The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-06-19


Mr.. Dickens came "to lay new cable be-
tween England and the United States" and
laid it. Since his visit there has been little Of
the pickering between the two governments
that before that time had on certain occasions
risen almost to the height of positive hostility
Mr.. Longfellow has now gone to England to
lay fourth cable and has made it fast to the
shores of the Cam, the old University which
has its seat on that classic stream having eel,
ebrated the event by making him a Doctor of
Laws. The honors of the British universities
are not so easy of requirement as those of our
own academic institutions, and the degree Of
LII ID. has been conferred upon very few
Americans. Mr.. Everett and Mr.. Adams re-
ceived it, we believe, and besides them not
many others. In England, even A M. is a diff
ferent thing from the certificate of uninter-
rupted existence for the space of three years
after leaving Alma Mater, which our own col
lege graduates receive. Therefore there is
something more thar cheap courtesy in the
degree which Professor Longfellow has re-
ceived from the University of Cambridge.
His popularity in England is only second to.
that of the poet laureate, Tennyson The
cable dispatch, which must ever leave its sto-.
ries half told, like Chaucers tale of "Cambus-
can bold" announces that but few of the Cam
bridge students were present on the occa-
sion of comforting the degree. 1t is very like
ly. Those young gentlemen sometimes grow
up to be good fellows, but they are sprigs of
the English aristocracy and in their callow pc
Rod of life intensity all that is most narrow,
bigoted illberal, jealous, ungenerous and
snobbish in their elders. The House of Lords
is a democratic body by the side of these
gowned and Greek-stuffed youngsters. The
under graduates of 10th Cambridge and Ok
ford were in sympathy with the ultra Tory ell
ement of British politics during the war, and
in their debating societies gravely discussed
the question pending between North and
South and decided by large maorites in favor
of the latter. Nor do they always confine their
feeling of antipathy to America to expressions
of opinion. We remember one remarkable in
stance where a gentleman from this country,
mot very good representative of it, to be
sure-was Kissed and pelted in most ignom-
inous manner while attempting to deliver
lecture before them. $3.50 iaH''es .'- q
No importance, however, is to be attached
to the disrespect which the Cantabs possibly
intended to show Mr.. Lohgfellow by absentng
themselves The periodical Sera of good feel
ing" between the United States and England
has come. Mr.. Adams takes his departure
from the British court with all imaginable
tokens of respect and honor, while his sue
cessor, Mr.. johnson, is spoken of by the Brit
ish press with the same generous warmth
which characterizes, the comments of his
own fellOw citizens in America unon his on
pointment. Nothing is likely to disturb the
present cordial feeling until Mr.. johnson has
fairly begun to press the Alabama claims,
when the old differences of opinion on that
subject are likely to come to the surface once
more. The Fenian movement on the Cana
das can produce no serious complications of
our government takes as efficient measures to
repress it as it did on a previous occasion