The trade dispute at Grimsby, which seemed likely to ruin
the town, was during the earlier part of the week believed to be over, 'out Friday's news points, we regret to say, to a con- tinuance of friction. Employers and men originally came to terms upon most points, but the men still insisted on arbitration, and as the masters rejected this there was a dead- lock. Then the Earl of Yarborough, who owns much of the district, intervened as "mediator," and the prospects of peace seemed hopeful. Since then,- however, there has been a re- crudescence of the arbitration dispute. Still, we do not despair, and expect that in the end the men who are now standing out will give in. If Lord Yarborough thus succeeds, it will be interesting to ask why should the great noble succeed when all manner of philosophers failed? We suppose the true answer is that both parties knew the noble liked them, that he could not be bribed, and that his counsel would not be based upon theoretic grounds. The oddest thing is that, owing to what Mrs. Oliphant called "the magic of rank," no one thinks Lord Yarborough's intervention impertinent, and that the beaten side, whichever it is, will in future be as kindly disposed towards him as the victors. One point comes out clearly in the struggle. The old English power of endurance, which is supposed to be wearing away, lingers still in English fishermen. These men faced starvation for what they, wisely or unwisely, thought their rights.
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