The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-12-14 00:00:00

—WHAT WILL SHCDOWITH Iv I—At the
Yorkshire Christine' Cattle Show • " stivermotinted
claret jug was taken by • cow." No one will grudge .
the cow this or any other distinction which its merits
and good conduct deserve, but it is not easy to see
what pleasure or benefit such an animal (strictly tee-
total in its habits) can derive from the poeseseion of a
claret jug. Claret is not the usual beverage of cows,
and even if it were, the jugs which hold it are so con-
structed that it would be impossible for those creatures
to dri,k out of them; and the mere contemplation of
a claret jug, silver mountings and all, must be a matter
of indifference even to the most high-bred cows. Al-
together one feels that a new wooden pail, filled with
ordinary; fresh water, would hive been • far more use-
ful present. —Punch
Pious I:8M —The following have been left
to the various charities by the late Lady Wheler,
second daughter of the late Rev. W. Canis -Wilson :
Church Missionary Society, £5,000; Church Pastoral
Aid Society, £5,000; British and Foreign Bible
Society, £5,000; endowment of lleworth Church,
£5,000; endowment of Drat Vicarage, £5,000; London
City Mission, £3,000; the Religions Tract Society,
£2,000 the Isiah Society, £2,000; the Jews' Society,
£1,000; and the Colonial Church Society, £l,OOO.
OLD FASHIONED Casey. The Duchess of
Newcastle, who was • great writer of romances in the
time of Charles IL. raked Iliehop Wilkins. who had
just announced his discovery of • world in the moon,
how she could get there. "As the journey," said she,
must needs be very long, there will not be any possi-
bility of getting there without stopping on the way."
"Your grace," replied the bishop, "can be at no loss
' for places to stop at, as yon have built so many castles
in the air."

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE.—A man in the
Tyrol has just selected a remarkable place for the com-
mission of suicide. His name wag J. Turner, and be
was sacristan of the village church of Brixlegg, as well
as bellringer. In performing the duties of this latter
office he took especial delight, and was wont Wilsey that
be would end his days at the top of the steeple. A
short time since the cure of the parish died, who, like
the sacristan, had been thirty.seven years in office, and
at his funeral Turner was observed to be much affected,
alluding to this coincidence in their circumstances.
Some evenings since the people were surprised at not
hearing the angelus tolled as usual, and in the morning,
on coming out to mass, were astonished and horrified to
see their sacristan hanging from the cross at the sum-
mit of the steeple, whence the body was afterwards
moved with great difficulty.

TH6 ANTI-INCOME Tax AGITATION.—A meet-
ing was held on Monday at the Public-offices, Moot-
street, Birmingham, presided over by the hillyor
(Alderman Biggs). The following resolutions were
passed t—" That this meeting has learnt with satisfac-
tion that a meeting of the citizens 01 London has been
convened by the Lord Mayor, to be held at the Guild-
hall on Friday, to consider the question of income-tax
repeal, at which deputations from other towns are
invited to attend, and that the following gentlemen be
the delegates to represent this association on the occa-
sion :—'l he Mayor, Alderman Hawkne, Councillor
Parry, and Messrs. G. Wilkinson, Fardone, and
Plant." "That this meeting, impressed with the im-
portance of the efforts being made by the Birmingham
Anti-Income Tax Association in cdiabining with
similar associations in other towns to promote the
repeal of this obnoxious tax, pleclort itself to support
such mo.ement by personal effort and by subscription
to the funds of the association."
MR. GATHORNS HARDY AT BRADTORD.—Mr.
Gathorne Hardy, M.P.. was present on Tuesday, at
the consecration of St. Bartholomew's Church, Brad-
ford, which has been erected in memory of his late
brother, Mr. Charles Hardy. At the luncheon which
followed the ceremony Mr. Gathorne Hardy made •
ahort speech in replying for the toast ot the two
Houses of the Legislature. He said ht considered the
intellectual calibre of the Upper House fully equal to
that of the House of Common., the members of which
h. feared looked more to local than Imperial matters.
He did not abjure party, for he could not conceive
anything no doll as an aseembly of 668 gentlemen all
of one mind. He deplored the divisions in the Church,
but said she had • position in relation to education
which, if she parted from, she would be gwity of a
crime that would be visited upon her. As a National
Church it was her duty to take care of the souls of all
the people.
Twit LONDON' Gas STOICIRS.—On Monday,
four men, formerly in the employment of the Com-
mercial Gas Company at Stepney, were charged at the
Thames Police-court with unlawfully neglecting and
refusing to fulfil their unexpired contracts of service
with the Company—the assigned date of the offence
being the 3rd inst. • and it was specially set forth in
the summonses ;Ist "pecuniary compensation
would not meet the circumstances of the care."
It came out in the evidence that the men were
engaged as stokers at 38s. 9,1. per week; that they
worked in alternate hours from six in the morn-
ing till six ia the evenitg, being six hours' labour
in a twelve hours' task of duty; and that they
had abruptly left their work because a stoker at Ful.
ham, whom they considered to have been improperly
discharged, was not reinstated on their demand. Testi-
mony was given as to the inconvenience which the ac-
cused and those who took the same action with them,
harl put the Company and the public, and the efforts
made by the loyal servants of the former—fortunately
successful—to continue the supply of gas in the district
they serve. After the case had been heard at con-
siderable length, the magistrate, commenting sharply
on the nature of the men's offence, not against the
Company only, but also against the public, sentenced
all the defendants to six weeks' imprisonment, with
hard labour.
Tiss Maw was SWORN !—ln a Wostern novel,
Bobrt Greathouse, an amusing instance is given of
that tendency exisitng in the uneducated mind to con-
found profanity with the solemn taking of an oath.
Jack Gowdy, an ignorant stage driver, desiring infor-
mation about an affidavit he wishes to make, sake a
lawyer—' Is the swearing very tall? Is the swearing
such very hard swearing that it takes a scientific man
to do it? Suppose a gentleman, not a professional
man in ouch matters, nor yet a scientific man, but say
a man who never swore much except privately on his
own account, at stablemen and ostlers, and faro-
dealers when they did not pull the cards square, and
sbolitiouista and free niggers occasionally in a general
way; suppose, I say, such • man as that should com-
mence swearing up this case say this evening, as soon
as we could commence work, and we should keep it up
steady, without interruption, till tomorrow morning
at five o'clock. do you think we could fetch it up to
the notch? Yes? Then it would gratify me very
much if I could take a swear at them there docu-
ments." The consequence was that the man was
sworn. _ _ .

CONITNGENT ADVANTAGIB.—EmiIy : "What
has made you Take to those great Gloves, Gertrude?
They make your Hands look Gigantic !"—Gertrude
(engaged): "0, my dear, my Hand is disposed of;
and when that's the Case, one can give up Appear.
awes, and go in for Comfort."—Punch.
THE REY. C. 11. SPURGEON AND SERGEANT
BATES. —On Sunday Sergeant Bates was amongst Mr.
Spurgeon's auditors at the Tabernacle, and at the
conclusion of the forenoon service the Sergeant, by
request of the preacher, met him in the study. Mr.
Spurgeon there presented the Sergeant with a copy of
each of his two works, "Morning by Morning," and
"Evening by Evening." Mr. Bates warmly preseed
the reverend gentleman to visit the United States,
and assured him that no European clergyman could
expect • heartier welcome there from all climes than
Mr. Spurgeon. The reverend gentleman, who seemed
I much moved by the warmth with which the Sergeant
preferred Lis request, regretted that he could not
promise to visit the States, as his work in London was
more than he could accomplish, and pleasantly re-
marked with regard to this invitation to visit the New
World, that while Alexander sighed for two worlds to
conquer, he, Mr. Spurgeon, had quite enough on hand
in trying to conquer one.
A TRAFALGAR VITERAN.—" G. 11. V." writes
to The Times
vliiting the Chorley Polon workhouse last
week, I found WI inmate named Jomph Swindlehurst, who
was a sailor in the Victory at Trafalgar, and .50 1, now E 9
years old. I merely venture to lay Misname before the public,
hoping that some means may be found to help this old
sailor to pass his last days Ott of ' the house. Yours faith-
fully, 0 11. V—i' S. No doubt the muter of the workhouse
would receive and properly apply any funds forwarded to

EXEMPLARY EXPLOIT. —Sergeant Bates, Co. j
tour Sergeant of the American Artillery, has nuocess-
fully accomplished the feat which he bet 1,000 dollars
he would perform, of walking from the Scotch Border ,
to London with the Stars and Stripes without having
his flag insulted. It now remains for some wise Eng-
lishman to attempt the corresponding achievement of
marching from one end of the United States to the
other with the Union Jack—Punch.
Mrrumuzusis Its Bessta.—The Gatling gun
has been adopted by most European nations, our own
included; but it is to Russia apparently that the
honour in due of developing the principle and fixing the
establishment of the Gilding as a distinct arm of
service. Fifty batteries of these mitraillewere have
already been formed, and more are in progress of
formation. The battery is composed of eight guns,
and three batteries comprise a brigade. The guns are
well horsed, and the extra ammunition (which is in-
terchangeable with that of the new Berdan breech-
loader) is carried in two-wheeled caissons, which move
rapidly over the field drawn by three horses abreast.
A DEED OF Daimezzs.—The Gas Stokers'
Strike.—Punch.
DIPAILLTION OP CHARAOTER.—It is a long
time since the Chaldean monarch, noticed by Mr.
George Smith in his admirable paper on a remarkable
Cuneiform Inscription, lived, but for all that due re-
spect ought to be paid to his memory. We were sorry,
therefore, to read in the newspaper a statement for
which there does not appear to be the slightest founds,-
tins, that Ivlubar "in his search for immorality had
learned the legend of the Deluge from Sisk." We hope
Mr. Smith, or Sir Henry Rawlinson, or come other
friend of King ledubsr, will at once give so injurious
an imputation the fullest contradiction.—Punch.
A "Stir. Locc " BALLOT Box,—The Amen. ,
can Seal Lock Company, through Messers. Mordan and
Co., have just brought out a new callot box. The box
is of japanned metal, having a deep lid, and a high
internal shoulder rising up within the lid, so as to
prevent voting papers from being introduced or
withdrawn in an irregular manner. In front the lid
presents a sloping surface, in which a brass frame
containing three sliding plates for " seals " is
inserted. The central plate, when drawn down, opens
the slit through which voting papers are to be passed
into the box, and the lateral mates, when they are
both drawn down, allow the lid of the box to be
raised. When sealed no voting paper can be pained
through the slit with-rut first breaking the central seat;
and the lid of the box cannot be raised without break-
ing both the lateral seals; theme seals are of gles.i,
. lettered and numbered that they can be identified, an,
. so made that when broken they eannot be replaced.
, Banos such a ballot box, if its lateral plates are staled
when the voting begins, and its central plate is sealed
when the voting is over, seems to afford complete
. security against any kind of unauthorized tampering
with its contacts.