The Press. — London, England, 1858-09-18 00:00:00

900 THE WEEK. OUR readers will probably have observed in some of our morning contemporaries an announcement that a material change has taken place in the management of THE PRESS. That announcement is per fectly correct. THE PRESS has been placed under an entirely new Direction, and we feel it to be our duty to explain to the public generally, as well as to the especial supporters of the Paper, what changes in conduct will or will not follow upon the change in manage ment. With regard to the treatment of political questions, there will be no essential departure from its former course. TIER PRESS will continue to maintain those fundamental principles which it has always advocated, and will give an independent support to the Government of Lord DERBY. With regard to other matters, however, there will be a considerable alteration, and, it is hoped, a considerable improvement. It is proposed to make the Paper of more interest than it has hitherto been to general readers, and increased prominence will be given to subjects connected with Literature, with the Drama, and with the Arts generally, the treatment of which will be intrusted to the highest talent which can be commanded. The address delivered by Sir GEORGE GREY at the annual dinner of the Northern Union of Literary and Scientific Institutes at Ain% ick, on Tuesday last, is remarkable rather for the skill with which the Right Hon. Baronet contrived to include within it every topic belonging to his subject than for any original observations delivered thereupon. Perhaps, how ever, there is nothing very new to be said on such occasions. Now and then, indeed, at these assemblies the utterance of some deeper thought or more felicitous illustration than usual marks the presence of a man of genius. But such instances are rare, and to Sir GEORGE may fairly be conceded the praise of having treated all the ordinary heads of such orations in a clever and agreeable style, and one admirably adapted to the comprehension of his audience. To comment on his speech in detail would lake an essay; but one or two of his remarks seem capable of some sli t .;' t additions or explanations of a briefer character, which accordingly we pi. rose to offer. " The tavern and the alehouse," said Sir GEORGE, " will bt. frequented whatever prohibitory laws you pass, whatever " restraint., ynu attempt to impose, so long as the tavern and the alehouse " are the onl) resource which the working man has where he finds social " relaxation auti intercourse." This remark, though tolerably obvious in itself, may be ill ' , rated and confirmed by the somewhat analogous refor mation effected in the higher classes through the agency of modern clubs. The old-fashioned club, with its ordinary and its card-room, was little more than a highly exclusi7e tavern. And there is no saying to what ex tent the convivial habits of ou- frandfathers were owing to the absence of any other kind of relaxation. Lven at the present day, where habits of intoxication still linger among young men of the class of gentlemen, it is in the frequenters of taverns rather than of clubs that these jovial spirits are to be found. Books, newspapers, and magazines have proved victo rious over the bottle even in the case of men who may, it they choose, be reading all day long. An easy chair in the library and two or three friends alongside with whom to exchange criticisms have pretty nearly beaten punch, port, and claret off the table. And if this result has followed where the recreation to be obtained had in itself no general novelty about it, how much more may we expect it to follow where the contrary is the case ? This is the hopeful side of the mechanics'-institute system—its ability to wean the lower classes from intemperance and general grossness. But we must not shut our eyes, like Sir GEORGE, to the other side of the question. " The time," says he, "is happily gone by, too, I may add, when the fears "or apprehensions of one class of society can stand in the way or raise a "barrier against the enlightenment and education of the great body of " another." That some such prejudices as Sir GEORGE here alludes to were once, and still are, to be met with in certain circles, we would nat under take to deny; but no sensible people ever meant to say that knowledge was a dangerous thing per se for any class of the community to possess. The familiar proverb about " a little learning " points to imperfect rather than to contracted information—as if, for instance, a man should know that any two mineral substances taken together are a useful medicine, but did not know that separately they were a deadly poison. That stage of knowledge would be exactly what is meant by " a little learning." This illustration is equally applicable to moral or political philosophy. Con science without intellect, or intellect without conscience, is each in its way more injurious than beneficial to human progress. The first may readily be converted into a recipient of the most grovelling superstition ; the second is too apt to generate a tone of thought at variance with man's instincts, and to prejudice mankind against philosophy by severing it from human sympathies. It is by the union of the two that the real advancement of mankind is to be sought. And he whose undisciplined faculties are permitted to drink in the tenets of either school of teachers exclusively b. - Tomes liable to all those dangers attributed to a "little learning." Either Cardinal WISEMAN or Mr. BUCKLE, if taken alone, is equally fatal to a correct appreciation of the facts of man's history. In the celebrated illustration of Sir J. MACKINTOSH on the subject of superficial reading, quoted on this occasion by Sir GEORGE GREY, there is a point wanting in the analogy which just makes all the difference. If all books were equally good and true, and consequently the whole stream of litera ture equally wholesome, the analogy would be perfect. But, unhappily, this is not the case, and some of the vapours arising from it are as noxious THE PRESS, SEPTEMBER 18, 1858. and destructive as others are pure and fertilizing. It i s unpleasant to be compelled to find fault with any of the amiable and philanthropic theories of the present day ; but the path of knowledge has always been a thorny one, and few can tread it with real success and safety who are n o t p repared for is difficulties by the discipline of early education. The Wars of the Railways will be as memorable as the Wars of the Roses. Both, also, in different modes have occasioned the rise and fall of reputations, the collapse of fortunes, and the extinction of dynasties. i n both has the process been incessantly renewed whose result was pro verbially recorded as " reducing nobles to ninepence." But as the low , struggle between York and Lancaster terminated in a marriage, so w e h av e sonic ground to hope the deadly feud between competing railway com panies may be healed by arbitration. A Conference of railway delegates, comprising the immediate representatives of eighteen companies, and expressing, as it, is understood, the " sentiments " of many more, has recently held its sittings in London with this special object in view. Some notable progress has already been effected, quite sufficient to afford ample encouragement to the members of the Peace Society in their efforts to compose animosities among another class of potentates. At the last meeting of this Conference, held a few days since, the following resolutions were affirmed : 1. That the rates and fares on the several railways of the kingdom should he so fixed as to realize the largest amount of net profits, due regard being had to the interests of the public, 2. That where any two or more companies interested in any particular traffic fail to agree among themselves as to the rates and fares to he charged, the points in dispute shall be referred to arbitration. 3. That where two or more routes exist between any two points, the rates, fares, sad charges between such points shall be equal. 4. That this meeting strongly recommends the settlement of all differences between railway companies by arbitration, instead of by recourse to law, or to excessi a sea ruinous competition, and that powers be sought fir from Parliament, in the eluting session, to enable any two or inure railway companies to settle all disputes by arbitration. To substitute arbitration for costly lawsuits, or the still more destructife weapon of " competition "—as sharpened and wielded between railway companies—will be, no doubt, a great boon to everyone connected with railway interests. This, be it remembered, comprises no small section of the general public. From a return lately issued it appears that the gross amount of capital called up and invested in railway shares in the United Kingdom was 315 millions on the 31st of last December, and might at the option of the various Boards be increased to 388 millions, including about 96 millions advanced upon loan notes and debenture bonds. But the great drawback to all these attempts at settling differences past, present, or to come by any scheme of arbitration is the voluntary and there fore temporary character of such arrangements. The Conference, as their fourth resolution shows, on their own part only venture to " recommend" arbitration; and even in the bill which they intend to prepare for presen tation next session they go no farther than to ask permissive powers, under which two or more companies may be " enabled " to settle their disputes by reference to some selected arbiter. Much more than this is evidently required. Arbitration, to be of any real use, must be made compulsory, binding, and permanent. Other wise the most judicious arrangements may be overset by some trifling accident. An ambitious secretary, a chairman with new fangled-notions, or some personal pique among the members of different Boards, may effectually disturb the peace of the railway world, and commit the leading companies to an internecine war, in which, if no one is killed, many hundreds may be effectually ruined. In the interests of a body of subjects whose number and importance may be computed from the fact that i n the aggregate they own property valued at nearly 4 00 millions , the Legislature is required to interpose its protection, and shield them from the disasters which the truculence or even the zeal of self-constituted Boards of Directors threaten to inflict. At any rate, it behoves the Government to give fixity and permanence to the wise resolves now arrived at by the representatives of railway interests. The members of the Conference, for example, represent a constituency whose investments excee d 150 millions. As they have decided in recommending a system of arbitration, Parliament is entitled to fix them to that conclusion ; and, by providing some tribunal of arbitrement sufficiently endowed with intelligence and impartialty,.to insist that the disputes henceforth arising between any railway companies or boards should be referred to that Court, and finally settled by its decisions. The result, we are convinced, would be profitable to the share holding public, while it would insure manifold advantages t o that still wider public who have occasion to travel by railway, and whose co: venience is at present scandalously neglected whenever it pleases their high mightinesses, the directors of contiguous lines, to get up some quarrel among themselves. A ludicrous story has lately been going the round of the p a p ers in relation to an " illustrious" companion of Cardinal WisuatAs. The Monsignor, it seems, having promised an early mass to the inmates of a nunnery at Ballinasloe, presented himself at the gate of the establishment before the fair inmates were afoot, and made such a disturbance with the . knocker that a policeman or street-keeper considered it necessary to interfere. With a humour rather British than Hibernian, he desired the impatient ecclesiastic, whose true character was concealed beneath a large cloak, to "go home to his wife, and tell her to take care of him." To dus very police-like piece of advice his Reverence replied that he was " wedd eu , here," indicating by a jerk of the head the ladies of the relig ious establish' m , ent. Horrified at this shameless avowal of the principles of Mr. Josh' 11 SMITH, exaggerated by blasphemy, the moral and devout uffi . e r of . the night at once laid violent hands upon the offender, and, dragging him along the streets, thrust hint head foremost into the station. Po . llcre however, fortunately for Monsignor, it fell out that a faithful daughter of the Church was engaged in the humble honest occupation of scouring the floor. Shocked at witnessing Monsignor. ... w•I ut Iv in .iii 01 ti n] cl s( w h rt k a I I Ii 1 1 i 1 1 1 i 1 1 : 1 l 1 i I [ • r r o ( ~ , 1 , ( r s e e c .5 )f 0 Le !, It LI :0 ,s is II ir le n ie a it is xi is ;e is 4 1- .11 Cr Lg c- at at Ir. I