The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-03-21 00:00:00

BY ROWLAND M'ASSER.

One of the Musical Magazines (Publishers' Organs?)
contains this month a Song called "Kissing her Hair."
The following additional verse has been composed, in
the event of an encore :
'• Kissing her Hair "erected and glossy,
At ! well I remember my rapture,
At the hall where the talk had been " hossy,"
The run and the ultlnnte capture:
Withdrawn from the lights and the whirl.
We had puttied in the Tallyho raise,
When, my lips on the pendulous curl,
She whispered—. You Silly, It's lalse."—Puneh.

PRESENTATION TO CANON
GIRDLESTONE.
The Rev. Canon Girdlestone. vicar of Flalberton,
Devon, whose praiseworthy efforts to improve the
condition of the agricultural labourer have attrocted
so much attention, was on Saturday presented with an
elegant silver epergne, subscribed for by nearly 2,000
labourers and working men residing in his parish and
the neighbourhood, in appreciation of the services
which he has rendered them. The epergne, which is
valued at nearly forty guineas, is of a singularly
appropriate design, being made in the shape of an
oak tree, with three labourers surrounding its base—
one using the spade, another the need-box, and a third
the reaping-hook. The presentation took place at a
dinner hell at Parkhouete's Railway Inn, Halherton,
at which Sir John Bowring, of Claremont, Exeter,
presided. The room was crowded, and more than a
hundred were unable to obtain admission, although
they had purchased tickets for the dinner. The sub-
scribers selected for their spokesman a Mr. Parch, of
TiverPin, who, in the course of an excellent speech,
gave expression to the grateful feelings which the
lialberton labourers entertain towards their vicar,
whose conduct, he observed, WWI in every way justi-
fied by the example of the great Master.
Sir John Bowring then formally presented the tes-
timonial to Canon Girdlestone. He said he was glad
that the position of the labouring man woe beginning
to occupy the attention, not only of benevolent men,
but of Parliament itself. He held that it was the
duty of all who had it in their power to do something
to improve the condition of those moving In a humbler
sphere of life than themselves. He had lately at-
tended some discumions at Chambers of Agriculture,
but, although the landlords and tenants talked much
about themselves, they had little to say about their
labourers. The time waa conting,however, when the agri-
cultural labourer would have a word to say for himself,
and he was one of these who would help to give him
a voice. His friend, the Canon, had honourably die-
tinguiehed himself by leading the folorn hope in the
cause of the agricultural labourer. Of course, he had
been much abused, but sometimes it was an honour to
be abused, and no doubt his friend's Arial was tough
enough to make him care very little for the stripes
which certain country squires sought to lay upon his
shoulders. Mr. Girdlestone, he thought, must be
highly gratified at the expression of sympathy which
had welcomed him that day. He would be able to
point to the testimonial he had received sea proof that
in the end truth must always be victorious.
Canon Girdlestone, who was loudly cheered on rising
to acknowledge the gift, said the testimonial would be
a source of great comfort and encouragement to him.
He valued it specially as the exponent of their generous '
sympathy and grateful feelings. A local journal had
Paid in November last that the labourers of Halbertun
"resented as emphatically as the farmers the systematic
and persevering efforts of their vicar to stir up strife
in the parish." He now had a substantial proof of
their resentment. Regarding the testimonial itself, he
said it would have been impossible to have chosen
anything which would have been more acceptable to
him or more thoroughly accordant with his feel-
ings. It told its own tale, and that was not
that he had done anything very remarkable, but
that he bed simply done his duty; that he had done
his duty to the oppressed as well as to the op-
presser ; thathe had Leither been cajoled by the flattery
of the wealthy in his own rank of life on the one side,
nor Frightened by the persecutions of a few ignorant
farmers on the other side. He had often been mis-
represented to the effect that in taking up the cause of
the labourers he had neglected his duF y to the em-
ployers. But he took God to witness that he felt that
in doing his duty to the one at the same time he had
been as faithfully doing his duty to the other. If any
farmer in England was bold enough to tell him that a
badly-fed, badlyttabled badly-groomed hone would

do his work half so well as a well-fed, well-stabled, and
well-groomed animal, then, and not till then, would
he believe that he was inflicting an injury upon the
farmer by endeavouring to raise the condition—physical,
moral, and intellectual—of the labourer. He was happy
to say that two-thirds of the farmers of his parish were
with him, and from an extensive correspondence in
every part .4 England—including both the north and
south of Devon—he found that there was a great
number of farmers all over the country who thought
on this subject identically the same as he did. He
ado ised the formation of agricultural Unions, justify-
ing the alteration of his opinion on this matter by
alluding to several acts of tyranny towards their
labourers on the part of some of the farmers in the
parish. He was ready, he said, to hold out the right
hand of fellowship to those who were opposed to him,
but he would never consent to purchase reconciliation
by receding from the position which he had taken. He
promised the labourers every assistance that he could
possibly render them; but reminded them, unless
they helped themselves, they could never hope for
success.