, 1861-04-02
AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.
Eho o1aTMatAges OF Railroads and Tel.
graphs: Questioned by Feers :. =. 5
&. !. - -. In E4f4latuenk. ~

In the Brittsh House OF Lords there Was
debate the ether day which, the London 1Ya5e8
sayx, an old lnnnger at the bar Of the House
might have happ1Sed to b - Past ~ s parcel
ton IN his buyhood. E. ~. j.. !. :: ::
Our readers. will cofnctia with the 1sms
when we Inform them that two noble peezs,
e&ch bf great influence In his Own circle, were
aucceaalVely addressing the House, and were
repeating, In this latter half Of the nineteenth
century, the common:places against railroads
It y wonderful to mark the perttnaeity With
which some Of the older people Of Great Bril-
tain, even those Of unqaestioned intelligence,
cling to their prejudice against the enterprise
OF the nge. Improvements which have added
immensely to the prosperity and wealth q
their country are looked upon with suspicion
and Jealousy. Ths Inventions which the fer.
tile and ingenious brain Of the century has SO
multiplied, are deprecated a. innovations like
y to disturb the pesce Of society The gopd
old days Of the stage-coach and spinning
wheel IRE 1puged for, and lamented as the best
the country; ever knew. =
:. Now:in all this there is much that ID natural,
bnt when The learned gentlemen Of the House
OF Lords In the year 1851, coolly question the
advantages Of tie railroad .8nd the utility OF
tie telegraph, the matter becomes not q little
surprising
/, Lord Derby has eyer shown bitter hostility
to the steamboat and the railroad. tt WIS he,
II We mistake not, who proposed to eat the
boiler OF the frat Of the former that: crossed
the Atlantic in safety He was the proper
man, therefore, to take prominent part IN
the discussion to which the Ifn,es refers, but
ne Gre surprised to note that hta views met
the sympathy Of the energetic and philan-
thropic sonin-law Of Lord Palmerston, the
Earl Of Sh2ftesbury.- -,
The matter :unaer discussion vas the pro..
priety Of allowing certain railway companies
to extend their rails into various parts Of Lon
don. Lords Derby and ShaftesbQry objected,
and among other grounds which they assumed
was the strange one that portions OF the ne.
tropolis, where s' human beings are huddled
together in filth and Equalor, aud without dis
tinct{on Of age or sex, in nlyentilated, Hire
paired, n-drained, and il-roofed dwellings,"
would be disturbed by the extension.
:. Now II there IL anything whereby the moral
ard physical well being Of the poorer classes
Of London has been advanced within the past
ten years, 1t is by the opening Of various broad
and inviting streets through the localities
they have been wont to congregate Thereby
dark lanes, dreary alleyways And confined
Wnlks have been exposed" to the light Of day,
and clear air abandant1y supplied In lien Of !.
the poisonous atmosphere before existing,
White Chapel district, furnishes striking In
stance Of the good result Of such an improve
ment. To be sure, as the Times tntimates,
hundreds Of the residents of such loathBome
localities are driven to the rural districts by
the destruction Of their buildings, but who
that knows the stupid tenacity with which the
Londoner clings to his old residence, however
abject, will not think any measure calculated
to drive him hence highly desirable?
In forcing from their haunts that part of the
London population whose profession Is thieV-
ing, and who practice crime from childhood to
the grave, such improvements have been of
the greatest value, and in this light we are
especially surprised at the ground assumed BY
Lord shaftesbuy, the consistent friend Of
social reform.
There may be good reasons why railroads
should not be granted additional privileges in
London, but that By granting them the wretch
ed districts Of that metropolis will be invaded
and disturbed, is not one Of them.-M T. Are,