The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-06-07 00:00:00

THE HON. BARON BRAMWELL ON
PROVIDENT SAVINGS BANKS.

The last annual meeting of the South Eastern Rail-
way Provident Savings Bank, which is established
under the provisions of a epeeist Act of Parlis•
ment, to enable employes in the South Eastern
Railway to place their savings in • safe and secure
depository, having the guarantee of the company, eves
held at the City Terminus Hotel, Cannon-street, on
Wednesday evening in last week, when the large hall
was crowded with an attentive audience, composed
almost entirely of the servants of the railway. The
Hon. Baron Bramwell occupied the chair, and was
supported by Sir Edward W, Wa,kin (the chairman
of the company), the Hon. James Byng (the deputy
chairman), and other directors, and Mr. John Shaw
(the secretary of the company), who has alwaya
evinced the greatest interest in the welfare of the com-
pany's servants, and their moral and material well-
being, together with the heads of the respective de-
partments on the Railway.
The Chairman thee rose, and in the course of his
speech said :
Ss a shareholder In your company, and as a sincere well-
I wisher of Its officers and workpeople, the directors have
I sated me to attend upon the present °madden. I do so with
the most sincere pleasure, because I do not think any people
could be met for a more praiseworthy purpose than that tor
which we have met on the present occasion ; for of all the
good things which this wcelci gives us, the best, In my Judi.

mint, are liberty and Independence. (Mem) Not, Of •
worse, a suety, solitary indepeudenee, In whioh sash man
and each woman shall attempt to exist by &lid for himself or
herself, for I think the mutual dependence of husband
and wife, of father and child, of brother arid sister,
of friend and friend, and of master and servant
whatever relations exist between them one of the
rtest sources of happiness this world. The ledependeues
eak of, and the liberty I wish the members of this moiety
to have, lithe liberty for each man to think and act for him-
self, and the independence which gives him the power to do
that which he deems neat for his own happiness and for the
happinete of those dependent upon him. I believe that
these good things, like any others, can be acquired in one
way only. The best friend you can have—one who never
fails you Is long as you have got him (he Is not a very senti-
mental triend)—is a weltillied purse. Without that—minas
• man has sow tuna bpon which to seta support himself--
he Is sure to be somebody's servant, when he has not got inat
which will enable him to turn Inmeelf rotted, and to exerche
hut own judgment as to what is est for himself, with whom
he shall work, and what work will do for him. Of courae, I
say thief In reasen and moderation; jot, unions a man has ac-
customed himself to do this, he Is sure to be subject to the
will and pleasure ot seesebedralse, anti he misses those g..od
thing. witch, I Ithee no doubt, all her, are,,thankful to
poiset•
But how is a man to amuire this valuable, though no.
sentimental, friend? Only GI one way—by Industry, pru-
dence, and thrift We cannot get on In this world 'tutees
we work ; that is elate certain ; and of the good thitige
which nature has provided there are very few in which we
can ttretch out our hand merely to collect them. We taint
labour to get them. I do not think, for my own part, that
this is any vary great difficulty with most of Sr. The !teatime
have • Saying which speaks of the 'Sweet do-nothing." I
do not think that proverb will ever bo natnraffsed In
Encland, as there is something in the vigorous nature of
Englisnmen which makes a certain amount of work neees-
eery for them. I speak of nip owu feelings wheu I say that
the greatest punishment I could be doomed to would be to
Do perfectly idle. It would be the worst time; that could
happen to me. I do not, of course, recommend that men
shoull do nothiug but work. When one hear. 4.1 people
being sixteen or twenty hours upon an engine it Is
lanteolable. Where work is exeouted in such a way as that,
a man does not work to live, but is living to work; his
whole lite i,ooe tab,,ur. Ills much to be re.vettel. I hope,
trust, and believe that the servants of this company have a
reasonable arunnt of 'Weer° in which they can enjoy them-
selves, especially th ire whose good fortune it he to live in the
country, as a good mm.y in this present dey can; they eujoy
not ouly the beauties of nature, which one cannot forget at
this time of the year, but the society of their wives and
children, and those r-suitable pleasures which have been
• providal for us. I think, and I am sure everyone here will
agree with me, that work in moderation is eat only not a
bad thing, but that life would be intolerable without it.
That, the way to get wealth. Now, then, how to keep it.
People must be prudent. The first way in which prudence
is exhibited or may be exhibited, for, I ern sorry to say,
a great many people fail In It, especially in agricul-
Vinyl parts of the country, is With respect to niar-
riage. I speak with come knowledge of what takes
place in my own neighbourhood, near one of cur
stations. The boya and girls, for I cannot call them men
and women, get married whin they have not a single !dol-
ling to begin housekeeping with—positively without • table
or chair or a bed to lie down upon. They come in time
to have lerge families, end thus they are tied to the place
where they are; they cannot move—they cannot spare
even the time necessary to look for a new master. 1 hey
are slaves to the people where they live (like the old serfs),
and then they begin by getting into debt with the Utile shop-
keeper whom they must pay and he content to take what he
gives them, and they must he content to go thie ugh the rest
of their days in the place where they got married, to buy
whatever the ehookeeper thinks fit to sell them, and at what-
ever price he Charges. All this needs very much to be pre-
vented. I mention this on the present occasion for the
reason that there are many young people here. The thing is
no doubt temptin e enough. There is a lad who sees • nice
looking girl, and falls In love with her. She returns the coca-
plimeet, and it would be a very pleasant thing if he could
take hurt., a house of his own, and have everythiog corn-
fortable—his clothes In order, his kettle properly boiled—
and everything nice when he returned from work. hut all
that is a :usury you cannot effort, and you roust go without
it till you can afford it I ate glad to learn that amongst
oar depositors we have • great many from the youngsters,
the boys, who are showing prudetice in laying up at the pre-
sent time email sums of which they will find the Advantage
when they e emir° to enter into that state and condition of
life to which I have adverted. lam glad that a great mkne
&moment our depositors put in peeer which would otherwise
be laid out ill the purchase of sweets. Let us hope that they
are saving trout), to find the means of enjoying sweets of a
very different character, which they will have at • future
time in their liv. el, awl enjoy mu •.h more than sweetmeats
that they could get now for their occasional pence.

There I. another way in which money is improvidently
spent, and that lain dress. Now, we men are riot so subject
to that infirmity as the other sex. Here, again. it is irke
almost everything else in this world; it Is not a bed thing in
itself, In moderation I like people to take • pride ill their ap-
pearance, for, as • rule, people cannot be aluart without
being clean, and " cleaulMese Is next to godliness." I not
only tlird no fault with a little love of dress, but I think It
may be a good thing. On the ,ther hand, it is very foolish
to waste money upon it whatever a misri's station in life
may le. There is a particular etass of p.iple him
I won't name more particularly, who go round ant
persuade women to take goods • hich thi y have not
the means to pay for. I wish I hail the making
of a law hearing on their gases; I would unileatake that
they shonld not recover a shilling after they hart tempted
women in their poverty Wheel, ) I may tell you •
thing I heard to-day. I was trying a case of • Mitdisoonnter
or money-lender, lie was called, and he said, "I have given
up business bemuse you cannot put people In prison now,
and consequently they don't pan ;" upon which I said that
It was the greatest compliment to those who passed the Act
of Parliament that ever I heard. lal ould reno nurnonly like
to see the same or • similar provision made by which there
psymimis should not be extorted from the husband by putting
him in prison. I have not noticed this so much in this
part of the country as in other parts where I have been.

You must not only he prudent in denying yourselves what
vu cannot afford in the way I have suggested, but there is
smother way lii which no ell spend more than is good for its
—in eaing and drinking, particularly In the latter. I ni.y
safely say this in the present assembly, because in this meet-
ing 1 am aot lecturing you—on the cmtrary, I am compli-
menting you nu your freedom from the vice. Lila positiv,ly
lamentaoh—one hundred millions a year spent in drink In
this c,untry. One hundred millions a year ' It the good
genius of Eogliehmen could only stand by toe side of those
who are el dog it, and just give their elbow stilt as every
glass goes Into their lips—l, for one, think it would be posi-
tively a service to the country If oise-half of the entire qnantity
were spilt—l really thick it woubi be a good thing. "What,'
you would say, " waste fifty millions of property !" it is
wasted now. Why it could never be wasted so badly as that
is which Is poured down the throat where It Is not wanted.
(Obsess) I think it would be • very good thing if the mis-
chief could be obviated by lune such good being as I have
supposed. It would be a very good thing if, when a man is
going to Indulge In any vice, or do anything that was not
good for him, If, Instead of the pleasant part being put
before himself, he could have the other sloe of the ques-
tion put to him. A man says to himself, "I am tired, lam
out of spirit," Perhaps he hears that the children are
crying ; or says, "My wife is cross, for it is washing
day,'' or what not, or some other incenvenietica. will on
to the poblh-b.use, for it is warm I shall find somebody I
know. It is much ulcer. I really should like • glass ~f
ittrnething to comfort me, for it is very damp." That is ti-e
bright side of the quest' in hut suppose, instead of that,
he would say to himself, " I will go and lay in a headache
fur to-morrow. I will make provision for my wife going in
rags, and my children with no shoes. I will store up a stu
of delirium tremens, and finish my days in a wenithouse, if
not out short by a lever or some other disease." You could
but say to such a roan then, "Poor fellow we must stop
him . " or if people did not say It themselves, they would
think it. That is what those do who forget what it is they
are dolog ; but I am quite certain that it is an infirmity
which the depositors in this bank do not lab-or under.

I venture to say that industry Is not unpleasant In Itself,
and that prudence, which may imp >se inconvenient re-
straints upon us at the time, and thrift, which &leo may be
a denial of present pleasures, though both of them are ill the
long run gratifying to us, are the only means of storing up
that faithful I loud of whom I have spoken, without which
no man can be his own master or be independent. Now,
let me say what is the main matter for which we have met.
I hope those here will not think I ant lecturingsthem In what
lam saying which Is not to teach you what you know
already, but to congratulate you upon what you c o know.
There is another thing I want to say, which I have heard
of, and which has surprised me very much. I am told, and
I know it is true, for I heard it from the lip, of Dr.
there is an idea that, if the directors only knew that a man
had a large sum to hta credit hi the bank, his wage. would
be lowered, or, at all events, not raised. That tithe strangest
Lotion that thin possible for men to have. In the first place,
the directors do not know what is to any suan'e credit ;all that
they know is that there is so much, generally who has gut It
they do rut [now. I believe they have no right to know and
they never seek to know. Teat ought to be reason enough, and
go no farther. You all remerub.T the story of Queen Elizabeth,
who wont Into a town where they did not honour her with the
customary royal salute, rho mayor of the town came before
the Queen with thirty-throe excellent reasons why no salute
had been fired. The first was that they had no cannon.
The Queen at once tall, "D uit, trouble me with the other
reason., that is reason enough." I cannot however,
refrain fr um giving what seems to me an even more
conclusive realm than the one I have given the fact
that a man has gut a die sit in this bank is no reason
why his wages should be lowered. Suppose two men
were to go to the same gentleman who want° I to engage
labourers, and one of them were to say "1 want 13s. a-day "
Another, who had no money in the bank would say "I want
6. slay, too." Would the employer say, " I cannot pay y-0
more than ft., becatme you have got a deposit at the hank;
hut as to this worthy man who goes every night to the public,
house and spends all he ems. I most pay him es. a-day
because he wants it." (Laughter.) I wonder what you
would say to any styli a man. If you were f dthful servants
you would denounce him to the directors. I would
rather give higher waves to • man who has got a deposit
in the bank ; and I will tell yen why. I have a
guarantee that the man is an Indmtrlous and prudent
man. For a man's virtues are not solitary. They are
gregarious, and go In fldcks. I never find that a man has
got two or three good wholesome virtues without the rest
coming too, so that he has a collection of them. The con.
elusion I should come to was that a man was also honest
and Inelustrloue If ho were prudent Thas would he a rea-
sonable conclusion to come to enough. I never find a man
with one vice only or one virtue, they go in II icks. No
employer would be Influenced to give smaller wages to amen
becall.e ho had a little money In his pocked Not only that,
it would be an inducemetyt to an employer idt give larger