The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-05 00:00:00

rHE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 5, 1865,

the ground W mark the remains of the old primeval

forest that has hardly yet been cleared away.

The purport of the building whose opening vas
celebrated was to afford a club, a place of meeting
for business, refreshment, or society, for those

among the great population of artisans and
mechanics who. inhabit that shore of the
Mersey. Lord STANLEY, in his usual downright
fashion, declared that he would not dwell upon the
old hackneyed theme of keeping men from the
public-house, -but that no man ought to be driven
there because he has nowhere else to go to. If
there is no convenient place where he can resort to,
the meeting of his club, or enjoy a fire and friendly
society on a cold winter's night, it is natural that
he should resort there. The noble lord spoke in a
very amusing manner concerning the old notion
which so many people are apt to entertain that
every one should stay at home. In referenco to
this he very truly said that men in the richer
classes " having a great deal of time at
their disposal, and having materials for
making far more comfortable houses, do not
make it a universal rule to pass their evenings with
their wives and children." In fact, no greater mis-
take can be made than the error into which those
would-be Reformers fall when they make one rule
for themselves, and another for those beneath them
in the social scale. How far more sensible it is to
take up the matter in the spirit with which it is
treated in this speech, and to admit that there
exists a necessity for friendly intercourse, and that
when this is enjoyed in a comfortable and civilised
manner, it is not only a pleasure to the individual,
but a benefit to him intellectually and morally.

Every great town throughout the country ought

to follow the example which Birkenhead has
so well and worthily set, and the advantages that
must accrue from such establishments cannot be
over-rated. This hall is not intended as a school
in disguise, as a lecture-room, or an institute ; all
these things are very good in their way, but this is
intended as a club-room for all interests and pur-
poses, a place where men may resort and read the
newspapers, and talk and obtain refreshments with-
out running the risk of being disturbed by rough
and disorderly persons.
Lord STANLEY declared that their part of England
was very prolific in such affairs, and many reasons
existed why it should be. The spirit of enterprise
among the poople prevented them from " lagging
behind" when anything useful had to be done; and,
besides, they possessed more wealth than most other
places, especially among the artisan classes. A
third less flattering cause might be traced to the
fact that outdoor life was not so agreeable, and
therefore it was the more important to render in-
door existence more pleasant and profitable. Con-
siderable amusement was created by the noble lord
speaking as if he was in Lancashire, and then excus-
ing himself by saying that the Liverpool people felt
as if they had annexed Birkenhead long ago.
As Lord STANLEY truly observes, there seems no
danger to apprehend that the future prosperity of
the undertaking is not secure, and the name of Mr.
LAIRD is a sufficient guarantee that the arrange-
ments are sound and satisfactory in a business
point of view. " Independence," as the noble lord
said, "is a term very much abused." No one is
really independent but the savage. Civilised
society cannot exist unless the rich depend upon the
poor and the poor upon the rich, but the relations
between employers and employed will be better,
pleasanter, and easy, if, as Lord STANLEY remarks,
habits of proper independence and a sense of self-
respect are cultivated among working men.
Mr. LAIRD, who was very warmly received,
made an excellent address. Ile stated that they had
provided a workmen's ball, and it now remained
for the working-men of the place to prove their ap-
preciation of it by promoting its success. Mr.
LAIRD spoke very fairly and sensibly as regarded
the relations between men and masters, and truly
said that if the working classes wished they might
improve themselves greatly, and also benefit their
children. Earl GROSVENOR also addressed the
meeting, and expressed his great satisfaction at what
he saw before him. The noble Earl declared that
they were accustomed to the launches of great
vessels, and if that might be called a vessel
which they were launching that night, "it
was certainly not one of the least worthy of
those vessels which have been built on the shores of
the Mersey." In Chester they are attempting some-
thing of this kind, which they hope to inaugurate in
the autumn, and Earl GROSVENOR declared that he
hoped many of those around him would assist at
the opening, and they might thus best " run toge-
ther in the race of progress, which those tnstitutions
were established to promote; and so far as the rivalry
between them was the rivalry of doing good, they
would do all the good in a practical manner NN hich it
was in their power to do." It may be said that this
affair at Birkenhead is, in some respects, a work of
national interest and importance. Nowadays trade
and commerce are the chief objects of excitement
to many, and it is always a matter of great conse-
quence that those masses who arc employed in hard
and continuous toil should possess means of relaxa-
tion and objects of interest. The greatest credit is
due to those who have done their utmost to speed
the good work, and in thus coming forward to assist
their fellow-men they have showed themselves true
citizens of their country, and honest labourers in
the noblest cause that can engage attention, that
of conducing to the welfare and welldoing of all
classes of the community.

Great credit has been taken by the members o.
the late Parliament for their performances during
their last session, and certainly there were two or
three measures of great public value which under
their auspices passed into law in that period. A
gentleman has now arisen, however, to disturb a
little of their complacency, and to prove to them
that in regard to one import interest—the agricul-
tural—they did not achieve so much as was expected.
Mr. FLOYER, in addressing his constituents at an
agricultural dinner, observed that it was rather an
unfortunate thing, under the circumstances, that
the bill for the prevention of contagious diseases
among cattle and sheep had been thrown out last
year and not brought forward again this session.
Another point on which legislation might have been
advantageous was referred to by Mr. FLOYER,
namely, the collection of agricultural statistics. On
this head, however, the hon. gentleman was inclined
to agree with the policy of inaction, admitting the
advantages which would be derived from the col-
lection of a large body of statistics, but, on the
other hand, demurring to the inquisitorial charac-
ter of the inquiry proposed. Still this difficulty
might be avoided by a little trouble, and the
system of inquiry has been found to work well in
a neighbouring kingdom, so there is no reason why
farmers and agriculturists who submit to fill
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derive benefit themselves. The malt duty of course
came under discussion at Dorchester, and Mr. FLOYER
remarked that the bill for altering the mode of
assessing the duties on malt was the only one this
session which affected the agricultural interest ex-
clusively. As for the Malt Tax itself, Mr. FLOYER,
though an advocate for its total abolition, observed,
very justly, that it was a matter which must be left