The North Cumberland Reformer. — 1890-09-18 (Carlisle, Cumbria, England)

REVOLUTION.  MUST every revolution be smeared with blood, and be heralded by the cries and groans of murdered men? How is it that the rulers and commanders of nations will not listen to the prayer of the down-trodden and oppressed till the prayer becomes a curse, and the crushed masses rebound upon their tyrants with grim and terrible reprisals? In France, in Russia, in Switzerland, in Ireland, in Armenia, in England, the same sad truth lives on, the leaders of nations are blind. They who should be guides and helpers of the people have used their power to oppress and enslave the masses committed to their care. Long-suffering are the poor of every country. They are not blood-thirsty, they are not exacting, they are the opposite of being unreasonable. But hard is their lot, and terrible are their temptations. Around them are a few who are of the like flesh and blood, who are born into the world as they are born, who depend as they do on -God's air for breath, on God's light for vision, on God's earth for bread, but who, by some mysterious arrangement, are rich while they are poor,—have more than abund ance while they starve,—are living in luxurious ease while they toil and struggle through all their troubled life in the grim wrestle against famine and nakedness. And the poor know that the strength of numbers, and the desperation of horrible suffering, and the strong sense of cruel injustice are with them; yet they hold themselves still, and only venture to ask in mild terms-for redress, for justice, for the right to live, and to sometimes rest without the inevitable back pull of the current of dire necessity. And the purse proud, the haughty, selfish usurpers of tbe rich lands and rolling wealth of the nations meet the plea of the poor with scorn and with persecution; or they seek to crush out manhood by doles in charity of that which is the earned right of the toilers— the God-meant heritage of those who by sweat of brow and brain make wealth, and cover the earth with monuments of skill and aids to sustenance and to comfort. It is long before the dream of possible freedom, by means of their own strong arms, grows into a practical hope—longer still before the thought of vengeance upon the cold, scoffing usurpers of the people's shares in the wealth of the world. Revolution is not their first step, it is their last resort. In England the day of revolutions in blood and fire are gone for ever. They take other forms to-day, and quietly, but not less surely, work to their end. The Trade Union Congress, that has so recently been held, is a phase of this bloodless, but potent revolution. Yes, and in it are found elements that are to the honour of the mighty union of toilers, comprehended by representation in this congress. And the new President is a man who nobly, consistently, and practically carries out his Christian character in all the walks of his life. Revolutions in which such men as Mr FENWICK and BEN TILLETT are in the forefront cannot, in the long run, be otherwise than benedictions to the nations, from the plodding day-labourer to the royal throne.  Stow work, this recreation and play-ground business. It may be the better for that in the long run. Haste does not necessarily mean speed; and we are taught that it may sometimes mean the contrary. But, with all due allowance granted, we do think that some greater progress could be made, and, we venture to add, would have been made had the interests involved chiefly been those of the wealthier, and therefore less needy classes, instead of the poorer, and therefore more dependent people. The summer is well nigh gone; the long days, with open evenings, are at an end for another year; and all through the months of light evenings, the children of the poor, and the lads and young men of the working classes have waited vainly for the promised, or as good as promised play and recreation grounds. But it is not yet too late; and some practical movements are beginning to evolve out of the many suggestions and much planning. It may be that the Sauceries will be inaugurated as a city play-ground by a Corporation football match, the present mayor officially kicking off.