The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-20 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP TEE PUBLIC SOVRNALB.

The Times looks upon Mr. Gladstone's address at the
inauguration of the Wernith Mechanics' Institute as a
contribution to a matter which has thus far been built up
by successive contributions. As a national institution, a
form of social life, and a means of mental employment the
institutes are, as yet, a piecemeal affair. The greatest
thinkers, the best speakers, the largest hearts, and most
ardent spirits in the country are invited to give impulse
or éclat to the local movement—perhaps with a faint
hope of right guidance also ; and the result is
always something very adMirable and useful Ia
itself at least. As a contribution to an edifice
rising layer upon layer, Mr. Gladstone's speech
is timely and valuable. lie tells young men, what
it seems strange they should want to be told—that they
would do well to study our noble English literature and
language ; that the book of Nature is always open before
them, and that if their residence in towns put them at
some disadvantage in this respect, the run of a library
goes some way to compensate for it. Ile suggests French,
which in these days any young man can acquire with little
labour, and less cost, and which is always likely to be use-
ful. But he takes his stand, for the occasion, on our own
language, and on natural history. The advice looks at
first rather homely, as if Mr. Gladstone, by way of
saying a new thing, had picked up a very old one.
But the advice is really new when it has been long over-
laid with ambitious novelties, and is consequently wanted.
There is no disguising the truth that nothing good is
obtainable without some degree of labour, application, and
regular system. The vulgar ambition, indeed, is to amuse
oneself and instruct others; whereas the contrary is the
right aim ; we ought to spare no labour ourselves, and
aim at the amusement of others. There is no doing good
unless pleasure be mixed with it, and that will give a
relish to the hardest dose of doctrine and the most unpa-
latable truths. But when we come to the necessity of
study and system, the mechanics' institute betrays
its weakness as a movement rather than an insti-
tution. The young member wishes not only to
become acquainted with good English authors,
but also to he , imbued with their . sentiments, their
tone, and their style. He wishes not only to look
at picture books, and read some amusing descriptions in
natural history, but to learn to observe, to distinguish,
and to classify, so as to feel that he is mastering a field of
knowledge. Then, in these days, microscopes, apparatus,
and collections are necessary, even to understand the most
ordinary works on the subject. What is astronomy with-
out a telescope and other instruments, or without a little
mathematics? Thus, it becomes necessary to devote time
and money, to attend classes, and work for knowledge
as hard as one must for daily bread. Why not ?
The end is worth it. Any study of this sort is
found the cheapest of recreations, the most unfailing,
the least disappointing, and the surest source of amuse-
ment to friends and neighbours. Good microscopes, tele-
scopes, and collections of every sort whatewr, with stan-
dard works of literature and science, are cheap compared
with the indulgences even of artisans, not to speak of their
betters. There is nothing so costly as idleness ; nothing
so theap as mental cccupation ; and, though we still de-
siderate something yet to be done in our mechanics' insti-
tutes to make them really valuable for the study of
literature and the natural sciences, Mr. Gladstone has no
doubt indleated some of the best uses that can be made of
them.

If we flog garotters for their crimes, and soldiers and
sailors for breach of discipline, the Post sees no reason why
we should not flog the Fenians when they are convicted.
The principle is acknowledged that it is right and expe-
dient to employ exceptional penalties in exceptional
cases; and it is obvious to all that there never was
a stronger case of necessity for repressing odious and per-
ternatural crimes by means of exemplary stringent punish-
ments than in the matter of these Fenian outrages. There
is, therefore, every reason why the law should superadd flog-
ging to a term of imprisonment where the accused is con-
victed of participation in any crime of this sort for which
the punishment is not death ; and even where it is death,
there seems no good reason why flogging should not still
be enforced. If the dread of this penalty would—as who

can doubt ?—prevent intending Fenian criminals from car-
rying out cold-blooded and wholesale murders, the effect
would be merciful ever. to them, as it would keep them
cut of mischief, no less than to the innocent people who
would otherwise be blown to pieces, or burnt in their beds,
or, wl!at is even worse, consigneq to years of hopeless
misery by being reduced to maimed and helpless cripples
for life.

The Telegruh furnishes some useful information respect-
ing the duties which devolve on special constables. The
law respecting them is principally contained in an Act of
1831, "for amending the laws relative to the appointment
of special constables, and for the better preservation of
the peace." The first step toward nominating such
officers is an information of some creditable witness, on
oath, " that any tumult, riot, or felony has taken place
or may be reasonably apprehended" in some specified
district. There is no district in which a felony has
not taken place, and therefore the requirement is
somewhat perfunctory. When it has been complied
with, the magistrates may appoint, " for such
time and in such manner " as they think fit, a
sufficient number of household Cr 3 or others to
he constables. There is a provision that they
shall not be called upon to act for more than three
months. They have all such powers and immunities, and
are " liable to all such duties and responsibilities as any
constable, duly appointed, now has within his constable-
wick by virtue of the common law of this realm, or of any
statute or statutes." Also, under extraordinary circum-
stances, they may be required to act in a county adjoining
that in which they are serving. It will be seen, there-
fore, that the obligations attached to the office arc, theo-
retically, of a serious kind. The 'persons sworn in are
under orders, and may be lawfully summoned at any hour
like ordinary policemen. Li practice, however, their
duties have been almost nominal. The last occasion on
which special constables were sworn in in very large num-
bers was during the Chartist " demonstration" in 1848.
The Star finds itself enabled to agree, for once,with Lord
Ranelagh, and that is in his lordship's resolution of censure
on Sir Richard Mayne, which, however, was with-
drawn, at the meeting of Middlesex magistrates. In the
'opinion of our contemporary, the Chief Commissioner has
utterly failed to appreciate the nature of the situation. It
thinks it only too probable that during the next few weeks
some other plots of a similar kind may be projected. If
the police authorities should receive timely warning
of any such, what reason have we to hope that they
will take any measures more effective than the sta-
tioning of a few carefully-disguised officers near the
threatened place, with instructions to commit accurately
to memory the features of all suspicious persons ? Cer-
tainly we have no reason to hope for anything better
next time, if we are content to pass votes of thanks and
approval to everybody for everything done on this recent
occasion. All through this miserable Fenian rebellion
there has been too much relying on mere detection, too
little. on prevention. To this hour it has never been satis-
factorily explained why the Government, who knew be-
forehand from the revelations of informers all about the
projected outbreak of last spring, did not contrive to pre-
vent the outbreak from ever taking place. It is high time
• to inquire now whether we are not going quite too far on
a wrong principle.
The Daily News has a leader sheaving the advantages of
Councils of Conciliation, which, as in operation at Not-
tingham, have averted strikes and lock-outs for seven years
past. The good example set in that town has been fol-
lowed pretty generally throughout the counties of Not-
tingham, Derby, and .Leicester. The system is likely to
be introduced into one of the iron trades of Sheffield. It
is applicable to all branches of industry, and to every dis-
trict in the country. The proof that the scheme can be
successfully worked is ample and conclusive. The interests
of labour and capital demand its adoption. Stupidity and
prejudice will of course resist it. But even stupidity and
prejudice yield to interest. Let Councils of Concilia-
tion be established in the mining district of Cleveland,
and the ironmasters and ironworkers of Staffordshire and
South Wales will be unable to afford the expensive luxury
of lock-outs and strikes. Public opinion, once truly
informed, will enforce the suggestions of private advantage.
A community has a moral right to demand that labour
and capital shall find some means of settling their disputes
without plunging into the evils of a war which spreads
distress among thousands unconnected with the quarrel,
and disorganises soc.;,,ty over a wide area. The publica-
tion of Mr. Mundolla's lecture and of the reports of the
Council of Conciliation of which he is the president, and
the adoption of every practicable means of making known
the experience gained at Nottingham to capitalists and
labourers in all branches of industry, could not fail to
produce the most useful consequences.
The Stock Exchange, as we are reminded by the Stan-
dcrd, has been startled by the announcement that the
Midland Company want five millions more money, and
that this enormous sum, which probably the most solvent
of foreign Governments would be troubled to raise just
now at less than 6 per cent., is to be get by a fresh issue
of ordinary stock, which many people tell us is no security
at all. No wonder that even with a tragic of .n 2,000 a
week the quotation for Midland stock has fallen 10 or 12
per cent. during the last three days, or that after what we
have heard about other companies the candid confession
that OGO,OOO have been spent without parliamentary
powers has made the bears busy, and induced a large
amount of selling on the part of genuine holders. Of
course it is highly interesting to read of the way
in which engineers have burrowed under canals, slimed
over houses, and carried a grand trunk line, as it were,
on
a first floor twenty feet above the Euston-road, gg
thereby no end of storage room for coals and goods in a
couple of dozen cellars as large as churches. Equally,
exciting is it to hear that at one point the line is crossed
by the Fleet Ditch, and that at another it intersects St.
Pancras churchyard in a clever and artistic fashion. The
mischief is that this very passion for grand and difficult
feats of engineering has already proved fatal to the com-
mercial well-being of so many undertakings. lately
it was hoped and believed that the Midland has escaped
the contagion. How completely the announcement that
the company is now in want of five millions has dispelled
the illusion may he seen in the perturbed state of the share
market and in the frightful fall in railway quotation%