The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-02-26 00:00:00

Our foam Contspoubtnt.

(We deem it right to state that we do not at all time!'
identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]
"Valentine's Day this year does not appear to
have been as striking a succesa as that popular
festival among young men and maidens usually it
There seems to be no reason why such a striking
falling off in the number of valentines sent
shouli have been evidenced; but the fact re-
mains, account for it as we will, that the total
despatch this year was far short of any recorded
in recent times. The singular thing is that this
- -affected not merely one part of the country, but
the whole of it. In London, greatly to the
astonishment of those who expect on every
fourteenth of February to receive their letters
Much later than usual, the postman made his
usual rounds at a very little after the time usual
to him. At Birmingham an appreciably smaller
number of valentinespassedthrough the Post Office
compared with last year, the present anniversary
being the least generally observed for many a
twelvemonth past. At Manchester the tale was
the same; in February, 1886,
.216,000 valentines
passed through the post offiae. This year the
• number fell to 117,000, a decrease of no less than
99,000. And when the investigator proceeded
as far as Leeds he found that the same thing
obtained, for whereas in former years it was
necessary to employ an additional staff to cope
with the influx of valentines; this year the
ordinary staff were able to do all that was re-
' quired, and do it with ease. Doubtless, if one
- had the opportunity, one could discover the same
- symptoms everywhere ; but those which have
• been given are sufficient to show that the feast
• of St. Valentine is not as devoutly attended to
• now as it was in former and not very distant
days.
Naturally when such a phenomenon occurs
the social philosopher endeavours to find a
reason; and certain reasons 'have in various
quarters been advanced to explain that which
has this year occurred. It is pointed out that
there has been a great increase in the number of
Christmas and New Year's cards; and that
Easter cards have become much more of an in-
- stiution than they were only a short time since.
It is argued from this that there is no reason to
be surprised at the diminution in the number of
valentines, because increased opportunities have
been given to those who wish to send compli-
mentary missives by post. But this explanation,
ingenious as it is, scarcely seems to touch the
root of the matter. It ignores the somewhat
obvious point that whereas St. Valentine's Day
is peculiarly 'devoted to 'young lovers' the cards
sent at Christmas, the Nev Year, and Easter are
family and friendly rather than amatory devices.
It may be that the age is becoming too matter-of-
fact for valentines; the very character of the
• missive has changed with the spirit of the age.
• In Sam Wellers' day it was thcught sufficient to
send to the lady of one's heart a pictorial repre-
sentation of a lady and gentleman clad inbrilliant
raiment,. walking arm-in-arm towards a rustic
church, there to become joined in bonds of wed-
lock. But of late there has grown up the notion
of 'making valentines into gifts. This very fact
detracts from the old idea, and it may be that
in this has to be sought the root of recent de-
cadence.
Blue-books are traditionally dry reading, but
occasionally they contain much that is of interest
and a great deal that deserves to be attentively
perused. On the face of it, a Parliamentary paper
which deals only with the condition of our police
is not likely to contain any appreciaMe amount
of entertaining reading; but with regard to blue-
books as with regard to everything else, it is not
safe to judge simply from externals. In this
"articular Parliamentary paper the condition of
our police is set forth in such a fashion that
those who are acquainted with the subject can
scarcely fail to be interested in it. It is very
curious,. for instance, to find that in some
boroughs only one policeman is provided to keep
watch and ward over the whole well-being of the
• Inhabitants. One cannot help wondering what
is supposed to be done when that solitary
guardian of the peace sleeps, for being
only human sleep he occasionally must.
A quite •Arcadian simplicity must surely
reign ,in places so circumstanced ;, and those who
, 'dwell in that vast province of houses called the
mettnpilis, cennot help envying the inhabitants
of places so obviously free from serious crime.
And these are not the only curiosities to be ex-
tracted the hite:st blue-boOk on: the subject
of the'police.
Talking about blue-books is a reminder that
there are frequent complaints that in England
our Parliamentary papers are not issued with
. any groat amount of promptitude, and that
• even when they do appear they often prove to
have been anticipated by the official publications
of other countries. A striking instance of this is
afforded by 'the blue-book on the North American
fisheries question, issued only a few days ago. In
this case the despatches; ithportant as they were,
had been superseded by the correspondence on the
subject, which had been placed before the House
of Representatives at Washington by the United
States Government a fortnight before the English
Blue-book was issued, the American statement
,containing, strange as it may appear, even later
despatches than those subsequently presented to
the British House of Commons. As far as out-
siders can see there is no reason why this should
be so; but the way of Our government depart-
ments are strange to the uninitiated, and expla-
nations, which to the official mind are all-suffi-
cient, do not always strike ordinary persons as
being quite as complete as their authors
obviously deem them to be.
One of the best known of the volunteer corps
of -London is threatened with early extinction.
The Inns of Court volunteers, or the "Devil's
Own," as they prided themselves on being called,
have long been considered a crack corps. The
body was entirely composed of barristers and
their portion of the Wimbledon Camp has barristers,
been the observed of all' observers. But the
gentlemen of the long robe, whether of Lincoln's
,or of Gray's Inn, of the Middle or of the Inner
Temple, appeared to have grown tired after a
quarter of a century's experience of the work of
volunteering. A few months ago, as was noted
in this column, at the time their Colonel Com-
mandant issued a circular pointing out the
difficulties under which the force laboured, and
'the necessitY for' at once placing it upon some-
thing like its old footing. Unfortunately the
circular • does net appear to have all the
• effect designed, and ominous hints are being
• again 'thrown out that unless speedy steps are
taken the dissolution of the old corps is immi-
nent. Even, however, at this eleventh hour
those who are interested in the prosperity of our
vainntders 'Will hope that this -untoward, event
•MO be 'averted. - •
• Newspaper readers, and their name is legion,
are not always interested in the general subject •
„ of: journalism; but .if they were, perhaps, it
would give them a higher interest in the news--
papers they read. Figures according to tradition
• • may be made to prove anything; but about some
- , figures there cannot be- much mistake. Such a
• • fact, for instance, as that, whereas forty years
':ago there were oßly five Inndred. and fifty-five
journals in the United Kingdom, there are I
now 2135, and even this four-fold increase does
not tell everything; for an even more striking
fact is that,. though forty years.ago'there were
is
only fourteen daily journals sued in the
United Kingdom, there are now 186. The
growth of a love for newspaper reading among
our population partly to be ascribed to the in-
crease of education in our midst, but largely to
' the additional amount of political power which
has been obtained by the masses, and the conse-
quent increase in the amount of interest
generally felt in public topics. The strength of
our newspaper press is a testimony to the
strength of our nation. A population in
these days which does not read is not likely
to think; and a population which does not
think is bound to fall behind in the race of
human affairs. It may be that journalists are
.apt to take too high a view of the power and
capacity of newspapers, for it appears only
natural that men should have a good opinion of
the profession in which they are engaged. But
making every allowance for personal prejudice,
there can be little doubt that the increased pros-
perity of English journalism is a testimony to
• the increased mental activity of the English
people.
The east winds which have so largely prevailed
in London during February have carried away
many a victim, for no breeze more death-dealing
in its qualities blows across England than
this. One other effect has been to
raise a quantity of dust almost unparalleled
at so early a period of the year. Our forefathers
thought that even if duit appeared in March it was
worthy of special note so much so that they have
banded down to us the proverb that "A peck of
March dust is worth a King's ransom." Dust in
February, therefore, is so abnormal that it is
little Wonder that our local authorities were un-
prepared to cope with it, and consequently the
grumbles which have appeared in some quarters.
because water-carts were not-immediately forth—
coming were assuredly a little unkind. Next
February may be as wet as this February has
been dry; and it is too much to expect that local
authorities, however well-meaning, can be pre-

pared tor the phenomenal. As a matter of fact,
the appearance of a water-cart in February would
be so astonishing that it might do more harm by
alarming the timid than good by allaying the
dust.