New-York tribune., 1877-05-05
BRITISH TOPiCS.
MR.. nRApLAuGWs PROSECUTION


MR.. BRADLAUGHS PROSECUTION
WHY HE WAS ARRrsrED-MERGTs OF THE CAsE-A
STORY ABOUT MACAULAY's MEMoRY-AN AMER-
CAN LADY's DEBus IN ITALIAN OrRgA.
iFKoM TUE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF rnE TRIBuNEl
LONDON, April 2t.-Irish-Ameucans ought 10 bo
Interested in the result of the Stafford election;
though not perhaps. pleased. The American poll
hcian who angles for the Irish vote ought TO be not
less interested. Hero is n large English constitu-
ency, next door to Manchester. with as large a
mingiing of Irish voters as any place in England.
except Liverpool, can boast. The Liberal candi-
date, Mr.. Kay, or his managers for him, think 1t
necessary 10 seek Irish support by qualified pledge
in favor Of Home Rule. The result Is the election of
a Tory. The Irish vote secured, but still
larger English vote was acnatcd. Il is admitted
by both parties that this is the true explanation Of
the result and there H. some reason 10 suppose tho
Liberals mean to profit 10y the teaching. II Is their
coquctly with the Home Rule party in Parliament
which has made that party important. Ii is tho
Liberals who arc responsible for Messrs. Bigger aud
Pauncll. the two Homo Rulers who are just now oc-
cupicd in proving the fitness Of Ireland for separate
Parliamentary government by doing what they can
To make all Parliamentary government impossible.
10 is The Liberals who extent sill believe IN
that policy Of Cancellation which. as MI Froude has
shown, has been often tried during the last 300
years and so uniformly failed. The Tories are not
free from the spnc rcproach, but with them II has
been ilc exception, not the rule. dcbse s shortly
10 come of in the House on this very question OF
Home Rule. 1t may then be seen whether the sal
ford lesson has been we'll learned.
The prosecution of Mr. Bradlaugh for selling All
obscene book has tiled space an the papers but
the whole matter may be briefly stated. Tie book
IN question is not of the usual Holywell-st order.
4 I'LL (.sI ls,. not gaau
iO undertakes to give certain amount OF popular
physiolo,dcal instruction, and especially 10 supply
practical directions for preventing an undesircd m
crease OF tho population. ! should suppose il was
such a book "a Miss Martineau would have ap-
proved The real complaint is that the book il
brought bv lis cheacss within reach Of the masses.
u is sold for sXpcucc and has been adycrtHcd
bv this prosecution 20 extent which VIII insure It
largely increased sale, matter what police pre-
cautions may be put IN force against II. Mr. Brad
laughs position is plain one. Tie took up the sale
as a matter of principle lie contends that he has
as much right sell this pamphlet at siNpence rs
Mcssrs Churchill have to sell elaborate tfeaises on
similar topics ~ half a guinea. lie VIII doubtless
be able 10 prove that one Is no more " obscene man
The Otncr But apprchcud he viii fan ~ tine end
lie will be tried before u British Judge and british
Jury, who will be likely 10 agree IN suppressmg "a
tract NliiCh cuAblth uliiitiIhl Nbuik
and women 10 indulge on much rs they ike n scNna
intercourse without fear Of the usual restraining
consequences They will be the more ready 10 adopt
this view from the fact that Mrs. Bc.aut 5 indicted
along with Mr.. Bmdlaugh, and that tie two must
be aconitted or convicted together And there Is
strong general feeling that ii spch literature must
be sold, a woman is not the person TO be- publicly
concerned in it, sale All this may be prndery and
unscientihc to the last degree / am expressing no
opinion / am only recording what believe 10 be
the state of the British mind on this matter
That Macaulay knew Paradise Lost by heart We
have all heard long since But Mr.. Hayward, whose
repertory of anecdotes is incXhanstbie. gives us
fresh story about IT, One evening at Edinburyh,
there was bet of n copy Of Paradise Lost between
Macaulay and Jeffrey as to certain Inc OIL mat
poem Tho next morning Macauay came with
handsomely bound volume. There" he said. is
your book have lost; f; but have read 1t through
once more, and will now make you another bet
that can repcat the whole" Jeffrey took min at
his word. and put him on in passage after passage
without once finding him at fault This Lord JEFF
frcv told To Mr.. Hayward. IL caps the story OF SIR
Robert Peel saying to Macaulay that he believed no
had never forgotten anything he wanted 10 remelh-
Der: to which Macaulay ret0rtod that he had never
forgotten anything But only the other day heard
a man of the greatest distinction declare that his
memory for words and names was extremely trcacb-
erous; that he was a great reader O. poetry, but
could not repeat twenty lines. All which ha, not
prevented him from doing somc Of the best work
that has been done in this generation.
An American lady, Mrs. Knox, under the nano of
Madame Rlcca, made her first appearance IN tins
connirv in Italian Opera at Coyent Garden on Mon
day rs Leonora in Ia Fdr3rG. Her succcss wns less
than her friends could have wished, and less, prob
ably. than she had a right 20 anticipate. II Is re-
membered by musical critics that her voice Is
properly a contralto, and very fine conralto, hut
that she has endcayored " extend its upward range
from desire to appear 10 soprano parts. The result
was on Monday at any. rate, disappointment 20
those who had formed high expectations from re-
port and from private trials. There WAS fun
house but the enthusiasm was very moderate. aud
the papers have spoken slghHngly or not az all of
Madame Rcca'5 experiment One of them is -
good as 10 intimate that this lady must be dismissed
along with tie two or three other prma donuas
haiing from the Statcs0 who last year unaYai-
ipply sought the favor of the British public. But
nv conjecture is that Madame Ricca s made Of
different stuff that she has remarkable voice well
trained. and perfectly capable Of taking good, II
not the highest position, IN Italian opera. She hss
vet 10 show, however, whether she possesses dTa-
matte aptitude. G. W. s.
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