The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-01-19 00:00:00

Borget Countg Exiireos.
TUANDAY. JANUARY 19, 1871

NOTES OF THE WEEK.
The annual meeting of the Dorset County
Hospital, which we elsewhere report at length,
seems to be pervaded by a spirit of foreboding
as to the future of the institution. The sub-
scriptions are well maintained, and the congre-
gational collections are larger, indicating that
the hospital stands as well or better than ever
with the public, but there are frequent changes in the officers--House Surgeons come and go
with surprising rapidity, there is no resident
Chaplain, and since the retirement of Mn. Dancy
the Matronship of the Hospital has been unsettled.
At the previous annual meeting Mr. Davidson
had not yet entered upon his duties as House
Surgeon, and at this one the resignation of his
successor—Dr. Barton Smith—is announced.
The intimation in the report of the retirement of
the latter gentlemanis accompanied by the state-
ment that he has "efficiently discharged the
duties of his office," which is so far satisfactory
to the friends of the institution, but greater
permanence in the staff seems most desirable.
e liope that the "grave difficulties" spoken of
in the report will be happily surmounted, as we
have no doubt they will if the experienced
counsels of the long-tried honorary officers of
the hospital are followed; and trust thlt next
year fewer changes will be reported, and that
there will be a brighter prospect than is now
disclosed.

It cannot be said that Mr. Gladatone's resig-
nation of the leadership of the Liberal party
COMA entirely by surpriao on those who have
watched his career since the last dissolution, his
comparative abstention from public affairs, and
his increased devotion to literary pursuits. He
was a long time, however, in arriving at this
resolution, and now we may regard it as irre-
vocably fixed. At all events, so it has been
considered by the right hon. gentleman's late
lieutenant, Earl Granville, and others of the
Liberal party seem to be reconciling themselves
to the inevitable loss of their chief, as, for
instance, Mr. Trevelyan in addressing the
electors of Selkirk on Friday. But while this
gentleman, and every Liberal speaker and
writer who has dealt with the resignation,
expresses great regret at the loss of the Liberal
leader, and deservedly high appreciation of his
distinguished public career, everybody seems to
preserve the same reticence as Mr. Gladstone
upon the nature of the resignation. But
curiosity may not be long puzzled to know what
the " special matter" is which just now absorbs
Mr. Gladstone, and of which ho deems it
desirable to give a hint; and at least we may be
I sure that the active brain, which in the past
months of idleness has accomplished more to
excite public attention than perhaps any other
brain in England, will not be allowed to slumber.
The picture of tho country gentleman with his
smiles and his hobbies which luta been drawn
of the ex-Premier, is hardly likely to be true to
life. It is far more probable that Mr. Glad-
stone will, in retirement, discover a new mission,
and a political one, and that he will be seen in
due course of time re-entering actively ujxm
Parliamentary duty, net as First Minister per-
haps, but to achieve if possible, something
grandly new, which has taken full possession
of his mind, while ho has been, to the world,
leisurely recreating at Hawarden.
To discuss who is to be the successor of the
retired leader' would, Mr. Trevelyan says, be
indiscreet; but we cannot help looking to Earl
Granville as the new prophet upon whom Mr.
' Gladstone seem to have intended his mantle to
fall; and it is intimated that at any rate the
noble earl will act as the temporary leader of
the Liberal party, pending the steps to be taken
by the heads of the party for ascertaining the
wishes of the bulk of the Liberal members. At
the same time, the inconvenience of the leader
of the Liberal party being in the House of
Lords at once suggests itself. But if we look
to the lower House, what Liberal statesman do
we find there entitled to take the lead over Earl
Granville 1 Mr. Bright is disqualified by ill-
health, as well as by certain peculiarities of
private opinion; Mr. Lowe is a very able inan,
but ho by no moans penalises the confidence of
the Liberal party, especially of the extreme
sections; while Mr. Forster, to whom many
look as a possible leader, has not yet occupied a
principal office in any Ministry, is not a man of
the very first ability, and differs from a large
section of tho Liberal party on the subject of
education. Even if the difficulty of selecting a
leader be solved by allowing the pest to go by
seniority to Lord Granville, the appointment of
a lieutenant in the Lower House will present •
now embarrassment.

The current number of the Quarterly Review
contains an article from the pen of Mr. Glad-
stone founded on the speeches of Pope Pius IX.
Considering tho immense sensation produced by
the ox-Premier's pamphlet on the Vatican
Decrees, this article will be read with deep
interest, and will produce considerable contro-
versy. The right hon. gentleman appears to
have determined to devote some of his leisure
time to a continued attack on those doctrines
and principles of Roman Catholicism which he
considers to militate against political freedom.
The strike in South Wales indicates, that
although the relationship between employers
and employed during the past few months has
improved, we are by no means "out of the
wood." At the same time there is considerable
encouragement in its details, and the hope
arises that better ideas of conducting trade
disputes are beginning to be entertained. The
men hold meetings at which even adverse
arguments are calmly listened to, and temperate
resolutions are passed, forming a great contrast
to the unreasonable proceedings which charac-
terized the actions of Union men a year or two
ago • while the masters give every opportunity
for discussion, they are in no spirit of vindictive-
ness, they even afford chances by which those
they have employed may escape ignominious
defeat. We are disposed to attribute the
rationality of the men rather to improved ideas
of political economy than to weakness of posi-
tion. It is better understood than it used to be
that wages must depend on the state of the
market, that fluctuation like the wind, bloweth
where it listeth, and that no known commercial
law is able to control it. Those concerned in
strikes may often have justice on their side, but
it is possible for them sometimrs to be influenced
by arbitrary, selfiah, and unreasonable motives.
We believe that of late years the most fanatical
Union men have learnt a serviceable lesson, the
effect of which is now being exhibited in South
Wales.

The Lord Chancellor has appointed a com-
mittee to consider whether, having regard to
the experience now obtained of the working of
the Bankruptcy Act, 1869, any either
through the medium of legislation or orders,
might be advantageously e in the details of
the present system.
Next month a Masonic temple is to be
solemnly inaugurated in Rome. It is under-
stood that the occasion will be one of very great
pomp, as may well be tho case, considering
the triumph of the order in establishing itself in
the shadow of the Vatican which has always
branded the brotherhood as dangerous and
heretical.

Monsignor Capel closes the correspondence
with Canon Liddon upon Ritualism with more
damaging extracts from Ritualistic books, and
some of them from a book alleged to have been
edited by Canon Liddon himself! This is called
"Priest to the Altar," was published in 1865,
and therein,
inserted
before the usual words of con-
secration, is the prayer—" Send down
Thy Holy Spirit upon thisSacrifioe, that he may
male this bread the body of Thy Christ." And
in the first hymn for the Holy Communion aro
the very words condemned by the Canon :
"Wondrous truth by Chrkthinz learned,
Bread into His flesh ie turned.
Into precious Blood the wine."
Thu Monsignor proceeds to quota) also from a
publication issued by a" Father of tho Sociuty
of St. Joseph" on tho "Love of Mary," and
he says that much as he has seen of Ritualistic
practices, he never imagined it possible that say
clergymen of tho Anglican communion could
publish such things. And a member of the same
„clot,. edits permusu superiorem I") a book
he "Oratory Worship," which contains
" Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament," "Pro.
cession and Veneration of Betio," the "Salve
Regina," the " Rosary of the Blessed Virgin,.,
and " H to Our Lady and St. Joseph."
The bouht, with the smallest modification,
be used by Roman Catholic, and the Monsignor
avows that it almost took hint in. On pago 68
is this prayer :—" Hail, Mary ! fell of grace;
the Lord is with thee ; blesaed art though among
women, and biased is the fruit of thy woniii,
Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of (lad! pray for
us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Amen." Well might M. Oapel, pointing to all
those things, triumpluintly assert that -he has
proved his original statement that the Ritualistic
clergy aro assuredly, though unintentionally,
disseminating Roman Catholic doctrines- Thu