The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-11-06 00:00:00

COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.

• THE Bulgarian imbroglio drags its slow
length along, with little enough of interest,
and small progress towards satisfactory
settlement. We have just, however, had
plain show of Russia's hand in the inter-
national game. Special Commissioner Kaul-
bars, unable to find in the action of the
Regency a decent pretext for Russia over-
running the Balkan State with troops, has
done what was wanted by his Imperial
master, and conjured up a grievance. Some
Russian subjects, he says, have sustained
injury at the hands of the Bulgarian authori-
ties. What the injury is he refuses to de-
monstrate, but in punishment o 3 this imagin-
ary affront ships of war weri,`, to Varna,
and General Kaulbars cavalierly remarked
that as many soldiers as the Czar pleases
will be poured into Bulgaria. It seems now,
indeed, that Germany and Austria have
agreed that Russia may have her way in
Bulgaria, and that being the case no other
great Power will care to do more than pro-
test against the Muscovite occupation. But
what will the historian say of the morality
of this latest continental movement ?

THE new Shop Hours' law brings the em-
ployment of young persons in shops, refresh-
ment-rooms, public-houses, and warehouses
under legal regulation for the first time. The
measure is neither a full nor a final one, for
its, operation is limited to the three years
next to come. It will do something, though
it is far from thorough, in safeguarding the
"slaves of the shop," and extend to them ale
protection which years back Parliament
afforded factory hands. No young person—
that is, under eighteen years of age—may
legally be employed more than 74 hours in.
a week, including meal hours. A fine of a
sovereign is the penalty which it is enacted
shall be inflicted upon an employer for an
infringement of this regulation. There
should be inspection and official means of
bringing recalcitrant shopkeepers to book,
or this provision will be in danger of becom.
ing, a dead letter. Employ(S3 or parents
will hardly dare to prosecute in view of the
dismissal which would inevitably follow.
The new Act is short and simple, and goes
as far as might have been expected for an
initial measure in free of the opposition it
had to encounter; but we consider that to
see the clock round in the shy, meal times
deducted, every day in the week, is too great
a strain upon the health of "young persons,"
and girls above lffi might well also have come
under the protection of the Act. Three
years hence the measure may, however, be
amended. There is a better method than
legislation to cure unduly long shop-hours,
and that is public abstention from shopping
at such times as inflicts hardship upon the
assistants. Employers will nrf lmrri gas
311 re
, irs'
at
Tr v itEuff early-
shopping, and Acts of Parliament in the in-
terest of assis:ants will cease to be necessary.
The public, in common humanity and
unselfish consideration, ought to heed their
cry,
* •

• J., -,---

Ir seems a pity shut Imperial politics and
their attendant individual bitternesses
should be permitted to obtrude into the
contests for seats in our municipal council
chambers. What does it matter whether
an alderman or a common councillor thinks
on great State questions with the present
Premier, with Mr. Gladstone, or with Lord
Hartington ? His qualifications should be
business capability and purely local know-
ledge, added to native common-sense and
hard-headedness. It seems to us ridiculous
that these necessities for the making of an
efficient local legislator should be altogether
lost sight of, as they are in many instances,
and the Ist of November tattles be fought
on the grounds of the candidate's Liberalism
or Toryism. The same reasoning applies
with equal force to the elections for the
Rectorship of Universities. Sir Lyon Play-
fair and Lord Iddesleigh were pitted against
each other the other day at Edinburgh in a
contest for that honourable position in con-
nection with the university of the Scottish
capital. Both were highly cultured, and
both qualified for the post; but that does
not seem to have been considered at all.
Lord Idd.esleigh was re-elected purely on
account of his Conservatism, Sir Lyon re—
jected because he was a Liberal. Weeks
ago Professor Freeman was dropped from
the candidates' list by reason of his being
academic and non-political. This party
spirit is a distinct and growing evil.

A. CORRESPONDENT of a London journal
gives an interesting account of a stroke of
fortune which has befallen the cook of a
Hertfordshire clergyman. If the story is
true then the widow who has ruled a rectory
kitchen is indeed lucky. A very large sum,
part of the proceeds of the sale of a London
estate valued at between two or three mil-
lions sterling, is xQxned as the cook's share
of an unexpected legacy. The estate be-
longed to the woman's grandfather, and a
singnlar circumstance is connected with the
recovery of the property. Money in
Chancery lapses to the Crown after a certain
number of years in the event of no. heirs
turning up, and is applied to the reduction
of the National Debt. In this case the claim
was lodged two days only, before the expira-
tion o the statutory period. The name of
the favoarite of fortune who has thusbeeome
unexpectedly rich is Mrs. Adcock, and she has
until the last few days been in the service
of the Rev. Mr. Lane, of Little Gaddesth.n.
This rev, gentleman has had a number of
applications soliciting donations for all
manner of charitable purposes, but he has
no control over his ex-cook's money. Mrp.
Adcock, though sixty years old, has received
some thirteen offers of marriage since it be-
came known that she was about to be in such
altered circumstances.

THE fasting man-mania goes on apace,
and we have had a threat of a senseless ex-
hibition of this sort here in England. Signor
Succi, the Italian, tried unsuccessfully to
commit suicide by deliberate starving in his
own country, and now he and a Frenchman
are fasting against time and each other in
Paris. A Kentish peasant is said to be
anxious to pit his abstaining powers in
London against the winner of this ridiculous
affair, but we trust he will receive no en-
couragement from the British public. No
good can come of such morbid displays,
which are only engaged in by lunatics or
crazy hank.erers after notoriety. Besides
there is generally an element 0.. deception