The Express.
London, England, 1859-12-23 00:00:00

LONDON. FRIDAY, DEC U.

LORD P.kinP:anron at Ramsey offers us one of the
pleasantest and most merionable spectacles we shall
see this Christmas. Never did his lordship appear
to more advantage than in addressing to the
labourers of his neighbourhood thou wise, kind, and
strengthening words which ws reported yesterday,
Without either a display of condsscsnsiou or an
aficetat'on of equality, be tack his natural place
among his hearers, and spoke with a genuine sym-
pathy of man with man which is not antagonistic to
social ineqaalities because it is far above them, and
covers them all. Without national vanity, we may
Call this a truly English scene.

The occasion of Lord PA IM LISTON'S speech was
• distribution of prizes offered by the Hammy
Labourer.' Encouragement Association—prizes to
thatcher., drillmeo, ploughmen; prizes for cultivat-
ing gardens, fur keeping cottages neat, and for long
service in families. We do not feel called on to decode
the general subject of rewards of this kind conferred
by the class which employs the labourer. Doubtless
the only true "Encouregrment Association" for the
worthy labourer is the free labour market, and his true
prim the highest wages his labour will command
there. The day will come when men will no more
think of decorating a ploughman for driving a
straight furrow than they do now of giving a
prize to • carpenter for tasking • good pearl But
while we urge on that day by all imam, it is not
wise to deprecate any institution by which the trans-
itional state of the labourer is at all improved. In
the early days of labourers' encouragement societies
there was no doubt • disposition sometimes mani-
fested to substitute • show of humanity for the
reality of justice. But it was certain that the
absurdity of giving prizes to the man you starved,
the hypocrisy of rewarding men for forbearing just
claims upon you, could not be long maintained in
open day. It would of course have bees
better if the (heeds of the l►bouring man
had set themselves to reeve, him from the arti-
ficial and injurious economical position in which he
is placed by the law of settlement and concurrent
MINN thus founding hie prosperity on its true basis,
his own independent exertions, instead of the good
feeling of the employers of his immediate neigh-
bourhood. But there societies have moat beim&
cially drawn 'Dilution to the labourer's condition,
and led to the study and diffusion of truer views as
that subject among the employers of agricaltural
labour, and are thus preparing the way for their own
extinction. It cannot be said that Lord Pate
M ERSTON either humoured the prejudices of
the farmers or flattered their men on Wed.
needay. He encouraged the labourer to self-
respect, reminded him of the importance of his
function in society, bade him vslus the good opinion
of his neighbours, but admonished him to set a still
higher value on the approving witness of his own
commerce*. The interpo:alion of a few earnest
words of sound advice about the bringing up
of children in the principles of morality and religion
was the wise improvement of a valuable opportm
oily, and would not be the worse received became
the speaker is cot always in a lugubrious vets.
11 e wish it were equally certain that then
who have mat to learn from it would
lay to heart Lord PA LNERITON'iI decimation
of hie long and large experieace en
another *object. After ackeowledgiag • personal
compliment, referring to their meeting that day, time
noble lord said : —•• The fabric of society is cos-
" stmeird by an infinite gradation of retake and con.
o dittoes ; and those who are separated hem cash
•• other, and tiny* not often an occasion of wiestimg,
•• when the opportunities do occur should meet is
•' order that they may reciprocally understand each
other. lam mere that all tames of Englishmen, if