The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-11 00:00:00

Cur Fenton Corrtsponbta

_
We deem 't right to state that we do not at all timed
tientify ourselves with our correspondent's opinionai
What new Fenian outrage may transpire between
the writing these lines and reading them, it is not
worth while to speculate, but at present th,re is a
lull in the popular excitement, though every now and
then the public is excited by news of some " alleged "
or " expected " outrage. The enrolment of special
constables goes on, though not very rapidly, and in
one instance the movement has received a remarkable
chock. The workmen at one of our large factories
were invited to enrol themselves as special constables.
They met, and discussed the matter, and decided that
Fentanism was very much exaggerated, sad there-
fore declined to be sworn-in a. 4 special constables,
for fear they should be called on to put down
perfectly legal meetings; but they at once made
arrangements to watch their employers' premises by
day and night. Such a fact as this cannot but have
considerable influence. Public meetings to.ailenounce
Fenianism are also talked of ; but ,d what utility could
they be ? We know beforehand the land of resolutions
that would be passed ; they would embody the senti-
ments, perhaps, of nineteen-twentieths of the p Tula-
Con of the country, and thus laboriously state opinions
which we all know are generally entertained; while
rich meetings would not tend to pacify Fenia,ns, but
rather to enrage them. The time, it is to be feared,
has not yet arrived when we can afford to abandon the '1
precautions that are being taken, but the time has
arrived, I think, when we can abandon everything
that has the least appearance of aggression, and public
meetings to denounce Fenianiem certainly would have
that character. The motto of society should be that
of the volunteers, " defence, not defiance ;" and it will
depend on the Fenians themselves how long this motto
is practically to be acted on.
Two important Acts of Parliament have been in
operation from the commencement of the new year,

and, if enforced as they ought to be, will be of im-
mense benefit to the labouring classes in then'inanufac.
tilling and in the agricultural districts. The Labour
Regulation Act prevents any child undes eleven being
. .

employed at night, or for more than six and a half
hours. No young person—the phraseology tught to
• " 'pkase'lklr. Stuart Mill—under eighteen amino female
—ah ! " person " does not include fetnales then—may
be employed at night, or for more than twelve hours ;
and no " person " may be employed after 4 30 on Satur-
day.. When Mr. John Lillwalb twenty years ago, com-
menced the agitation for the early cloaing movement,
how little could he have thought that the time would

come when early closing, as affecting a vast number of
. the. employed, would be enforced by Act of Parlia-
ment. The Agricultural Gang Act, cmong other
_ beneficial enactments, prohibits the employment
of children under eight years of age in agri-
cultural labour. Here is a great gain to

society. This one Act of Parliament will in itself
produce a much-needed reform in the agricultural
districts; and the Labour Regulation Act effects
another reform. It is another step to what is RO much
needed in this country—compulsory primary education.
No child under eleven is to be employed, unless such
child attends school at least three days a week, and
produce to the employer a certificate of such attend-
ance. It may be remembered that a great deal of
opposition was ofiered to these bills when they were
discussed in the two Houses, but happily, enlightened
counsels prevailed. The two Acts may be regarded
as supplementary to the existing Factory Acts, and if
they be properly carried out will do much towards the
elevation of those who, but for the interference of
Parliament, would be powerless to help themseives.
Both measures are to some extent an interference with
the rights of employers, but it must be remembered
that this interference is to redress the wrongs of the
employed, and that some of the best Acts of Parlia-
ment we have interfere with the "liberty of the
subject."
Among the bills which next Session will be of uni-
versal interest will be one for transferring the manage-
ment of the telegraphs to the Government, and
amalgamating the whole telegraphic service of the
country. There is reason to believe that the bill will
be introduced either by the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer or the Home Secretary; at all events it will
not be a private bill, for it has not been lodged in the
office of the House of Lords, as would have been the
case were the measure to be a private one. If this
scheme be carried out on sound principles it will be a
great boon to the public, and if it be managed as well
as the Post Office service is managed it will pay on
the principle of small profits and quick returns.
Garibaldi from his retreat in Caprera is threatening
the peace of Italy once more. Some of the survivors
of Nlentana having met and sent a greeting to the
General, he telegraphs back : "I have received from a
lady the following motto, 'Victory is achieved by
perseverance.' I hope Italy will remember this
motto next spring." Who was the lady, I wonder,
who made this remarkable discovery, and put them in
these strikingly original words But the world can
afford to rest uninformed on this matter. Of far more
importance is it that Garibaldi should thus reply to a
message in which it was said : "Push on the com-
pletion of our unity. Call upon us; we are ready."
The matter will not end here, as indeed is already
apparent.

The Rev. Charles Mackenzie, Prebendary of St.
Paul's. who has had a large experience of public 1
schools, snakes a suggestion which it would be very
advisable (but, also ! very difficult) to carry out. He
points out that in numerous instances property has
been left, perhaps centuries ago, for the repair of
churches, or for some local charity, and that in con-
sequence of the increase of lands and houses, the
trustees of these bequests are absolutely puzzled to
know what to do with the funds they have to deal
with ; and he suggests that if a few of these bodies of
trustees would combine they might obtain sufficient
money to establish good commercial schools. Not a
doubt of it. But it requires something more than a
suggestion, even from so influential a man as the Rev.
C. Mackenzie, to effect such a great reform as this.
Earl Russell, it will be remembered, in his resolutions
which were brought forward at so inopportune a
moment, had something to say about our educational
endowments. If the veteran Earl will kindly intro-
duce the same resolutions next Session, he will doubt-
less find the House of Lords more ready to listen to
him, and the public more ready to entertain the whole
subject. Certain it is that as education is about the
most pressing question of the day, so these educational
endowments are one of the most important branches of
the entire subject. Could these endowments be
rescued from the channels into which they have
been diverted, and devoted to the purposes for
which they were originally intended, we should have
no occasion for any educational grants from the
national funds. But while we are lamenting over
this abuse a much greater evil is making itself felt day
by day—the want of a really national - and, for my
own part I add, compulsory— system of education.
Whether Earl Russell calls the attention of the Legis-
lature to this subject or not, Mr. Disraeli may be re-
garded as virtually pledged to do so, and it is high
time that our rulers seriously set themselves to work
out this important problem.

I read that Dr. Chadwick, who formerly resided
and practised at Bolton, has announced his intention
to present I:10,000 to the town, to be applied to the
erection of working men's model cottages, the rentals
to be devoted to the maintenance of an orphanage
which he proposes to erect. Too much praise cannot
well be given to a gentleman who acts in this noble
way; but independently of this conferring a great
boon on the working men of a working town, the
doctor will confer a great benefit on society by showing,
as it is to be hoped it will turn out, that such cottages
will pay. The munificent gift of Mr. Peabody to the
poor of London has, unfortunately, been devoted in a
small degree only to the actual poor, but that portion
of it which has been employed in the erection id
model dwellings has given to capitalists in particular,
and to society in general, the wholesome lesson that
improved dwellings for the working classes need have
nothing of the charitable element about them. Dr.
Chadwick will repeat the lesson.
The accounts received from Mr. Charles Dickens in
America show that he is creating quite a furore by his
readings. It would seem that the inhabitants of some
of the great towns are almost Dickens mad. Lines of
people, it is said, stand ii, queues at the doors of the
room, where he given his readings, and this, for ten or
a dozen hours, to gain admittance. This may be true,
but I take leave to doubt it. The system of buying
up tickets is in great force, and cards of admission
which cost two dollars are sold at fifteen or twenty.
Mr. Dickens's manager will, no doubt, make a fine
thing of all this, and it is said that the great novelist
himself will net some I:20,000 by his American read.
ings. But besides this he will also reap in other
fields, lie has engaged to write a tale for the Atlantic
Monthly, and to contribute a serial story to another
periodical. One fact is worth noting, as showing that
Mr. Dickens either has no great faith in American
speculators, or else that he is very anxione to give his old
servants a share of his prosperity. He took with him
across the Atlantic his own door-keepers, money.
takers, &c., as well as his secretary; so that Brother
Jonathan might not have it all his own way.

Another American hank has failed—the Mont-
gomery Uounty Pink of New York. It is the old story. Its
president used the fends of the bank for private specula-
tions, became involved, and She bank closed Its doors on
December lg. The entire capital of 104,000 dollars, it is
said, will be lost.