The New York herald., 1873-12-03
nIr. Disracli on the Spirit of tho
Age.


Age.
In another part OF the paper will be found
the eloquent address delivered by Mr.. DisraolI
upon his installation as Lord Rector of tina
University of Glasgow. Mr.. Disraelis art as
an orator and his graceful style always insure
au intellectual treat to his admirers but on
this occasion there is especial attraction in the
ingenuity Of construction by which formal
and ceremonial speech is made telling bill
of Indictment against the liberal party, as
well 0s in the rich diction and pellucid phrase
ology by which the ofator's opinions are pre-
sented in a guise SO well-bred and elegant that
it would seem vulgar to doubt them, while to
oppose might excite the suspicion that one
had low-bred liberal sympathies. Profess
edly Mr.. Disraeh deals with ''the spirit Of
the age" He tells the students that i'm
life two kinds of knowledge are necessary
first. knowledge of ourselves and of our powers
as useful indications for the choice of
career and, second, the knowledge necessary
for the pursuit Of that career the most i'm
portant point of this latter kind of knowl-
edge being true perception of the character
and vital spirit of the time in which our ac-
tivity shall fall In giving the students few
hints tor enabling them practically to utilize
his advice and to form an estimate Of the
spirit of this age, he does not lose the oppor-
tunity to present a case against the political
party in power, which it is his especial
function to criticise. He tells them
that the spirit of the time IN which wa
live is the esprit of equality" and
further and incidentally, that the equality OF
all subjects before the law is the only founda-
ton of perfect commonwealth. Equality
before the law, therefore, is not the sort that
we are to fear and oppose; but there
are other kinds. There is social equality,
that would obliterate classes, and there
is physical equality, that would obliterate
countries that is, political frontiers, SO that
in Great Britain, for instance, it would make
no difference in mans chances in lifa
whether he were an Englshman, an Irishman
or a Scotchmap, and no difference in tho
consideration OF purely political topic
whether it applied to an abuse or a remedy
for Dublin or London. These are tho kinds
of equality against which the eloquent gentle-
man explodes his wrath Social equality is
held up in the dreadful examples Of the French
Revolution to excite salutaly fear in tho
bosoms of good conservative children; and
physical equality, we are assured, is ''the DIS
turbiug principle that is now rising like a
morning wind IN Europe" and that by and
by will swell to 'raging storm unless, OF
course, the conservatives get INTO office,
when we shall hear no more OF It, In
other words, Mr. Disraelis oration is q
very ELEGANT. brilliant and thoroughly
unsonnd argument against the main
political tendency of this period; and this fact
indicates how safe guide he is to people who
wish to comprehend the spirit Of the age. Aro
the students of Glasgow so ca!low in their wit
that they can be made to believe in any possi-
bic similarity between the effects Of the poiti-
cal cataclysm of 80 and the liberalism Of the
party now in power in England7 Or has the
orator underrqted their intelligence? Wa
suspect the latter. The editors Of the London
STANDARD may believe in, or affect TO believe In,
these fancy comparisons, but crowd Of uni-
versty Seotchmen are out Of the reach Of
shots OF that calbre.
The SPANISH REPUBLIC has been declared
defnitively established by order Of the Madrid
government the royal insignia will be removed
from the flags and standards Of tho army.
This will prove heavy blow and great dis
couragement to tho causs Of tba Carlsts aud
Allnaaists,