The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-09

to represent the highest walk OF legal dlstinc-
tion and Mr.. Gladstone can I'LL his Off ,es,
while it will be come relief to the outgoing
Minister that his Attorney and Solicitor will
be relieved from the cares OF Office 80 soon
after they have been Obliged to forego the
hon0rs OF Parliament. The Recorder stands
almost alone as the solitary representative OF
Tory lawyers amid the universal wreck. To
belong to o learned profession, and to hold ex-
trems opinions on any point, have bsen gene
rally oonsidered Parliamentary disquahfca-
tions. Rsgrettable rs this Is, II Is only the
Parish Vestry view of things, which the Re-
form act, we are assured, was to get rid Of.
No doubt the new Parliament faithfully
enough reflects the national will. Tue
borough members have been elected to do a
certain aud distinct and precise work, which
is simple enough and does not require much
refinement, much h, reflection, much, II soy,
independence. What seems to be tns
taste of the borough voters is
little thought, no philosophy no
genius, no originality, no "viewiuess," no
largeness of conception. Such Is the work,
and such the instruments. They will do the
work in dull, business-like, commonplace,
obedient sort OF way. Ii Mr.. Gladstone Is to
be earnest, the Parliament will bs earnest
with all the merits and all the drawbacks Of
earnestness. They used to give nicknames to
Parlismepts; the new one may perhaps get to
he deemed il IL Is not called, PdrtIamentun
ProSaicum. Small fear of its being run away
with by its own impetuosity. Mr.. Disrasli,
Mr. Bright, and MIR. Lowe, pretty nearly
exhaust all its genius. 1t may turn out as by
rubbing two bits Of dry wood together you get
sparks, and at last a flame, there may bs
latent qualities OF heat in some Of our uutried
senators which will give us some day little
| Parliamentary brillisncy, and possibly some
| thing like originality. One thing was needed
| to be successful candidate Ia large borough
| constituency, and that one thing was obedi-
ence to Mr.. Gladstone. For all the rest ths
more moderate, perhaps the more
| stupid, candidate was, the bet
| ter was his chance. Mr.. Horsman was the
kind of candidate who stood, as he has found,
| the least chance. The constituencies are not
the only thing which has been levelled aud
brought to dull flat; the voters seem to have
been possessed with something of the spirit of
| the old Oxford tutor who declared that he
| would have nothing to do with 'those damned
intellectuals." The ''stupid party" of late
| years seems likely to be henceforth con-
fronted by party strong as in everything, so
especially in its dullDess. Like POpe's
women, Parlisments may come to have no
character at all; and it is, after all, not so
natural-thOugh it was not quite expected
and certainly the reverse of it was promised
| that the House of Commons should so faith
| fully reproduce the narrowness and Stiffness
| the Obstinacy and the unarguing, if solid
perhaps stoid, convictions of the unframed
English mind. Safety has produced apathy,
| and the frenzy of excitement under which the
contest was begun has subsidized into a general
distaste, if not disgust, for promised or threat
| ened revolutions and innovations.