New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-08-05
DfCIYNE or SoRuANIsN ~ ENGLAND

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Won have recently published on this and Kindred sub
iects and especially regards me progressive oee9s
of N,,,r,n in stitn,ions and influence as shown la
charges in the British law and the tenure OF land
Bn, there is another curious Illustration OF INC current
Of event. in England. which you have ho' aIuied 'o
and which Yet secvls WORTHY oi some S'en',"n' -
allude to the present universal Beard movement as
Is caled-ard a singular revolt against Normsh.sh "
is The Nornans tire shsyen-iaces' the >aNons
ever the bearded. The Nounanizcd courtier. OF Ed-
ward the Contcssor's Court were distinguishes ~
their smooth Eases: and the last rebellion OF the
>aNouS against the Norman rule, al the time wheh
Richard CGur de Lion Fourth in descent from 10"
ConQuercr) was absent in Palestine, was headed by
nan of SsNon birth called William Lengobard from
his long beard For more than century after the
Norman Conquest the iuSurgeut ard OUTLAW Ssxons
were DISTINGUISHED by the beard. \ shayen face was
th, SIGN Of submission and ensavement. What, then:
does the resumption by the AngO->axon OF his beard
rortcrd' Ills approaching emancipation IL seems
so srd characterstically the innovation was made by
the empovts attached to those new elements of Saxon
power the railroads
And tho Norman dynasty of England. how fares
i, amid this environment OF change Is ns'ui h!Sh
RAILWAY King" Of ls4J-6, George Hudson; ne wass
short.Eyed rival his reign lasted bur the orie hey
day Of the K;;road Carnival. lie Is no" ,ul'etso'o
dethToned eX-hing: but there are man! true 'hi,Ss
spoken in Jest and his m0mentary tlfie ana power 'u
indeed typify something in the great Development o.
railO that was really sntagonlsue To ana ore Jay
destined to rival the regal sly Leland d ty The year
l-41 witnessed the establishment of the hrst clearly
dwiGtRds;ic paper IN England la RsPp6hodn; IL
Lst,d about TIVE years At the commencement of tho
year 1851 successor was started. The EHgiis' Re
pubic" edited By y, }. Linton. an eminent artist oil
the finest culre ardent convictions bold ana eio lucn'
specch This organ OF opinion is now nrin, cs'as.
lishsd and comparativclswel known i's eAs'Vuo"
remarkable as bringing ont the iac1 'na' tn constant
snJ earnest advocacy of Republican opinions and tho
" design of forming Republican party" meets with
no distraction from tho Government officers OF Eng
land AZ the present 2ay This was not always thc
case. -. -, I r.oo,
tho GENTLE eunence of Windsor Castle msy De orne"
toward fha sou,n cast, cleaning on the sure! mus,
the Palace of the ,SSeSon pcopl'-'he marye In
achievement Of their wealth Ia. N''u.o' nv S,
artistic excellence and rude strength la -,
Palace at Sydenkam are TO be found wonders, rarIn.~
and beauties ccpsing those of the Seigneural abode
of England's Norman Monarchs Shades of the Plan
tagcnets Is il not strange thing and violation Of
all sumptuaTy laws for Joint Stock Company OF
traders TO Guido their sovereign and on the 10th OF
June the Saxon people compelled the present wearer
of the crown of the Norman Conqueror to come down
from her batemented towers and surrounded by
her Court her ally of Portugal aud the chief digna
res in Church and State 10 do homage TO their ri-
umphsnt hanliwork. Few present may have under
stood the import of that scene; TO the eye OF History
il is none the less apparent For the first time on tho
heraldry were not in the ascendant oyershs!0wiDg
,n-,, all oyershadoNing the canopy Of State aud
prince Abcrt's arms. hung the large banners bear
ing the Device " Honor TO Labor = ana the Chet
Director, Mr.. Laiug, in his address to the throne.
could not help touching, however deicaely the real
moral Of the scene:
"Itwas hoped to prove that the spirit of free people
cannot only wealth. extend commerce and colonies
and take the lead in every department OF moral and ma
tera progress but can at the same tune rronest
works of absolute monarch avshng he resources OF ma
tons in tho decoration of fayOte residence or tho en-
Enlistment Of chosen capital
Novel words these 20 be uttered in the ears OF Roy
atty But in truth Che power OF the Crown Is slowly
pershing net from the open attacks OF the people,
but from the Pilvy aesre.sons of the aristoeracy.
Eh6se doctrine OF government by Parliamentary ma
oritcs and alternate asccndcncy OF the Tory aud
Wing great families Systematically ignores the exist
ence and authority OF the Crown. AS this process ~
merely tie transeIence of power from section Of
Nouanism to another it. recital pertains not to our
subject.
; ICthc current be indeed running, as we have said.
il obt 70 manifest it's action in the literature AMI
literary movements OF the day for Literature 10 tho
expression of society,"" and it has so mantle 'ted
itself In 1919 Sir Edward Buwcr in the preface to
his beautiful historical novel; Harold the Last OF tho
Saxon Kings" thus emphaticaly atteSted the exist
cnce of an intellectual Normansn, which, as we shall
show the last few years have done much to break
1.-The main consideration which long withheld ms
from the task was in my sense OF the unfamilary Of
so to speak, with the phy3iogn0my OF period ante
igawl,aHona The Norman Conquest
WAS our Trojan war-an epoch beyond winch our
learning seldom induces our Imagination to ascend
Compare the historical romance in respect both to
It's accuracy of knowledge and pervading anmis OF
treatment with Sir Waiter SCOTS kindred worn,
vanhoe" and the contrast renders visible the diier-
ence between two epochs. Mr.. kembles historical
work, The Saxons in England the translation into
English OF Therry's History of the Norman Conquest.
two Biographies oi Alfred the Great, Chose OF Mr.
Giles and Dr. PAUL. the celebration of the thOusandh
anniversary OF his birth at his native village in Berk
shire the short. lived Anglo Saxon Quarterly, DIR.
Lathams elaborate edition of the Germania OF Taci-
tus, al the bir-products of the era now under
review ad Of themselves constitute reaction against
that pu yCus and artificial limitation Of the range Of
know 30 declared to ty Sir Edward Bulwer But
the literary phenomenon of this epoch which seems
to adOw all others in importance ia this cOnnec-
ton is tie periodical publication in BOhn's Antigua
rian Library Of the valuable bat hitherto almost mac
cessblc works Of the chrOnicers OF Saxon and early
Norman times. This notable enterprise Is, even IN q
general point Of view, Oi the most signal tyents
in the literature Of England which the lsr nine years
have witnessed. Nor should the cent cultivation Of
Scandinavian Literature and Antiquities be overlooked;
for the AnglO-Dane was tr0dden down BY the Norman
Conquest equally with the Anso-Saxon The pub
hcauon by Mr. Bonn OF 2 cheap edition OF Maets
Northern Antiquities" William IIowitts work
The Literature Of the North" aud the danes in
England" by the Danish antquary, Mr. Worsaae, are
Of the principal manifestations in this particular
sphere of the general intellectual movement Add tn
this the many books OF travel in Norway aud Sweden
which the last few years have produced, aud the new
interest with which the Scandinavian peoples and
Constitutions have been invested and you have album
dant proof that in many different directions the edu-
Gated mind Of England il persistcny diving down into
the strata OF history and popular ainities that lie