The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-10-08 00:00:00

TEE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

COMAENTS ON CURRENT NEWS

STRAWS point out of the way the wind
blows. 'So small things indicate the con-
dition of commel•ce. There is renewe I act-
ivity in the matter of the insurance of plant,
stock, and other property against fire and
accidental damage or destruction by other
means. That is one sure sign of a trade
revival. And the bettering of the commer-
cial ocit ook is shown. sensibly and most
encouragingly by a o)rnparison of the failures
lists of the present and the last two years.
Five fewer traders "went down" in England
and Wales last week than daring the corre—
sponding period of 1885, and 17 less than
the concluding week of September a twelve
month back. The lifting of the depression
in Ireland is also evinced by the circumstance
that the number of county court judgements
has decreased by no less than 599, while the
bills of sale total has fallen as much as 214.
It really looks as if the long-looked for return
to prosperity is at last at hand.

THE Bulgarian 'crisis," which rn-ty be said
to have been for some time in a state of
suspended animation, is giving evidence of
the probability of passing in the immediate
future from the smouldering to the flaming
stage. The Zankoffists do not intend the
National party to have all their own way;
and had, it seems, arranged a nice little plot
for a disturbance during the Sobranje elec-
tions. This, however, was discovered by the
Sofia Government just in time to frustrate
the plans of the malcontents. Poor little
Bulgaria has now ben long in a con ition of
terment ; and we tru 3t that, when the S )13-
ranje representatives have been chosen Prince
Ferdinand will be permitted to try his hand
at ruling the country without outside inter-
ference. If he prove too weak to unite and
govern the people then let him go back to
Coburg and obscurity, and some one else
stand in his stead ; but first give the chosen
of the country a fair trial. Prince Ferdinand
or any other man who might undertake the
pacificition and control of the unquiet Balkan
land, will have to face trouble from the
enemies and opponents of the Nationalist
party. Neighbour nations, recognising this
might gracefully maintain a strict, if watch-
ful, neutrality.

THE murder of the vicar of Cretingham by
his curate late last Saturday night b longs
to the order of sensational crimes, the details
of which posses a sort of fascination for many
minds. The victim was a respected clergy-
man, well on in years, with a third wife, a
lady much younger than himself. The vicar,
too, was afflicted physically, and the crime,
indeed, was perpetrated as the old man lay
on his sick-bed. His assqilant is the young
curate of three or four-and-thirty who has
for some time assisted in the parish work,
residing under the vicarage roof : and the
shock occasioned by the intelligence of the
terrible tragedy was accompanied by a general
and painful wonderment as to what might
have been its cause. There was some highly
important evidence adduced at the coroner's
inquiry, occasioning what in newspaper par-
lance is styled a "scene ; " and the public
interest :manifested in the affair in Suffolk
and the Eastern Counties is absorbing, while
particulars of the murder, anything respect-
ing the parties concerned, find eager readers
everywhere. As the verdict of "wilful
murder" given against the curate by the
jury engaged in the inquest on Monday
placed the whole matter sub iudicg, we shall,
of course, make no comment now concerning
the merits of the case.

L. is not so very long since the good old
days of prosperous farming in Britain, when
every agriculturist, surveying with pride
his productivecorn land and rich arable
fields, would smile at the warnings of the
scientist.and laugh aloud when superphos-
phates and other strange chemicals were
talked of as essential to the growing of
profitable crops. The manure obtainable
locally, with a judicious changing of the crops,
together with his own skill in the manage-
ment of labour were quite good enough for
him, and he would have none of the advice
of the book-learned. But a great change
has come over the agricultural scene in the
few years which have lapsed since farming
was synonymous with wealth and comfort ;
and fierce foreign competition forcesall who
live by the land to give ear to everything
which tends to heapen or lessen labour, and
o anxiously examine all substances applic-
fible of the land. We must took to the d rain-
ge, and we must attend well to manuring
r we in -crowded Britain shall be driven out
f the agricvltural race by those who hav,
limitless area for corn and crop-raising,
knd who, when one vast plain becomes barren,
have but to move their grazing ground or
ot a few acres further afield.

PKOFFESSOR WILLIAMSON, of Owen's Colleg,
at Manchester, used some weighty words at
'Halton on Tuesday in endeavouring to in-
culcate the lessens of the farmer's need (;.•
reliance upon science if he were to "hold his
own" in face of American and other rival.;
in the food markets. A limited manuring.
held he, is a great evil. Four times as much
wheat or grass c in take up should be lavished
with stintless hand upon the soil. Not one
halfpennyworth will be wasted, you stimulate
the plant which occupies the ground to-day,
and the fertiliser, which it cannot absorb
will remain for the nutriment of its successor.
It is of little use for the farmer to sink into
a state of confirmed growling and inertia.
He must rouse himself, and work to supply
us with the eight millions sterling worth of
cggs, chee3e, and butter which every year we
have to buy in Holland, and which we would
much sooner purchase at home. Surely the
Englishman is not going to confess him= if
beaten by the phlegm tic Dutchmen, A- o
posses no facility for pr .ita,ble dairying
is not to be found in t ose isles. Lot I_ Arly
John Bull get out of ie old ruts, as t!
Manchester professor advises, and give his
mind fully to feeding the land and forcing
the crops by the adventitious aid of chemical
manures and all scientific appliances in a
word, iet him give up grumbling and use
head asweli hancts ii.stoad ot tongue, and
dyubtiewo Ale wilt do bebter•