After a controversy which has extended over eight weary months this much abused Bill entered upon a now phase of existence last Tuesday, when—after passing its third reading in the Commons where the final division (246-123) gave the Government a majority of 123 (or two to one,) with which Mr. Balfour must have been well satisfied—it was sent up to the House of Lord's where it was immediatoly read for the first time. Last night the [debate on the second reading was opened by the Duke of Devonshire, now leader in the Upper House; he was followed by Lord Spencer who in a short and concise speech gave the various reasons the Opposition urge against its becoming law. {They were followed by the aged Primate who list month celebrated his eighty second birthday and has barely recovered from his recent indisposition. His remarks were listened to with great interest but there was an almost greater fear that effort entailed would prove beyond strength as, in the middle of his speech. Dr. Temple suddenly collapsed and sank into his seat evidently exhausted and it was only after an interval of about a mute that he was able to rise and cot tinue his argument which was that al though far from perfect the Bill was a movement "in the right direction and should receive a fair trial in order that "it might be seen how it would act when it began to work." His speech ended, the poor, brave, old man, who had left his home on a bitter might in. order to do what he conceived to be his duty, was led away by the Archbishop of York—at the door of the House his son was waiting to receive him and between them he was practically carried to his carriage and driven home. The scene must have been most pathetic more especially to some present whose memory.could carry them back forty years or more to the days when the brilliant Dr. Temple ruled at Rugby. Only a few days ago one of his old pupils was telling me how well he remembered a few of the private audiences he had with him there—and the after results of them which were not forgotten too quickly!
The Prime Minister not content with verbal eloquence in support of the Bill has surprised some of his admirers by issuing 'a manifesto on the subject, which has taken the form of a letter (now printed in pamphlet form) addressed to Mr. Middleton, chief agent of the Conservative party, in answer to Dr. Clifford's violent attacks which now seem.almost ancient history. Mr. Balfour appears to disapprove equally of his opponent's viows—which he says are demonstrably false, and of his method of conducting his' war against the Bill which he considers surprising in a man of his high character. The explanation he finds in the belief that Dr. Clifford is "the unconscious victim of his own rhetoric "—" the slave not the master of his style." "If he has to des-ibo a deputation "of nonconformist ministers presenting their case to the leader of the House of Commons nothing less will serve him as a parallel t! ther's appearance before the Diet of Worms," and so on. The letter is most clever and eminently crushing but one is inclined to wonder is it worth while?
The Penruddocke Case.
It is a long time since any woman acquired the same amount of unenviable notoriety as has been bestowed upon Mrs. Penruddocke, a lady of good family and lineage who has until just lately resided near Salisbury, and whose husband is entitled to write J.P..after his name. An account of her misdemeanours has bably been cabled all over the world-is wherever cables are laid. How that she il-treated her youngest daughter to such an extent that the matter was the talk of the villago—how the servants eventually wrote to the Society whose object is the protection of young children from cruelty. How they caitsed inquiries to be made and being satisfied as to their information interfered on behalf of the child with the result that the mother has been tried and convicted at the Old Bailey. All this must be well known by now, but the wave of public indignation which followed the trial and Judge Bigham's decision that the justice of the case would be met by a fine of fifty pounds can scarce-Ly be imagined. Every woman one met, and most men, seemed to be fairly bubbling over with indignation at the inadequacy of the sentence. At first I must own myself among the number but a tle reflection told me that perhaps in the leniency of the sentence lay the greatest punishment. The fine was paid and the woman free, but what will it mean, Free what? To be cut by everyone, pointed at everywhere, a social pariah for over. Already I hear that she and her husband have given up their home, probably never to return to it, and ther has been an outery in the district against the husband continuing even the title of a Justice of the Peace—one can hardly imagine his sitting again on the bench—in every respect their careers would seem to have ended—and all owing to a woman's ungovernable temper! I do not for. one instant believe that Mrs. Penruddocke intended to inflict lasting bodily harm on her child, but for some reason she disliked her (one has heard of such cases before) and seeing the child day by day was a constant source of annoyance to her, so she vented her anger on her whenever
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.