The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-08-20 00:00:00

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

The rules which the Weymouth Town Council
lay down for their own guidance are certainly
not like the laws of the Medea and Persians,
which could not be broken. Some months since,
on the motion of Mr. Alderman Ayling, a stand-
ing order of Council was unanimously passed, to
the effect that only one member should address
the meeting at the same time, and that no person
should speak more than once on any question,
except the mover, who should have the power to
reply. That such a resolution should be neces-
sary for properly carrying on the business of the
Council, no doubt seemed somewhat singular to
parties residing in other parts of the country
where public businets is transacted with regu-
larity and order. But the worthy Alderman was
undoubtedly actuated by the best of motives in
bringing the question forward. He wished to
save the time often wasted in nesdleas discussion,
and to render their proceedings popular, instead
of being the laughing-stock for the rest of the
world. How often, alas! are the best intentions
and most strenuous exertions to benefit mankind
frustrated! We have certainly no desire to
lower the dignity of the Town Council proceed-
ings below the standard the members set up for
themselves ; but who must not admit that ever
since they voluntarily adopted their resolution
to conduct the business of the town in a business
like manner, they have been going on from bad
to worse! Now, is there no cure for this I We
think there is. The laws of all good governments,
human and divine, are based upon personal
enactments, and we would suggest to Mr.
Alderman Ayling the propriety of adding a
rider to the present "order of council," to the
effect that every member violating it should be
fined half-a-crown for every offence, to be im
posed by the Mayor under • penalty of fts. This
would produce a beneficial effect in one of two
ways, as, if it should not secure regularity in
their proceedings, it would tend to fill the
coffers of the corporation, • consummation, in
the present state of their finances, devoutly to be
wished. Or, if this should be deemed too stringent,
the next best thing we would suggest would be for
one of the town serjeants to take out a wine
license for supplying the corporation with cham-
paigne and cigars at their meetings. It would
then be in character to call for a song at
intervals to add variety to the proceedings, and
a duet occasionally, by opposite parties, would
be highly entertaining. In fact anything would be
an improvement to the present course of proce-
dure.

The recent report of the Registrar-General for
the year 1869, shows, that of the 167,000 mar-
riages, 136,000 were performed in churches,
10,800 in Superintendent Registrars' °Micas, and
the rest in Dissenting and Roman Catholic
chapels. This return includes a special class of
unions, called in registration language, "re-
marriages ;" and it thus appears that during the
year 8,000 widowers mimed the same number
of widows, while 7,000 bachelors and widows,
and 15,0100 spinsters and widowers were
united. The marriage registers supply almost
the only definite piece of statistics we have
relating to the adult education in the country,
showing the extent to which the education in
the parish school has been a reality, and has been
kept up after school. The married couples have
to sign their names; and thus we learn that of
the 335.000, nearly 108,000, or 32 per cent.,
signed with marks. The number is not equally
divided between the two sexes—the women who
do not write being to the men in the proportion of
37 to 26 per cent. This, however, is an improve-
ment upon the marriage iegisters 20 years ago,
when 32 percent. of the men, and 48 per cent.
of the women, were unable to sign their names.
Of the births, there were 34,000 above the num-
ber born the year before. It is usually the case
that there is an exams of females over male
births, but the preponderance was on the other
side of the scale in 1869, the boys being nearly
22 to 21 girls. As the Marriage register has its
educational results, even so the Register of
Births has its moral. It exhibits for 1869 the
blot of a 6 per (tentage of births, or 1 in 15 out
of wedlock. The ravages of that comparatively
new disease, diptheria, occupy the same place in
the registration report of 1859, that the plague
would have occupied three or four centuries
back, had such official papers then been issued.
The report contrasts the statistics of disease, so
far as we are possessed of them, of two centuries
bacik, with those of the present day, from which
we find that at the former date, deaths from
smallpox were in proportion of 8 to 1 of the
latter date ; from fever, ague, scarlatina. quinsy,
and croup, more than 3 to 1 ; from consumption,
nearly 9th 1; from dysentery, 9 to 1; from
scurvy, 70 to 1, from dropsy, 14 to 1; childrens'
deaths from teething and convulsions, 10 to 1;
i and womens' deaths n childbearing, more than
4to 1. From diseases of the brain, such as
apoplexy, epilepsy, &c., the deaths in 1859 pre-
pondered over 200 years ago in proportion to
13 to I ; and from violent deaths, there are 13
now to 3of the olden date. Deaths by burning
I have greatly increased, but by drowning they
have decreased at the rate of 50 percent.

There can be no gainsaying the fact that the
volunteer movement in this country owes much
of its success to the countenance and goodwill
of the ladies of the land. Had they not taken it
in hand—had they not insisted upon constant
attendance and preached the doctrine of patience
and perseverance to those who would have
fallen out of the ranks and abandoned the came