The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-27 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PtrBLIC JOURNALS.

The Times considers that the native spokesmen At tile
Exeter meeting have rather overdone the case of the Deer
shire labourer. They have made their county too much 1;4 II
paradise. They describe the happy man quite sure of
master, and sure of sufficient pay for work not lu3kT°
excessive demands on his time, his sinews, or his hraw"
He has a good cottage at a low rent, cheap firing in 5
climate that does not require much, cheap corn and flour,
and, more than all, a cheap and pleasant drink which Pe.s.
sesses extraordinary fascination for those who are born to.it.
This is a world of continual change ; and even Devonshire
has its past, its future, its dangers, and its drawbee*t
Its present state is not the relic of a golden age, but
a very passing stage in a rapid progress within the
measurement of any middle-aged man. This is just ul:e
has been forgotten by the social picture painters. 111.6
subject matter is not a group of professional models 111
a. glass case, or in a gilt frame, but men, welr'euti
and children, partaking of our common nature and
of our national and very changeful fortune!.
Not the least questionable feature in these Plc;
tures is the constant allegation that the hilioure'i;":l
our western counties is himself perfectly
r.
with his lot ; most of all with the payment of a large
tion of his wages in cider. It must be admitted that 1"
is a substitute for the public-house, and that it also Or
tails domestic indulgence. But if cider seldom intoxicate9'
its effects are hardly less marked anti peculiar. F 43 al
routine, for any perfectly simple industry, for the see' r
that can be measured by yards, linear, superficial, es.
solid ; for an errand as simple as that of the bullet al I
charged from the gun, the habitual cider-drinker is as and
as any other man ; but if be has to lock about hits,
beware of possible dangers; if he has to mind machiner 8
avoid the edge, the strap, the bar, or the wheel; if therel9t,lo
least complication, or addition, or anything to cell'
parliamentary language, a rider to the bill, he is sure
be floored ; so also if he has to trust to his memory'
understand a paper. It is impossible to regard this 1451 y
local question. The attempt is inhuman. The :tijpc
parallel is to be found in the folly or wickedness
taiu
legislators who used, not so very long ago, to male
that the potato was the proper food of the ITishil':l-;(:
mendicancy his poor law, and, by parity cf reatideng:i. it
inillet his legal remedy. The British Association wh:;00
is hoped, serve to transfer some of these local que°,tl
to the proper place in the national arena. It is nel',l,
county or another that is here concerned ; it is the svmso
country, and all its inhabitants, for every day brings till

more together.
0 0
The Standard thinks that the fact that there is %lies
against strikes flews the elasticity of the ste"
which are so obnoxious to the Congress. When we The
the element of compulsion, we find the whole tenor of
it
law arrayed against the unions. It is impossible to put
check upon moral compulsion, but anything like °I ory
intimidation or physical force comes clearly withillfee.
scope of the law. The truth is that unionism is ari'lo
nistic to individual freedom. Its leading
is that personal liberty must be seeiii;ee%•
so
the common good, and hence the workman "big
refuses to join the union connected witittlen
trade is regarded as au enemy to be fought fa
somehow or other. lle may claim the right to w°l. he
any master whom he pleases, and for any wage wiliet is
may think suflicicut, but if he exercises his judgme' to.
proportion to the union he clues so at the peril of his c°to
fort, if not of his safety. We need scarcely say ti'ooo
do not charge the atrocities of the Sheffield unionises ac•
the unions as a body, but there is no doubt that the pips
tico of picketing is regarded as perfectly legitimete'aieb
Mr. Shorrocks said in the carefullpdrawn
p,per 1
formed the point of departure for the discussil
Wednesday, the answer to those who object: seelr
picketing was that the unionists "have a right '4.1,013
out and claim their fellow working men." Put how wit
following them from the shops where they work to '
.ct 9?
homes, and abusing and mobbing them in the st'iviot
We know, and Mr. Shorrocks knows, that this is u sed
picketing means; but how is the practice to be discoof
if it is held out to us as part of a system of moral swsort
The principle of compulsion by intimidation of scaletat to
is at the very root of trades unionism, and it is dif., •
it,
understand how the system can be worked apart fee be
It is not less obvious that the Legislature can ne.o'os go
justified in strengthening the position of the Mu
long as that principle is upheld, f 3 bad
The Telegraph observes that to make the best 0
too
bargain, is the impulse which almost invariablY
Englishmen who have fallen into any tribulation, 141;0
or otherwise ; so that we may safely anticipate 3
roge•
and attentive consideration for the scheme ofiitd
nient just announced by the liquidators of the Affir:tie of
Assurance Company. The most valuable characteTicb it
the report just issued is the forcible contrast viiivos
points out between a policy of angry obstruction 3 pjf
as
of sensible compromise. The liquidators reolaurbat 31/
the simplest means of making both ends meet, " their
creditors of the company abandon so much ofto ao
rightful claims as will reduce the total owe
amount not beyond what the property aTi ~,`iris
of the company may be able to inect. _ the
that compromise to be effected, it is considered t:.O
company, reconstructed, and managed with care; Os
cretion, would be able to meet all its engsgetney.,/,'
shareholders, in return for this immediate saer'
offered shares in the new and remodelled corlV,P.,tove°
a reversion of the profits that may follow on its to)il
11,0
business, after the claims of the policy-holders slilia
been met. We should add that another featre
scheme of reconstruction is the provision ,rese'
safeguards against the evils which have led to thee I'ooo
and
constitutionliabili liabilities e so
of
embarrassment. An actuarial investigation °: the
i
etrhye third ear
sceoemarpaiistyt'o'—bae "PPaarrt'i hiyeresit
hope, which both share and policy-holders, pared
warn. _ dap
events will not allow to remain a dead letter,or te
in
cere
opi
rate into a merely formal and perfunctoryers gad
We will here remark only that both sharellTe-i Alloy;
creditors will be exceedingly ill-advised if t fool the
themselves to be tempted by any consideration ins
hit
one urgent task before them—that is, to dete ffeeteem
the evil done may be soonest remedied or most on on t'w
kept within manageable bounds. Their dice's' tziey
matter by no means precludes a searching
ins
the past. eesti°ll'
T to e
q
he Daily News says that quite apart frog' the
as to the morality or immorality of " Forra°sl4' uth
worth while to consider whether there is anY ttrertainreentl
allegation that a better class of dramatic ea ugly Pc,
will not " draw." Undoubtedly there are some pot till,
in support of the statement. Mr. Chatterto :ere
only manager who has failed to make ShakeePo tid!:
Iligh-class tragedy and comedy have late/3'
.1) of
cloud, and unless we except the productio7droas
Robertson, nothing is eminently successful bliest_o 7bthooge,
excitement and burlesques. Purely poetic drt
" Comus," " Manfred," and "Acis and Gale
ae„tion---°„co
the last-named has music for its main attrov
evert
no great place in the popular esteem : 400101;
representation of human character, apart fro::
at pre!. 0,
and breathless incidents, seems powerless Jt ;oil, la z;',4
to secure any large amount of regard. Af„ attree4l
probable thing that as many persons would drama of rr.of
to the plays of Shakspere as to an exciting
.d_,Aracte▪ 0/
or quasi-real life ? Consider the intellectualrhetherti:lo
the vast majority of the people, and then 81,ln
_'vriejge, lio
possess the mental calibre, the acquired kceastatost:o.,
educated taste, or the gravityof disposition ne
nd their
_v;
appreciation of works which, however profou.a their dead
in our common humanity, are poetical
10013
little
lopment, scholastic in their form, .10
complex in their allusions, occasioniol.utied
obsolete in their language, and not seldom . 'Lone eV:O.
ideas; or-fashioned after the manners, of a
rent
and
that
DY6,
We repeat, that there is a public for these g
derful works ; but it is a small public contioarrethe iftt.'.`oo
which goes to see the " Streets of London a
supers
.ioloo,
of Leave Man." Shakspere is very In" ) hot
is
with the English people: He is worsrelaelosebolst as,
rantly. The million buy his plays, bec3 ; them ;y•a
supposed to be decently furnished with_ou
_mica
.s.lsoci
a rule they do not read them. Now, the w
amused ~pere•
give their shillings to a manager to be.. shas
Iloucicault is found more entertaining t,33
e the.
Boucicault will carry the day
oar i° t of
Star, that as we have been lately reforerilee _
tions, and so far growing wiser,* itself 12°,0 our Os', tl
It may seem, at first thought, foo
"honours" has been expanding itsell that, as an
administration ; but a reason probab!3'l, 1,011.0y:30 ats!
power of substantial jobbini, has clenr'.'l,„ psi dams
After
__biog.
decorations furnish substitutes for solidgratlf/I pudul wheP
slaking the thirst of patronage.
disappeared empty praise is better than
the toys of childhood have been thrown ,"
riper Is
" Scarfs, garters, gold, amuse Inan'siaintY ru°rsel
And ribbons and stars are the accepted • tiatten
tilet
grosser food. If there could be none to mi.„ few}
corruption in polities, which has beforie;ut` iliteh;se"
and pure-spirited Ministers emPowere: v-er°
Majesty forlhonours, honours, and if the honour %earl Pand 11;,01.1,
we might hope to keep clear of jobs mud
~!!‘,
justice. But we are now dein
and departments of orders, and decorativnliliar exilept,,o ged with oisa:etr"e'jrug)sec•iieri,;,
Order of the Bath itself has bee.,ine "!, arrangel!o„ can
for political uses-- to smooth Ministerial
lid tliat.Y,,ioass'",
and quiet angry tongues. It will bo j?ien,
never dispense these honours 10: ii„ve L'opeul,
dissatisfaction, and g,runiblim.r. 670gan
all? What is tlw real use of them? I".
t of "ve,fsell°•'s
ing of " honeurs" as a puerile element
)1.
littr
And is not tbio the pith of the ohl „Tot f(...,0tte,.;
taught pride"—" These little things, <1117„ I', this It, th'i
man?" We have been greater than N%.e
long °lngres°.
It is not so ,roli
respect to frivolous nations. I cgs at the `-'lOl g
Castlereagh's plain simplicity of r _ e 0
We used to pride ourselves on
out
aroun- - 114ifter
Vienna was admired as a relief to the tl I' h
bedizenment of continental ambassadors
litical
amuse Po the orpvots
creation of orders of honour may .
or serve t od,
who think such work statesmanship., do not
of political tricksters ; but such
.things
producing e. Idettri
good progress, nor do they supertori.-Yee jr,o7i
1 1 std
reforms of
effects designed and desired in our
laturel