The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-05 00:00:00

TO 00111EBPONDILYTS.

Ad... Momenta hiti;nded Tor ..iiaPlipreee" Loudon livening
Paper, moot be at the °lnce, 10, bouverlestreet. by Two
d,lock on the day of publication.

Tnim Es'slamo. STILL WATERS BUN DEEP. Mew. A.
Wig... Chippendale, and Farrell Ilandamnes Amyl mad
A. Wigsa.—BUCKSTONII AT HOME —And BORROWING A
HUSBAND. Maim How, aad Campton Mid. Harris.

PITMEN'&

TIM WENDT% PERFECTION. Ram Rosby. Moore, and
Fttajiunes : Mims Mara/ and M. Oliver.—And °TRILL°.
Mr. and lira. Charles Kean.

LYCZT!IL

Tara EVENING. A SIIDar ATTACK. Mawr Shore and
Middle:Nub; MI Henrado and Mrs. Lear—And THE DLKSS
MOTTO. Mews. Yuchtor. Shore, Brougham, and Raymond .
Maws C. laden% K. Tam and Matort.l4.

Tem Emma, THE WIDOW AND ORPHANS.—FAITH,
HOPE. AND CHARITY, with Professor Pepper a adaptation of
Yr. Masa SPECTRAL ILLUSION.—And AURORA FLOYD.

NIGH NAT I/ AT LONDON BRIDOL
TN= DIY —Mariam Sta. 64s.....Aftenspos. LL 16a.
fu-aroasow—Nonsing. ..ADarsoes. la. 68aL

LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 5.

it there is among us any PASCAL disposed to
illustrate afresh the glory and vanity of human
greatness, Mr. GLADSTONE'S experience of the last
four-and-twenty hours is a pregnant example. The
greatest master of oratory has had to learn that
there are situations in which reason and eloquence
are worth nothing. The Citurcituoa had to deal
yesterday with a popular insurrection, and, on the
whole, may consider that, browbeaten and hustled
as he wait, he came much better than might have
been expected out of the hands of the mob. In
the morning • miscellaneous crowd of people,
mostly strangers to each other, and led by a
Prince of the Church and a Prince of the Blood,
poured into his house under pretence of
being • deputation, and held a meeting in his
rooms, to which he himself was with difficulty ad-
mitted. In the evening he was confronted in the
House of Commons by the friends and agenta of
e same people, who interrupted him with un-
mannerly sounds, and betrayed all the joy which
small men feel when they think they have got a
great man at a disadvantage.
Mr. GLaneromx's speech in the House of Com-
mons was • piece of demonstration to which the
country will do more justice than those who lis-
tened to it under the influence of a foregone con-
clusion, and of injunctions which they had
neither the spirit nor the liberty to disregard.
He proved most convincingly the justice of his
measure, which means the injustice of the present
state of the law. The acquired property of the so-
called charities shares the general protection of
the State. It is exempted to the amount of
250,0001. a year, or in other words, individual
taxpayers have to pay that sum in order that the
endowed "charities " may go free. To exempt
them from that payment is to give them the
money without acquiring thereby a right to say
a word as to its employment. The public
has appeared willing to forego its strict right,
and from the most kindly feeling to let the
money go. This is • sentiment to be respected,
even when it is misguided, and we regret that
Mr. GLADSTONE'S proposal was brought to a deci-
sion before the public was sufficiently informed of
all its bearings.. Because any one who will
read Mr. GrAnerortes speech this morning will see
that we shall not get at the truth if we
judge of the endowed charities of the country
generally by the institutions which have been
brought into the foreground during the last few
days, and which, owing to their partial dependence
on the assistance of yearly subscribers, are, on eie
whole, tolerably well managed. Great institutions
like those which were represented in Downing-
street yesterday make a large figure in the public
eye ; but the bulk of the property liable to Mr.
°LAWTON/ea taxation is diffused, and escapes
observation. Nothing is truer than the Crust-
CELLO/eft designation of the pernicious effect of
the small " charities" scattered over the length
and breadth of the land. Left in great part at
their last gasp, by hard fisted old sinners, who gave
nothing away in their life-time, they pauperise the
people, and destroy the sense of shame. They
turn the local population aside from industry,
Ind bring crowds of beggars to the spot. They
scarcely ever get into deserving hands. They
breed hypocrisy and intemperance, and in the
end increase the sufferings they were intended to
prevent There can be no excuse for exempting
such endowments as these from taxation. But
the House of Commons would hear nothing,
and Mr. GLADSTONE did wisely in withdrawing his
measure. It was very right of Lord PALMERSTON
to state that it had been brought forward with the
full approbation of the entire Government