The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-05 00:00:00

R. ROEBUCK AND HIS LATE
CONSTITUENTS.

The following correspondence has been published :
" Infirmary-road, Sheffield, Nov. 2.7, 1568.
"Dear Sir,—Last evening a numerous and highly re.
!pet:table assembly of working men, comprising the
chairmen and secretaries of committees, who in part
conducted the recent election, met at dinner at the
Parrot Inn, Sheffield-moor, under the presidency of
Mr. James Dodworth. The mention of your name
called forth warm expressions of approval of your
public conduct as our member. Among the sentiments
spoken to was the following :—" Long life, health, and
happiness to our defeated candidate, but beloved
friend, John Arthur Roebuck." I was requested by the
meeting to forward the same to you. In doing so per-
mit me to thank you sincerely for your long and unre-
quited public services for the working men of England.
Acquainted as I am with your political life I have yet
to learn what you have done to forfeit the confidence of
the working classes. The intelligent portion of the
latter class you had with you in the recent election,
who will ever entertain towards you an ardent admira-
tion for your public services on their behalf, which
words fail to express. When the hour of passion and
Prejudice has passed away those who supported your
rejection as member for Sheffield will find out the
mistake they have made in casting from them a faithful
and hard-working honest friend, who loved his country-
men too wisely, if not too well.
"Hoping that long life, health, and happiness may
be vouchsafed to you and your family, —I remain,
dear Sir, (on behalf of the meeting,) yours very sin-
cerely, "J. W. BURNS.
"J. A. Roebuck, Esq., Q.C."

"19, Ashley-place, 8.W., London, Nov. as, 1868.
"My dear Sir,-1 am very much touched by and
deeply grateful for your letter and the message it
contains. My relations with Sheffield have continued
for so many years, and I have found so mvny kind
friends there of every class and condition, that I must
ever regard Sheffield and her iseople with feelings of
what I will call affection and friendship. The way in
which that long connection has been severed is certainly
not pleasant, but if there be diegrace attending it that
disgrace will not attach to use or my friends.
" I beg of you to give my most grateful thanks to
the kind friends who have deputed you to write to me,
and to believe me,—Yours, very truly,
" J. A. ROEBUCK.
"Mr. J. W. Burns."

MR. GLADSTONE ON HIS DEFEAT IN
GOOD ADVICE to YOUNG MEN, by the I LANCASHIRE.
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. iLtitie,ootello=le_tter has been sent by Mr. Gladstone to the
On Friday last the certificates and prizes gained by Sir,—Since the poll of Tuesday I have received so
competitors in the Oxford and Cambridge local many letters of the kindest sympathy, many of them
examinations were distributed by the Chancellor of fromperioons upon whom I have no claim whatever, that,
the Exchequer, Mr. George Ward Hunt, M.P., at a unable as lam to acknowledge them individually, I ask
public meeting held in the Town-hall, Northampton, you to allow me to tender to them through your
the worshipful the Mayor (Mr. J. M. Vernon) columns my respectful thanks. Many of them touch
presiding. Before distributing the prizes. on topics and convey exhortations or assurances
The Chancellor of the Exchequer said the occasion necessarily most grateful to me, but too sacred for this
was one of interest to all of them, and especially to letter, so far as public matters are concerned. I beg
himself, as he had at heart the well-being of North- them and all my friends Ito believe that the local
amptonshire and its neighbourhood; for when they reverses we have sustained, amidst the general triumph
looked forward to the future they looked forward to of the Liberal cause, have no effect whatever on my
the doings and character of those who are now boys or mind, except producing an equally local regret in par-
young men, and whom they celled on the other side of Wider. I see no reasen whatever for despondency in
the Atlantic "the men of the future." He thought South West Lancashire, where (to omit naming other
it would be seen that all those who had been success- circumstances), while other, districts have gone back,
ful in life, and very nearly all those whose characters we have Unproved our
pomition since July, 1865, by
bad been eminent for virtue, had shown what they were 700 votes. Best assured that, in the district where,
likely to be in the future when they were young. No under the circumstances of the present juncture, Liberal
doubt, there were instances of men who had been principles have been supported at the poll by 74 votes
idle and dissolute in their youth, but who had seen the for every 76 that the adversary has produced, those
error of their ways, and had given up idle and dime- principles cannot remain at other elections excluded
lute habits; but it would generally be seen from a share of the representation of the division.-1
that thooe who had been distinguished for virtue have the honour to be, gentlemen, your faithful
and intellectual ability had almost invariably given servant, W. E. GLADSTONE.
promise of it in their youth. (Applause.) There- Hawarden, Cheater, Nov. 27, 1868.
fore, such an occasion, when the youth of a district
had been submitted ;to examination, was one of great
interest to all who had a regard for the future welfare
of this country. (Hear,; It might not, perhaps, be
known to some of them how these local examinations
first arose. Some yews since there was a feeling in
the country that the Universities were not doing all
they might for the education of the people, that the
sphere of their usefulness was too much limited, and
that some effort should be made to enlarge that sphere.
Much had already been done, but he (the Chancellor of
the Exchequer) hoped some plan would be devised by
which the benefits of the Universities would dill more
largely be diffueed. It was in consequence of the
feeling he had alluded to that the local examinations
were established. Thinking men who had given their
minds to a consideration of the question came to the
conclusion that some benefits conld be gained if com-
petent men were sent out to test the systems nf in-
struction pursued in different localities, and to stimu-
late the youth of this country in the paths of learning
and of knowledge. About ten years since the Univer-
sities established the system of local examinations,
and so far as it had yet gone it had been eminently
successful. (Applause.) The hopes that had been
entertained were not disappointed, for not only had the
youth of the country been stimulated to greater
exertions in the pursuit of knowledge, but the teachers
had been benetitted ats well as their scholars. (Hear.)
Without saying, therefore, that the Universities
had done ail they wield or ought to have done
for the education of the people —for, as large seminaries
td learning supported by vast endowments, they ought
have done more—it must, he thought, be admitted that
great efforts had been made towards extending their
usefulness. (Hear) There was a trite saying that in-
tellectual knowledge AVM not all that W 11.3 to be desired.
Moral charactt r went for momething—(hear, hear)—and
a more fatal mistake could not In made than to suppose
that intellectual capacity coati compensate for the
want of moral character. (Au plauee.) It could not be
too strongly brim esse lin the miodi of the youth of
this country that habits of self-diseipline, self-control,
and of self-sacrifice were far more valuable than mere
intellectual acquirements ; bar, as far as his obeerva-
thn had gone, he had been tel to the conauslon that ;
they who were suet-ea-41d intellee'ual dis-
tinction hall at the same time been e Meatier the moral
part of their nature. (Hear, he Sr.) Intellectual ac-
quire,nents necessitated much selferentroL much self-
denial, and the giving up of many of the pleasures that
were peculiarly attractive to youth, and, that being
the case, it had generally been fund that the intel-
lectual and moral nature of a man were simultaneously
educated. (Hear, hear.) finis it was generally
seen that boys who were the meet successful in
obtaining prizes for intellectual acquirements were
also most ilistinguithed for good (undue* and char-
acter. Such, at least, was his own experience, and
he was speaking in the presence of ninny who had the
training of those young minds, amid whose experience he
thought would confirm his own. There were some
young men pm-cant who had attained honours, and to
them he would say earnestly "Don't be satisfied with
what you have done." (Applause.) Some persona
when they had rained certain honours, or attained a
certain distinction, thought there was no more to be
done, and that they might retire on their laurels. No