The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-25


the revolution should not wake the Queen
before che was ready to get up. A revolution
SO contrived rs not to wake Queen, is, IL
possible, something more quiet than no revo-
luton at all. In Spain, an indefinite inter-
regnum, ordinarily the worst and most dan
gerous of political states, appears TO do no
harm, and to be compatible with a curious
amount of lazy, quiet, and gentle political
excitement. In France, the Emperor has
within the last few months thwarted, en-
couraged obeyed, and baffled Imperial Libe-
ralism, according to his guesses at what would
suit him best, and yet no one is very much
set against him by his conduct or very much
drawn towards him. At Rome the Pope is
going to invent a new dogma-said to in
volve awful consequences-and the vast ma
jority of Europeans look on with wonder and
good-natured contempt. Lastly, here at
home, the Upper House, an assembly COM
posed almost entirely of great landowners, is
about to discuss q measure until lately pro-
nounced to be subversive of the best and
holiest rights of property, and the only ques-
ton is whether any of them will think it
worth while to oppose the second reading.
Certainly we have fallen on quiet times, and
nothing seems able to break the quiet; and
yet how short a time is it since everywhere
great shocks of change had begun or we're
expected, since the sun of England was an
nounced as positively going to set in gore,
and since Germany, France, and Italy we're
supposed to be trembling on the verge of
war, and Mr.. Beales and his friends were
tearing down our ratings.
What are the reasons of this reign of peace
through almost the whole of the civilized
world Probably it is only q momentary
reign, but still its existence, even if acci-
dental and temporary, is remarkable. The
obvious reply is, that material interests not
only bind nations together every year more
and more, but that they occupy larger share
of the time and attention of persons of every
rank and calling in each nation. Political
power tends constantly to fall into the hands
of busy men, and busy men wish politics SO
to go on that their business shall, if possible,
not be interrupted. OF all nations France
has been the most changed by the absorption
of its activity in industrial and commercial
enterprise; and it is, true, to an extent of
which Frenchmen are proud, that when
France is content Europe is at rest.
The French can do SO very much mischief
if they are in mischievous mood, that it is
of primary importance that they should have
innocent work provided for their idle hands
to do. The revolutionary classes are also
getting more discredited as common people
begin to understand better what misery their
success would cause, and as the better of
their members become interested in the
working and maintenance of that which
exists by the wider diffusion of political life
The recent ple6sSette in France shows the
frantic zeal Of ordinary Frenchmen for any
man and any political system that simply
offers them safety. And the number of per-
sons who dread war and revolution, not only
in their own country, but in the world in
general, is continually increasing. The enor-
NOUS and incessant creation of foreign loans,
for example, which excites and attracts the
speculative public, binds over a new number
Of persons from week to week to watch over
the peace of the world. Within the last few
days Englishmen have been invited with great
success to stake considerable sums on the
continuance of peace, good government, and
prosperity in Spain, Roumania, and Peru.
! The notion widely prevails, and is in the
main well grounded, that it is better to trust
governments than any private companies,
and experience shows that men who will dis
appoint every other hope with the most ready
carelessness shrink to the last extremity be-
fore the terrors of national reputation. But
the peace that now prevails everywhere rests
also on something more creditable to man
kind than the speculations and anxieties of
| private peceniary interests. The chief coun-
tries of the world are quiet because they
have all, with scarcely any exception,
got recently something that they
wanted. Their desires for change have
been satisfied. They can repose with some
sort of dignity and satisfaction to themselves.
Germany and Italy have made themselves,
and recoil from anything that would tend to
unmake them. Spain. manages its affairs in
very eccentric way, but at any rate it has
managed to give the Bourbons and the priests
a very severe lesson. The United States may
well pride themselves on the courage and
pertinaoity with which they fought out their
great fight. on the vast resources they dis
played, and on the enlightened patience of
taxation which they have manifested. In
England we have had a Reform bill, and we
have done away with the Irish Church.
The first has contributed to political
! peace, partly by stopping the agita-
tion of reformers, but still more by
placing the nation in harmony with its repre-
sentative assembly. The weary time of com
plete Parliamentary ineptitude, when scarcely
anything could be proposed, and very little
of that which was proposed could be carried
is over; and the nation finds once more in
the House of Commons an instrument oi
effective and bold legislation The disesta
blisbment of the Irish Church has taker
away from Englishmen that barrier between
themselves and justice to Ireland which
made all salutary legislation for Ireland i'm
possible Great things have been done; ane
if it is natural to feel satisfied that they have
| been done, and if there is a calm now in
which English statesmen may rejoice, it GER
tainly has been attained after very arduous
efforts, and in spite of the grayest difficulties