New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-08-03


OiR P0ST PEINDLiL ORi10ES AEE0Ip.
There is an old saying that an EmbaSsador
Is one who j., sent abroad to tell lies for the
benefit of his country. In ordinary times, tn"
American Emba,sador is gentleman sent To
Il. James 10 make humorous speeches. In
extraordinary times he makes the humorous
speeches all the sImc, whenever he Is asked
~ n public dinner; he also attends To bust
ness. or Publishes trcatiFrs upon poker.
When We send an orator like Mr. Everett, the
spc,chr, are good; when We send scholarly
man like Mr. Motley, thc speeches are son.
sihlc; when we send gentleman like tdc
late Mr.. johnson, the speeches ere gen
tlcmanly: swhcn we send u man Ike
Mr. Schcnch. the speeches are Ia
ScLcack: and row that We have seat
Mr. Edwards PicucpoEt we aic not surprised
10 find the Spccchc, an olio of all the previous
cold dishes. The Grafton of the American
Minister at the dinner given in thu Egyptian
Hall OF the Mansion House, on the l9th uli.,
is the Lord Mayor and his Lady To the Arch
bishops and Bishops (of which We have already
publ,hcd an accounO, was first iacetious ont of
regard for the Jolly citizens. and then little
I
crcndS. Tie cxordum was received with
" laughter the pcrora'lon with gruYrr cricN OF
Hear" Nj. PIcucpont took up all the rcsu-
Ia;on topics in due order IL follows:
|. Jokes about the difficulty of speaking, and
the embarrassment of getting upon ones legs in
a foreign cline; .. Steamers and cable tee-
graph; 3. Complimentary illusions 10 the past
clorics of England /. Prophetic statements of
her future glorics; ,. Defense of In" Christian
religion. In thc funny parts of his speech our
Plcnipotcntiary must have succeeded perfectly,
If We may credit the criticism OF Il respectable
London newspaper, which says: 1--WE are
"almo,t prepared TO recognize Mr.. PicTcpOnt
as the prince Of American humorists (yicc
"Artcmus Ward dcccascd), but without cX-
letting controversy between himself and Bret
IIaltc, Mark Twain, ct hoc geaHs onne.'
Mcssrs. llartc and Clemens are living and can
defend their reputation for droHcry by
saving what they please of Mr.. Pcrrep0nt /;
but Mr. Artcmus Ward il dead, and w
simply do justice to his memory when
we say that he was while living, if jokes are
what we want Of Minister, just the man for
the position. In the name of " Laughter holding
both his Sides we protest against elcyaing
any one 90 the proud and cnyiable position of
Great American Ilumorist upon the strength
of one old joke which vas not remarkably good
when it was fresh and juvenile. Possibly Mr..
PIerrcpont'5 venerable anccdotc may have
served To cniycn the cast-iron solcmniy of an
English dinner table; but if it had been re-
pcatcd mt similar banquet here only the
President would have laughed er o6icio and
the orators ris-d-riS out of charity. We frankly
say that we think Mr.. PIcucpOnt's .forte to be
theology rather than the comic. We quite as
frankly declare that III our opinion there is
nothing in the public law which requires us to
send lorick to London. Our best Embassa-
dors have made many genial quipS; but who
ever thought of comparing Everett, Lawrence,
Bancroft, or Motley with Artcmus Ward 2
We Judge by his name, without inquiring OF
the gcncaogsts, that Mr.. Edwards Perrcpont
must have had Doctors of Divinity among his
ancestors and if SO, they were probably Puri-
tans. If their spirits were lowering over the
roast beef and pum-puddng at the Mansion
House, how did they like to hear their de-
scendant declare that if " the English Prelates,
the Bishops. keep up the same religious
" sentiments M they had done in the past
England "would 20 on with her Prosperity
otherwise not. Perhaps we are mistaken, but
it seems to us that the founders of Massachu-
sets and Connecticut did not have the deepest
reverence for the way in which the Prclates
kept up religious sentiments Students OF
history WILL of course, have different opinions
but considering the intimate connection be-
tween the doings of English Prclates and the
early settlement of a part at least of this
country, we can hardly regard Mr. Perrepont's
| sentiments as fortunate ones to be EXPRESSED