The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-05 00:00:00

MR. GLADSTONE ON IRELAND.

Irishmen are, it seems, very much elated by a
passage in Mr. Gladstone's speech at Islington, on
Tuesday. " Although it is undeniably true," says
the Freeinan's Journal, "that fine words butter no
crumpets, nevertheless we accept Mr. Gladstone's
gracious reference to this island as indicative of a
considerable remembrance of the old country, and as
evidence oi. the part of the Premier of a just appre-
ciation of the artistic capacity of Irishmen." The
words of Mr. Gladstone were :
It has been sometimes supposed that the inhabitants of
Ireland were fitted only for agricultural pursuits—that
they were excluded from a large portion of those careers of
industry which were open to other men. Let any man
who wishes to estimate the faculties of Ireland in indus-
try and skill, and that admirable taste which appears to
distinguish almost every Irish production, and
which is itself, as France has long Hhe%vn us,
one of the great essential elements of mechanical excel-
lence and success —let any man who wishes to cure his
despondent estimate about Ireland, come within the walls
of the Workmen's Exhibition and he will go beyond
them, I am satisfied, with the conviction that the people
of Ireland have faculties not less adapted than those of
other countries to engage with energy and with success—
under circumstances, let ut hope, more favourable than
those that have commonly marked the history of that
country in former times—on the most favoured terms of
human enterprise and ingenuity.
TIIE HABITUAL CRIMINALS ACT.

The rigid enforcement of the provisions of the
Habitual Criminals Act all over the country would
beyond question, produce an immediate diminution
of crime. What can be accomplished under the
operation of the Azt by a determined magia-

tracy has been illustrated at Luton. The
magistrates resolved that the Act should
be energetically enforced. The result was imme-
diate. The criminal class, it is said, became miser-
able, S'JIIIB left the neighbourhood for "fresh fields
and pastures new," whilst others, finding their cus-
tomary occupation gone, enlisted in the army. The
convictions have in Luton diminished by nearly one
halt.. This is but a local result, but if the example
of the Luton magistrates were emulated by the
borough and county administrators of the law
throughout the country, a national decrease of crime
would speedily follow.

SCARLET FEVER.

The attention of the public has been directed to
the prevalence of scarlet fever, more particularly in
the London district. In England alone more than
60,000 persons died from the d isease in 1863 and
1864. The number of deaths from this cause regis-
tered in London lately has been 200 weekly. The
origin of scarlet fever poison is unknown to medical
science, but the way in which it is spread abroad,
and the means of destroying infection, are well ascer-
tained. If it were possible to isolate patients, and
to disinfect all clothing, bedding, and furniture at
the close of the illness, the spread of scarlet
fever would be stopped, and it is even
considered probable that in two months it
would have disappeared from the country.
It is, of course, difficult to carry out these sanitary
precautions to any full extent, the poorer classes are
unable to bear the restriction, and the richer ones
refuse to take the trouble which the necessary pre-
cautions engender. In order to obVlate some of the
evils occasioned by the spread ot this disease, it has
been suggested that every medical man who treats
an infectious virulent case should report the same to a
local authority, who might interfere, if necessary,
to enforce the adoption of sanitary measures, and
afford what assistance may be required. Should
such a scheme not suffice to prevent the spread of
the evil, the Privy Conneil might proclaim the in-
fected clistrict,and send officials to compel the removal
of the sick, or carry into effect other sanitary precau-
tions. Such an extreme step need be taken only when
it appeared evident that the medical profession or
the local authorities and inhabitants of a particular
place were unequal to the eflort ot dealing with the
disease, or unwilling to adopt the proper means of
disinfection. If it were once recognized as a
principle that an infectious disease must be registered
in order to secure the safety of the community,
public opinion would do the rest in the matter.