The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-23
WHAT IS THOUGHT OF IT.
The Battle Of Dorking-An Unusually Vigorous
joke for the British Lion-English Satisfac.
ton in Self Blame-German Chuckling
and German Wit-Somsthing
Wrong Somewhere Never
Too Late 10 Mend
LONDON, July s, 1871.

LONDON, July s, 1871.
Since the appearance OF ''Dame Europa's Schoo'
no brochure has awakened any thing like the atten-
ton bestowed upon the rather serious satire In the
May number OF Bldck,cood entitled 1.-THE Battle Of
Dorking" The intense reality with which 1t Is
written, and the vlvdness and apparent possibility
OF the m,schances affects to describe. cannot fail
TO impress any English reader most painfully.
Family parties. in quiet country houses, devour / t
with a shudder, and close the magazine with Ions
breath OF relief that is true AFTER AL as II they
were awasing from 1rightful dream. l know q
stalwart volunteer captain who melted TO Tears
H. People reading 1t are haunted all night anu come
Gown In the morning to congratulate each other
upon the fact that 1t Is a fiction, but
FICTION OF VERY SERIOUS IMPORT.
''The Battle of Dorking," We may observe for the
benefit Of those who may not happen TO have read
IT, purports TO be written some fifty years
hence by an English volunteer, who re-
counts a disastrous German invasion OF England,
supposed TO have taken place somewhere about 1872
He writes his story the spirit mournfu patriot
who has survived the honor OF his country and who
IL making remorseiul postmortem examination OF
the same He tells how the English fleet was de-
Etroyed 10y torpedoes The troops scattered In the col
ONES; describes tae London panc the gathering OF
fhe volunteers the blunders the want OF discipline,
muddles wen the British bravery.
The grea, batue takes place near Dorxng. The bat
tie rs graphically described. The volunteers behave
very well. but want OF drin tells against them. The
defeat Is complete and the country collapses.
Then we have toucning account OF the death
OF the volunteers friend and his friends son,
and OF the conduct of the friends widow when
Germans are quartered in her house.
The power and extreme life OF the
whole description Is quite fascinating, and Won
der the article Is already translated into German and
admired IN Germany, where 1t is looked upon a
compliment. In England, however, its popularity
Is certainly not on account OF its being compliment
tary II arises, no doubt In great part from its in
trinsc literary merit, and partly from the TACT that
IL points out a real uanger and tries
TO GIVE LESSON
which 1t would be well for England TO learn viz,
that 10 defend herself she must either drill yolun.
until they disciplined as regular troops
or adopt some new system with her hnesmen that
when the tune for rapid action comes she VIII
always feel terrible disadvantage IRON having q
government making a modern LAGOON Of ITSELF
with red tape serpents. 1t is TO be hoped Eng
lands sake that the battle OF Dorking Will only be
battle or talking: Really matters would pc serious
enough Tor her II the Germans effected landing on
her coasts.
ENGLISH LOVE OF sELF-ABusE.
But II Is not only the merit or the lesson OF this
battle OF Dorklng'' that recommends 1t TO the Eng
.lisn mind. nor was II the merit or the moral OF
"Dame Europa" that made 1t so popular. No; there
Is singular hbre III the British constitutional mean
the private constitution Of the private Briton as
here spoken Of-whlcn likes to hear Itself abused.
These islanders eccentrc They as proud OF
themselves, their position ana their country 1t Is
the OF be- anu yet the abuse Of all these
ob,ecIs of their pride always pleases them. There
4 a morbid delight In hearing themselves and all
their surroundings run down. an Englishman can
rise al puDllc meeting and abuse his country and
his countrymen and his country women, even, In
good SET terms. and sit down much applaudei for
rs mn orr A 1aail hot .ssalf
praise is no recommendations self-bame must be-
or whether 1t is rigid sense that scodng is good
moral medicine, even II you don't mean TO amend
after 1t, one can hardly say but certain IL is the
hearing their nation and their country found fault
most cutting speeches, the most satrical reviews,
shc mosL severe articles are sure TO be the
most admired. The alarming description Of modern
English women, In one OF the most ill-tempered OF
reviews, became familiar In their mouths house,
the slang OF the day. And, stranger STILL the points
upon wnch abuse IS loud and laSshed are very
he blamed it is for faults which they have not,
or Tor pretty little faults, THAT look almost like Highly
ite virtues Ia disguise But these oit.denounced
They nave any amount OF arrangements, and notn.
Ing arrangeu the most solemn oficial etiquette and
The greatest muddles; mighty machinery, as 1t
were, Tor tying up parcels, and nobody to direct
them when they are ready. An accumulation OF
precedenis lmpedes every proceeding The past Is
always depressing the present. How much of the
iault finding is sincere remains 10 be proved; but
certainly 1t Is about time steps were taken 20 Inn
prove these matters, To remove these Official pitt
fails, and do something with The national errors be-
SIDES using them like pins to stick In anywhere
when something small alu sharp Is wanted.
AS the author OF 1.-The battle points out,
THE RESOURCES OF ENGLAND
are more artificial than natural. She cannot feed
herself without foreign aid. Commerce Is life 10
her. Let this fan her-et America produce iron and
1uel more cheaply-and her immense power Is lost:
her monstrOus wealth is bit "a lost monster" She
would shut up as easily as an umbrella. one thing
ike the Se,ght OF body, oy the impression 1t
makes And great ,as been the effect produced by
Bdctt0OOd'S 'Neiled Prophet"
GERMAN IMPRESSIONS.
Naturally the German cnucke would be highly
once very popular In Germany. of course a success
ful literary enort OF this kind produces as many tnl-
tauons a tree does shadows bright, breezy
day. The AHQenei,te Zettstpg has one OF the German
heavy ned pieces OF satire, evidently excited by 'tne
battle" II Is a long letter. supposed be from a
naturalzed German III england. to the Emperor OF
Germany, suggesting the proprety OF the annexa
uon OF England. he sets forth the ease with which
inns might be accomplished and ridicules Mr. e adj
stone Mr. Cardwel, the English press and peculiar
iues with the ''cow-iike gamDols" OF a German WILL
lie sets forth now the War Once wOulu confuse mat
ters. how MIR. Gladstone. IN speech hall out OF
Homer and baif out OF the Iioly scriptures, would
prove the entire OF himself that .phy.
sIcal submission moral elevation:u how Mr..
Cardwell would deliver his blessing TO the troops
between Two gigantic poiicenen;n now jocular
Lord Granville would he, as he always Is, "wnen the
country has anything TO lose;' how the "Englisn
neet' would DC at the wrong place ana
gunboafs,' &C.. &c, &c., all making 1t
easy landing foi his imperial MAJESTY the Emperor
VI OcTnuly. III IL easy u see where tuiS autHOT
caught his inspiration. hui his argument 10 founded
Oh the facts hall the speeches, articles and
pamphlets, ana the rest OF the heaps OF literary
ephelera called INTO being 10 mover over the state
Of England. IL surely Is very remarkable TACT
that the Brit sh constitution should, somehow have
associated itself with a washing-day In the pubic
mind and call up sucl an 1nseparaue Idea OF mud
ole not water and general tumbng over one
another OF ali persons uiereln colcerneI.
THE ENGLISH PRESS
feels these sarcasms re-echvng from foreign shores
though II INDUCES 50 much IN them ITSELF and in
spe OF the English satisfaction In being ''cut up''
publicly, II Is lmpelled 10 publish prophetic ac-
count OF Its own oil TINS future war between England
and Germany wherein the German cannot land, the
HoncIadS arrive IN time, The German ee j. Knocked
10 pieces. dukes and princes split In the water,
AMI q Triumphant British faDcy looks down upon
The PRIDE OF Germany Tar fallen and 80 extremely
wet Bui even TINS bold Night Of n patriotic pro-
pIet does not venture 10 good manage