The transition from a period of extraordinary peace and quiet
prosperity, to a state of war and exertion, is marked by a general manifestation of unselfish feeling in the British public, unprece- dented in our day. Whether in the popular eloquence of states- men and politicians, such as Lord John Russell's at Bedford and Bristol on subjects of education and the culture of the million, or public meetings to relieve distress in every shape—to succour lost Arctic explorers, to aid shipwrecked passengers, sufferers by fire, the dependents of the slain and the wounded soldiers in the East—the staple of the feeling is the same, namely, a desire to help those that want it. The subscription for the soldiers has taken many forms; has called into notice more than one chari- table fund and institution ; and while the Queen's Commission is concentrating the national desire to provide funds for the wi- dows and orphans of soldiers dying in active service, the Central Association, Lloyd's patriotic Consols for the benefit of naval pensionaries, asylums, schools, and the Central Association for the relief of wives and families as well as widows and orphans are courting the public favour, less in competition than in cotiperntion. It is to be presumed that the impulse to give will be encouraged as much as possible, and that the central authorities, possessing the confidence of the nation, having already testified their desire to meet the wishes of the entire community, will revise the whole subject and extend the relief to all objects which the genuine pub- lb has at heart.
