The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-08-07 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.

ALL of artistic taste will sincerely regret
the removal hence by death of the Abbe
Liszt, the "grand old man" of music. It is
only the other day that we were housing
the silver-haired "king of the keyboard" in
this country, and now he is no more. His
venerable figure will be much missed from
the musical world for many a day to come,
and the record of the long and romantic life
of the gifted Hungarian, will find an abiding
piece in the annals of music. He was cer-
tainly the ablest master of the pianoforte
who ever lived, excepting only Chopin,
who perhaps outdid Liszt at his best and
brightest.

IF, as is now extensively believed, the I
terrible tale of death frora Labrador was '
little more than a pure invention, the story
was indeed among the most cruel of hoaxes,
and calls for strong condemnation. This
the more so if the awful accounts were
fabricated from mercenary motives, as has
been currently reported. It was surely far
too awful a canard to float, even by interested
if unprincipled American stockbrokers, in
these days of sad commercial demoralisation,
for the purpose of retarding the prospects of
a projected railway company. We may give
a sigh of relief, however, at the authoritative
contradiction of the tragic narrative which
was related in such moving detail. What-
ever gave rise to the report, it is matter for
extreme thankfulness that it is untrue.

SOMEONE with a gift for inventing tragic
accounts set abroad a rumour, happily un-
founded, on Bank Holiday, that a steamer
conveying a large number of Yorkshire ex-
cursionists from Barrow to the Isle of Man
had foundered with all on board. Sad and
touching anxiety and suspense were in con-
sequence for some time prevalent in Leeds
and olsewhere among the friends of those
who were of the party. There was, fortu-
nately, not the slightest foundation for the
Wicked story, as Cook's excursion people
were soon able to affirm. Those who think
the circulation of suppositious accounts of
heartrending catastrophes, the mere mention
of which is sufficient to plunge hundred of
folk into sad suffering, is good sport, must
be of curiously callous nature, and most in-
human mental make-up. We can imagine
punishment sufficiently severe for the
delinquents.

THE imminence of the land trouble among
the Tiree crofters is, it is to be hoped, over;
but ic is sad that such a state of things as,
has obtained in the island could be possible.
However urgent the Irish question may be—
and the Belfast troubles and other ominous
circumstances show it to be urgent enough
—this crofter problem certainly demands
prompt attention at the hands of Parliament.
It is to be hoped that a settlement of .the
dit'ierences between landowners and crofters
in Tiree and elsewhere will be promoted, on
a sound and just basis, by the new Govern-
ment. It is clear that there must be giving,
and taking on both sides, and an independ-
ent and authoritative arbitration shculd
speedily put a permanent end to the craiter
di rricultyll

LORD ABERDEEN, always a favourite of the
public for his ceaseless work for the good of
the people, apart from politics, has largely
added to his personal popularity by his short
spell of office as Viceroy in Ireland. Prob-
ably no English ruler was ever BO generally
tiled in Ireland as tliarl of Aberdeen;
awl the Countess is, if possible, even more
popular. It is rather noteworthy, consider-
in how strong:religious feeling runs in Ire-
land, and that Roman Catholicism is etr-
tainly the national faith, that the three fore-
most men in Ireland--foremost at any rate
until recently—are far removed from sym-
pathy with that religion. Lord Aberdeen
is a staunch and rigid Presbyterian, Mr.
Parnell a Protestant, and Mr. John Morley,
a very broad religious thinker.

WE are to have another national party in
the House of Commons, this time a Welsh
one. It is to be fervently hoped—though
comparisons are proverbially invidious—that
this does not mean another association for
such Obstructive purposes as in the cases of
Ireland a Nationalist combination has some-
times brought about. We shall have a
general shattering of Parliamentary unity if
such things are encouraged. A combination
of metropolitan members to the end of gain-
precedence for London legislation is already
spoken of. If this kind of
.thing goes on
the Imperial will sink altogether into the
local, and the National Assembly degenerate
to the level of a Vestry.