The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-05-02 00:00:00

The GRAVEDIGGER'S REMONSTRANCE

(To SIR H. THOMPSuN.)
Who are you, to be thieving
libe poor Sexton's bread
How can we earn our living,
If you urn ow dead 4—Punch.

THE NEW LICENSING BILL.
(prom Tuesday's Daily Newt)

The Government attempted last night what we pre-
sume is intended to be the one great legislative eiploit
of the Session. The measure to regulate the sale of in-
toxicating liquors is at all events the boldest enterprise
to which Mr. Disraeli's Administration is likely to
isommit itself this year. For many reasons the House
was particularly anxious to hear what manner of-
measure the Home Secretary had to propose.
There was a somewhat impatient clearing of
decks by the summary adjournment of the debate
on England's duty with regard to the Gold Coast,
in order to make way for the expected statement.
So many people have, for various causes and
modes of reasoning, made no their minds that
no Government can deal with the licensing difficulty
to the satisfaction of all parties, that in the cheer
which greeted Mr. Cross as he rose in a crowded House
to make his statement there were blended some tones
of that sort of half-despondent goodwill which might
have greeted CEdipus as he set about guessing his
riddle, or David as he prepared to encounter his
giant. Mr. Cross struck a new keynot&. at the
very opening of his speech by ratheM depre-
cating than encouraging the more serious and
sensational view of the present state of the liquor
traffic. He was indeed remarkably cheerful on this
subject, and offered to the House several illustrations
and grouping of facts and figures intended to give
aomfort to his audience by proving that the increase in
the consumption of spirits did not necessarily imply
a sheer increase in drunkenness, and that the character
of the public-houses in general had lately been steadily
rising. We need not analyse Mr. Cross's criticism
of the several "schools of thought' which have
arisen out of the disputes as to the best way of
dealing with the liquor trade. Nor, we suppose,
is it of great moment to criticise very elaborately
his expressed conviction that education and happy
homes are the ultimate influences on which we must
rely for the extinction of drunkenness. Mr. Cross
soon passed away from these somewhat general and
not very original reflections and came to the immediate
plans, which, as he modestly put it in every instance,
the Government " suggest " to the House for the im-
provement of the Licensing Act of 1872. Nothing
could be clearer, cooler, and more entirely bare of
rhetorical ornament or emotional expression of any
kind that the whole of the statement in which the new
THE DEAN OF DURHAM ON proposals were explained.
'LEISURE." The spirit of the whole measure is en bodied in a re-
markittr. c
t. 0..! made early
declared
,t t s
The Dean of Durham, Dr Lake, preached the third sermonre ratherta rYt
to
of the course on "The use and abuse of the world and the hPioersh.
object
jbecytt!.eoulHdombeeS
things that are in the world," at St. James's, Piccadilly, on induce the best claws of persons to enter the liquor
Sunday afternoon, taking his text from Ephesians v., is, is. trade than to scourge the trade in anticipation by a
After speaking genearlly on the serious nature of great variety of exceptional and penal regulations.
life and its employments, as indicated by the Apostle's First, then, the Government propose to abolish at
words, the preacher proceeded to define leisure as one stroke the optional power allowedtofhe magistrates
meaning whatever time we possess independently of by the Act of 1872 with regard to the home of closing.
the duties of our profession or our calling in life, and That ;rower the Government hold to be a reepon-
said that there were at the outset two Teelinge by sibilieS• which Parliament ought to take upon
which he would be met—first, of those who think that itself. The hours, therefore, all over the country are
leisure time cannot be employed religiously unless it is by the new measures to be positively fixed; but they
given to distinctly religious studies or "good works ;” are not to be the same hours in all places. The Go-
and, secondly, of those who regard leisure as out venunent do not intend to make any alteration in the
of the pale of religion altogether, a sort of neutral time at which the beerhouses are to be closed e but
ground, which men may fairly call their OWII. these, too, are to be removed as to their closing from
All, indeed, are prone to divide their time into the discretion of the magistrates. Nor is there to be
" religious " and " non-religious " portions, and any alteration made in the hours of closing on
to say of the latter, in the spirit of one of the Sunday as regards either publichoutses or beer-
our kings, that "God will not condemn any man for houses. In London all publichouses are to close at
taking his pleasure in it." After pointing out that half-past twelve every night. All the exceptional
both these feelings are contrary to Christ's teaching licences granted at present by the Commissioner of
and conflict with the example of his life, and that the Police to some fifty-four houses in the neighbourhood
' observance of special times and seasons required by of the theatres are to be abolished. A more insidious
religion only intensifiem the claim which God has to power, the Home Secretary observed, could hardly
man's whole life, the Dean showed that "it is not ne- be placed in the hands of any man than the grant-
eessary for man to devote himself to religious objects ing of these licenses, and he therefore put an end to
alone, but to have the root of true religion in the heart, them altogether. In Loqiion all public-houses are
... . If a-e understand it rightly, the wise use of its to come under the same rule, and are to close at
leisure is the very salt of society; and they who raise half-past twelve o'clock. Even the night-houses as
the tone of society in this respect are as much they are called, of which there are over 1,000 scattered
raising it in refinement as in those moral and through Issndon, are to close at the same time asmanly virtues which are the life-blood of a country... other places. These night-houses, Mr. Cross ex-
In the spirit of these words the preacher said he desired i plained, are described by the police as simply places
to treat his subject, and before offering any practical , to which people resort who' have been turned out of
suggestions h e opoke of the great influence which has been . the public-houses at their hour of closing. In the
and still may be, exerted upon a whole country by the ' larger provincial towns—that is, in towns which have
manner in which even a few men of influence and a municipality or a local governing board of some
ability occupy their leisure time. The record of history kiiln, and a population of over 10,000—the hour of
is a dark one, nor can it honestly he said that the closing is to be half-past eleven. In the country
highest classes in a nation have often used to the full and the villages included in it the hour is fixed
their great opportunities, but in this respect England at eleven. There are, however, many parts of the
has been very happy, and perhaps few things have Kingdom —more especially, it seems, in Wales
done more to maintain the tone of her society than the where the spontaneous habit is to close at an earlier
long line of thoughtful men who, dating perhaps first hour even than this For the accommodation of any
from the days of Falkland and Hampden, have devoted publicans who prefer to close early, the Government
their leisure either to serious thought or the public nave invented a new kind of licence, following the
good. The present age (the speaker continued) is principle of the Act of 1872, which allowed a licence
Specially
or six days in the week at a lesser cost for thaw who
suited to such a devotion of leisure to the I
preferred to keep their places closed on the Sunday.
highest objects, nor upon the whole has any age done 1
its duty better. Describing the assei tion that the i The new licence is to be given to all perains who wish
i to close their }lodges one hour earlier than that pre-.
absorbing occupations of the time are destroying all
scribed by the Bill. We may mention here, too, that
leisure and all interest except in practical objects '
as a plausible mistake, the Dean sail that the I the "Adulteration Clauses" of the Act of 1872 are to
iactive and business class has constantly been the parent be abolished. The publican is to come under the
of a clam of abundant leisure and of those tastes which operation (if the general Act regarding adultera-
accompany leisure ; the banker, indifferent to everything time, and is simply to he placed on the footing of
but his profession, becomes the parent of one of the every other trader. With this abolition goes the
special power given to the police under the Act of
most purely. intellectual men of this generation, the
1872, lis which a constable may at all times enter
great histonan of Greece ; just as another merchant,
upon any licensed premises, and may also examine
more than a century ago, wasthe parent if the greatest
every room and part of the premises, 'for the purpose
historian of modern times, Gibbon. Thus England
of taking an account of liquors kept there. The
poasesses a large class who by position eve free from
constable is to have simply the ordinary powers given
the cares of a profession, and another class whoee
parents have made them equally their own masters, by former legislation to enter "in the execution of his
and this being so, is it, asked the Dean, conceivable duty," and without any special privilege or instiga-
that in a country with such great traditions of earnest-
tion.
nets as this, or in a city which Milton could describe in Then comes the manner in which the Government
proposes to deal with the granting of a licence, the
his day as "the very mansion-house of liberty, full of
penalties for breach of the law, and the passible 1..1
thoughtful men," there should not be many who, like
eiture of the licence. Here, too, the principal object
him, will "scorn delights and live laborious days" for I
the glorious ambition of showering gifts on men and is to get rid, as far as possible, of special and 'excep-
honouring God? The majority of each claws may tional legislation. For example, Mr. Cross sees no
always be the ignoble ones described by the Roman reason why, in the cave of a first offence on the part
satirist as born only to eat the fruits which others of a publican, the penalty should be fixed at not lees
produce, but there are also many who recognize the than one pound. The Bill proposes to leave the
claims which God and man have on their leisure, and penalty for the first offence entirely at the discre-
who spend it in the effort to diminish sin, and to reduce tion of the magistrates as regards its reduction. The
the misery which increasing eivilization entails, or in endorsement of the lit ence, which if it happens three
the pursuit of truth. Turning to the principles laid times is now equivalent to the forfeiture of the licence
down by Christ as to the use of leisure, the Dean said and the loss of the property, is also to be left to the
that His example would be most truly followed and discretion of the Bench. The magistrate is to have
His words obeyed, not by leaving our natural in before him the record of former convictions, if any, in
place
the world, but "by using it as not abusing it. e en orderthat he may form his judgment as to the merits
this respect the temper of the Puritan is not the true of the case; but it is to be left to himself to decide
whether he shall endorsetheconviction uporrthe licence.
expression of religion. [Join
g that term without tilt
An addition to existing legislation is furnished by what
respeot the Dean described the Puritan fdling in its
is to be called a provisional licence. At present a
noble side ass deep and genuine expression, in a some-
man who desires to build a house for the purpose of
what exaggerated and one-sided form, of the intense
carrying on the trade of a publican has to finish his
desire for personal communion with God, and an in-
work before he can even apply for a licence for the
tense jealousy of all that interferes with it; but then,
along with this, it has always had a weak side lute'. house, and is liable after the expenditure of his money
to be refused the licence in the end. Mr. Cross pro-
leetually in its excessive jealousy, not only of the en-
joyments of life, but of its grace, its art, its intellect, poses that such amtaathe plane of the house he intends
dared to be contrary to this, and he said that if the may now be allowed to state his
T he true spirit of Christ's teaching the preacher de-
purpose and exhibit
to build to the licensing authorities in the first instance.
thought of duty—above all, of duty elevated and sane- If thq approve of the plan and the pen, when therolroeal, they
l
tided by the love of God—were once implanted in man's may give him a provisiona order; and then,
louse is really built according to the plans exhibited,
heart, there need be no fear as to the use he would I
1
make of his leisure, and this, he added, seems to me to the licence is to follow as a matter of course,
be the plan of Christ far more than any technical and ,I We do not know that there is much more that we
artificial system of strict rules for the employment of I need speak of, exceptthe fact that what are.now called
our tinle. In concluding, the Dean adverted specially j occasional licences, such as are given for booths and
to the importance of using leisure for self-improve. ' other places of the kind at races, are to leave the &Kers
ment, and said that, great as England is, he doubted ' of them subject to the same laws as the ordinary pub.
whether she holds the same position in regard to the lican. The bill, indeed, may roughly be described as
individual education and intelligence of • her citizens one having for its object the abolition, as far as possible,
as she did when Milton could boast in the of all special and exceptional legislation surrounding
great speech already quoted that no other the trade. Its principle is to deal with the trade as
nation was so prone to search after learning. something not in itself calling for penalty or pro-
The attack made recently by an eminent man hibition—as a trade requiring only certain regulations,
in his autobiography on the tone of thought and such as the common convenience of 'society demands
conversation in England as singularly wanting in in every case where any manner of licence or privilege
general interest and elevation the Dean held to be ex. is conceded. Without now stopping to criticise the de.
ngerated, but he regarded it Be a matter for anxiety tails of the measure, we most say that its tqain principle
that our education had not kept pace with our wealth' seems the true one, and that it issehaped in a spirit of
that to our working daises nail, .nal prosperity had fairness and reason.
thus proved not a blessing but a curse; and that the --
pithy saying of the old Greek philosopher might be
illustrated among ourselves in regard to those who
have become suddenly rich, that "they have had no
education in the art of spending their money,"

"SMALL BY DEGREES." Sulf.dk Farrne'L
"Two Shill'n's a Week more? ! sever !Thatil
never do !—out of the Question ! "—Suffolk Ptoughnvtn.
"You're right there, Meer Wuzzles, eart'n sure ! It
'out dew. Our Sal sahy there'll be Eight and
Threepence for Bread, Three-and-Sixpence for Rent
and Coal, and Half-a-Craowu for Club, Olothee,
Botem, and Shoes for the owd Oman, five K NO
me. No, that 'on't —Wet, that 'met, blitn
y.
But it 'll be enow to begin with! !

In London, on Tuesday morning, two honees. wjch
were in course of removal In Newgate-street, suddenly fdk,
burying In the ruins a number of men and lailH wig) wM
emitiggs. upon them SIX ai these/ weir on triltirptl to
IA their removal to St Rartboloniew's Hospital.