New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-11-02
SOCIAL SCIENCE ABROAD.

THE CONGRESS AT PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND.
ASPECTS OF PLYMoUTH-MARK TWAIN INVITED
ECCENTRIC PHILOSOPHERs-L0NG PAPERS
PRESIDENTIAL ADDREssEs-wANr OF A
DEFINITION.
IRON AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THB TRiBUSBl
PLYMOUTH, Sept. 16.-The Nine-worded AS
ISOLATION with available definition OF Its objects mas
just concluded its 10th annual Congress at Plymouth
Davenport aud StonehOuse These three towns cluster
in the Bay OF Plymouth, and car line OF mile anu
half in length through the whole OF theu DeNon
port is famous for it, dockyerds and Plymouth ior s
porte and the seaside mOand ON which DrdAe was
payng at bowls when news OF the descent OF the
spanish Armada is now a dainty place Of resort Inc
River lamar as well tho Plym deboueh INTO tno
bav and the town affords splendid views OF the sound
Of the great breakwater the Ed1ystone Lighthouse,
Mount Edgcumbo, aud the magni6oent scenery OF
Cornwall. Englaud has no seaport 90 abound
ing In picturesque and famous scenes; but
Plymouth being $40 miles from London-a mode
rate distance for America, but considerable IN
Englandit caused only soanty attendance OF those
periDatec philosophers who have zeal than leisure
or means The members and associates enlisted In Ply
mouth could scarcely reach zoo while in Leeds or Liver
pool OF Manchester they will number 1000 OF morei
yet as there 10000 persons in this neighborhood
clear that social science Is not much UNDERSTOOD or
greater support would have been accorded to the asso
cation The British Association carries with 1t greater
means OF popular aurement than the Social Science
Society II has marine marves sometimes TO show, geo
logical discoveries report tho anhropoogsts some
times dig up an antedluyian mln the chemists make
brilliant expeiments the astronomers display the latest
discoveries in the and moon; and now and then the
geographers produce some travelling hon-Speke, or Law
ingstone, or Stanley
Social science though moro Immediately useful and
vitality important Is altogether Of tanner order. The
most curious feature it had present TO the public was
Sir John COleridge whose perpendicular attitude might
Justify one describing him as the giraffe OF the Bar
and who is just famous as the greatest talking
machine OF the day, be having made Il days speech
against the claimant TO the Tchborne estates. dis
patched an Invitation 70 Mr.. "Mark Twain" Under
standing that he was DESTROYS OF seeing English rural
life and DeyOnshire aJrding the finest examples OF It,
IspOke to Sir John Bownng upon the subject as he was
presiding over the section OF Trade and Economy at
Plymouth. He at very kindly authorized me to
say that il that distinguished humOrst would pay him
visit at Claremout ho woud have great pleasure in
putting the humorist the Of seeing rural life in
England Mr.. Twain would have found among some Of
the characters OF tho Social Science Congress material
for many an amusing sketch.
This Plymouth meeting mas not been at all marvel
GUS but it an eccentric There philosophers
whom the audiences do not understand and philosophers
who do not understand themselves There are persons
who were born with crotchets and others who have
ACQUIRED crotchets-men with one idea, and men
with no ideas. sim others there are infested, as 1t
were with revolving minds, whose understandings turn
upon some fanatoll pivot and they run In circle all
their days Yet this is better than stagnatOn just as
scant heritage better than no berbage at ALL And these
persons are amusing an though not witty themsevesae
soetmes the cause OF In others. Nevertheless there
fs preponderanoe Of solid, thinking, practical propa-
gandsts Of social Improvement. Social science is not
much cultivated in these parts, the facilities Of this
Association the display OF social ardors are not under
stood. At Leeds. Manchester, London. Glasgow, the
Sections abound with eccentric thinkers Some Of them
TIA fay AT
to overthrow the machine of Congress II they once
under It's wheels requires strong minds of the weight
OF steam rollers at the head Of the Association to macad
amize them. There other crotchety persons Of a
lighter and order who fly about the Sections and
sometimes clog the wheels Of business for hours.
MI jenkins had paper, able as all his productions
are on Colonial Policy and long as his story of
Gin1s Baby. Other papers were of prodigous length.
and the more complicated the subject the more pro-
tracted was the treatment of it, For instance In the
Trade and Economy Section, Capt Cragie read paper
on Local Taxation. 1t occupied ieight columns Of
closely printed wide tooseap. 1t took the gallant Cap
tain exactly ten minutes 10 read column The under
standing is that paper shall not occupy more time than
2Omnutes whereas the orator Local Taxation ooeu-
pied an hour and minutes although be read so fast
that no person could tell cOusecutyey what the paper
was about Next discussion took place upon It, which
quite irreguarly, lasted all day, excluding entirely two
papers which wero down. The author Of paper had
come long journey in order to be present.; the author
Of the other paper His Excellenoy Don Arturo de Mar
coartu had remained at Plymouth Notwithstanding en-
fragments that he might meet the demand Of the sec
ton which demand the chairman never made. The
business put down upon the programme, like any
other business ought to be finished aud debate limited
10 enable this be done. Mr. Morrison, NJ p TOOK IN
hand the conduct Of the section ultimately, and sat TIL
O'Clock that the promise OF the programme should be
completed; the honorable member showing all through
tile meeting an nexhaustiDle patience and interest IN
the proceedings. -
Association acted upon in Plymouth, when IT APP
science Sir John Colerdge addressed the meeting and
10 was pleasant thing TO hear that accurate, easy
speaking voice, which, though neither loud nor strong
There were 800 persons present Sr John Bowrng and
other eminent visitors were among the speakers. AL
tbe leading newspapers and journals which comment
ya0ueness of object 1t is Disappointing that no Pres
dent attempts logical definition Of its province Per
hans only men like Mill Spencer, or Huxley, or Iyn
dai might give adequate one. 1t Is time, however,
that O1e was devised The object OF this Association Is
10 amply science to social le but strict line OF de-
narration requires 10 be drawn limiting the province OF
every sectOu so that the President at least might
the members did not always observe where the land
marks Law II IL canuOt produce one, the Association
ought 70 advertise for definition.
CLOSE OF THE PLYMOUTH CONGRESS.
LORD NAPIER's MANNER-sIR JOHN CoLERIDGE's