The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-12 00:00:00

POLITICS AT GUILDFORD,

The annual dinner of tho Guildford Agricultural
Amociation took place on Tuesday at the White Hart
Hotel, under the presidency of Mr. Rangy CritßlZ.
Amongst the *nests were Mr. C. Buxton, M.P., and Mr.
G. Onelow, M.P.
Mr. ON•tou in returning thanks for the borough mem-
hers, after alight reference to local matters, mid that he
had always been a strong advocate for the abolition of the
malt duty, and be believed the time would come when it
would be repealed. There was, however, but one states-
man to whom they could look for this boon, and that was
to Mr. Gladstone. (Cheers.) In the exhibition which had
been held that day they had seen fat and lean animals,
Ind is he walked through the show he was forcibly re-
minded of the men who were looking. out for a nibble at
the government cake, while the imminent members of the
poultry tribsOncelled many public men who were strutting
about in other people's clothes. (Laughter.) The liberal
beast had fattened upon the government cake, and till
very recently the conservatives had got lean on the oppo-
Utica pastures. The liberal harvest bad been gathered in,
but he was sorry that the ingatheriug had been effeeted by
tory reapers. (Laughter.) Referring to the Abyssinian
war, Mr. Ouslow said that he could see no cause for that
war. The ruler of Abyssinia wee little better than •
nigger chief, and if proper means had been exerted our
countrymen would not have been held in captivity. There
wail not an Reglishman who would not spend his last
shilling in defence of his country, but these was no neces-
sity for carrying our anus into the haunts of the savage to
maintain a prestige which was already sufficiently este-
Wished. (Cheers.)
. . . . .

Mr. Berms, M.P., who was heartily cheered on rising,
responded to the toast of "The County Members." He
said—lt is more than one can expect nowr-days for
any one to say a good word for the House of Com-
mons, for of late (as servants say), "we don't seem
to have given satisfaction," so we are soon to be
sent about our business, with not, I fear, at all
• first-rate character. (" Hear, hear," and a laugh.)
The part y to which I belong is said to have been in a very
moody, discontented state this autumn. We are told that
we have got what we were always crying for, and now we
have not • word of thanks for those who gave it us, and do
nothing but grumble and groan. (Hear, hear.) That, no
doubt, is very wrong of us ; but I think there is a little
excuse. We are in the OLIO of • dog who has been gnaw-
ing a very sweet marrow bone, and means to have many •
good gnaw at it in future, and then suddenly finds it
whipped out of his mouth and swallowed whole by the
mastiff over the way. And than we are told to bear this •
like Christians ! We shall do nothing of the kind. (Cheers
and laughter.) Dishing other people may be ave
nice pastime, but being dished one's self would put Job
out of patience. Seriously, however, raw that this great
question of reform, which bad so long stuck in the mud
and blocked the lane up, has been fairly pulled out of the
way, I hope and believe that we shall get forward into
some of that beneficent social legislation which men of
all parties long to see carried out. Where) We have
that fact, of all our social facts the most astonishing and
the most appalling, that despite all our trade, our huge
wealth, our ceaseless progress, our ever-crescent prospe-
rity, more than a million of our fellow-countrymen and
countrywomen are day by day claiming aid as paupers.
That is indeed • fact to make statesmen pause, and to
force men of all parties to lay aside their strife and join
hand in hand to see whether by any means the causes of
such a portentous food of misery cannot be removed.
(Cheer) Then there is the cognate fact that, notwith-
standing all our efforts in the cause of education, such vast
mares of children are still growing up in ignorance—almost
in barbarism. Here again, men of all parties may combine
their efforts to extend the blessings of • sound and good
education more widely. (Hear, hear.) This is no party
question ; and.nothing should I regret or disapprove more
entirely than any attempt of the leaders of either side to
make political capital out of it. I will not, of course, ex-
patiate on this attractive topic beyond just adding how
sorry I am to see that some, in the heat of their zeal,
want to dash to prom the system that has grown up by
degrees during the last thirty years, and which atIL
forth voluntary effort, supplemented only by external aid
and stimulus, to set in its place a more despotic, drastic,
and seemingly, therefore, mar potent system. (Cheers.)
I should say, carry it out more boldly ; spread it more
widely ; modify and enlarge it where it is found wanting ;
but here, as elsewhere, we want reform, not revolution.
(Hear, hear.) Then again, there is another great ques-
tion on which men of all parties may well combine,
and as to which in fact we look with the most hops
to the conservative statesman, Lord Cairns—the ques-
tion of law reform. It is discreditable, it is not less
than disgraceful, to the government and parlia-
ment of the realm, that our laws should be left
in this tremendous state of higgledy-piggledy confusion.
The goverument that shall mould this welts.. ing chaos into
order, that shall flash light into this abyss of darkness, will
indeed deserve well of their oountry. (Cheers.) I must
not detain you further ; but with these, and • boat of
kindred questions—questions of social policy, belonging to
no party—rising one behind the other in our ..iew, we may
well rejoice that or great source of hostility, one prat
topic ef dissension, has been taken away and that tortes,
whip, and radicals will be better able to 1.u% shoulder to
shoulder, and give • long pull, a strong pull, and a pull
altogether, in making Old England • still wiser, better and
happier land. (Loud and protracted applause.)
The proceedings were not concluded till midnight.

Sr. MAnTlN'it SCHOOb or ART.—Last night the
prizes awarded for drawings executed in this school during
the year IWO were delivered to the successful students
by Mr. A. J. B. Hope, M.P., in the school room of St.
Martin's College, Castle-street, Longacre. The Rev. B.
G. Maul, the hoe. secretary, in the course of some in-
troductory remarks stated that the success of the school
during the put year bad exceeded the results of the pre-
vious period, which was the more remarkable frost the
difficulty which now lay in the way of getting prises
given to the various art schools throughout the tufted
Kingdom. At present there were but ten gold medals,
20 silver medals, and 50 bronze medals for all schools in
the kingdom similar to theirs, sad as the ditticulty to
which he bad referred was thus obvious, the fact that one
of their students had obtained a gold medal for the
antique was one deserving of the most sincere dongratula-
tien. The younggentleman who had gained that honour, and
one of his brother students, had also this writ received
silver medals at the Royal Academy. After some obser-
vation,. from Mr. Boulder, who was present as an
emissary from South Kensington, the chairman,
who was received very warmly, administered some
consolatory advice to the unsuccessful students. He
admonished them against the danger of being solely
guided iu their studies by a desire to obtain prizes such as
existed in those who competed for horse and boat races.
In this age of ours—in this grinding, steani.puffing, tele-
graphing, express-train-travelling age of ours—in this age
of smoky towns, minnow streets, of much distress. and
hard political debate, hr wanted to have some forms and
ideas of beauty, some wide training beyond and above the
material interests of the day, that may win the affection,
and thoughts and studies of the people. With some per-
sons the idea of education to human beings was what
amanita were to • turkey, whereas to the wise luau
education meant training of which knowleili,e was only •
part. If they crammed the stomach of a turkey with
potatoes and chiming., without leaving any room for dis-
semination and sham idles, the hind would die. and they
would have nothing hut the great, heavy, distorted corpse
of • useless turkey. The hon, gentleman then distributed
the prizes. The giving of the gold medal to Mr. Hei hen
Johnsen, and the remarks of the how gentleman which
accompanied it, evoked hearty applause. The recipient is
a young gentleman not yet out of his teens- After the
delivery of an address by Mr. H. O'Neill, A.H.A., and
some remarks by Mr. C. Landseer, the ploperdinp were
brought to a close with • vote of thanks to the chairman.
Sr. ALBANS STREPLECHASIS. —These races ore
postponed until Thursday and Friday, the 19th and 2Uth
instant.
CRYSTAL PALACH. ONH SHILLING DAY.—.
WBGNBSDAT,DEc.ll.—Admisoions on payment, sgl; ditto
by season tickets, 1,048; total visitors, 1,6:17.

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True Eererea. THE i.Zait3l7t:i.&lCE. Mr. Phelps, Messrs.
J. C. Cowper, U. Slaelair, Y Phelps. Barrett, Temple. dre.. Mrs.
lien‘tin Vtzni, Miss Orattanote.—And THE LADIES' CLUB.
Mesdames licatriz Shirley, Pete Mathew, IL Vaadenhoff, te.