discovered in a neighbouring closet, where he had
succeeded in cutting his throat with a razor. He was
seized and taken to the hospital, where his son was
also cared for. These dreadful acts are supposed to
be due to an attack of madness. Sarrazin hsd re-
ceived in the Italian campaign a sabre cut, which cleft
his skull, but until latterly felt no bad effects from it.
No expectation is entertained of saving the life of
either father or son.

A terrible explosion occurred on Tuesday in a tunnel
in course of construction on the Halifax, Thornton. and
Keighley Railway, near Halifax. About twenty miners were
at work, when a blast went oft unexpectedly, and two of the
men were killed on the spot, whilst five of six others were
seriously injured.