New-York tribune., 1877-05-31
BRITISH TOPICS.
THE SUNDAY QUESTION.

GLADSTONE on wEDGwoOD AND HIS w,py
WAGNER coNCERTS-POPULARITY or THE xrs,c
tFIoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRInux,, +,
LONDON, May III met some weeks ago a, a..
house of clergyman, the wife Of another clerVyna
who explained her husbands absence by saving th.,
he was attending a meeting. When innocen,lv
asked what meeting she hesitated and turned N.
subject Presently appeared the husband hira.e,
and he, without being asked, said that be had ma,
come from conference of cler0ymen called to nro
mote the opening of museums galleries. and libraro.
10 the public on Sundays. He had the couraveo,
his opinions His wife, discreet soul, was not su,,
that it would do TO let bis good deeds be known
But on Saturday there was held a great public ss.
semby in tho Freemasons Tavern for this sam.
object, and less than the Dean Of West.
minister presided over it. and made thorouphgoin,
yet most judicous speech in favor Of its grpa,
object. You know something Of the force Of Ppr;.
tansm. and of the vehement intolerance Of the Sab
batarian party in tho United States. But You NAV
not give Dean Stanley all the credit he deserves %,
his courage in taking the stand he does on
this question in country where all the forcs
Of tradition, Of ancient usage. and Of social
prejudice must be Teckoned with, as we'll "a
the ecclesiastical feeling which prevails with
you. Surely need not say one word in vndication
of the purity of Dean Staslcys character or Of hi,
religions zeal. The people who need 10 be yndicated
are the people who attack him, ignoring these hiyb
qualities Of his. He is, | must admit, one Of the
best-hated men in all England. A wel-known re-.
mark Of Mr.. Carlyle's may partly explain why.
"There" said the Chelsea philosopher he saw the
Dean across the way, there goes our friend Stan.
lev boring holes as hard he can in the bottom OF
the good ship Church of Engand-aDd doesn't know
it doing the Devils work." shrek the High
Churchmen. Doing Gods work answer the Lib
eral Churchmen, through whom alone, If through
anybody. the Church of England can be saved |
am used to hearing strong things said by all sorts OF
people on all sides of all sorts OF questions. But
think never heard any Englishman spoken Of by
other EngIishmen with such intense bitterness Of
hatred as is shown toward Dean Stanley by the ex-
treme party in bis own church.
For his share IN SATURDAYS meeting he will he
hated all the more. To add to his other sins, he is
on this question at least, on the winning side
asked one of the men most in earnest abOni the
opening of museums on Sunday how soon he hoped
to carry his point, and how. Not for seven or
eight years. he answered. " BY that time we shall
manage it, as such things are always managed in
England. We shall pass no law aud repeal none.
But a Liberal Government will be in power. and the
Tories will have held Office so long that Liberal
Government by force of reaction, - sure to 10
a Radical Government. The deputat, IS We send
each year will each year have grown stronger A
Liberal Home Secretary will order the national gal
leries or some of them, 10 be open on Sundays and
the order once issued will never be reversed Tho
same House of Commons that would refuse to pass
an act to open them will refuse TO pass an act 10
close them when they are opened"
And he told me how, some twelve years ago, no
u. Ill, .rItr. mad
a prosecution at the hands of Sabbatarian zealots
for presiding at just such meeting as that Of Sat
uriay. They did actually prosecute the proprietor
of the hall. Under an old statute of George H. he
was technically guilty, but he was nevertheless
quilted. No attempt had ever been made since to
enforce the statute, and none ever will be. "lct'
said my friend lyon could not get the statn,e re-
pealed any more than you get the statutes against
blasphemy repealed, which members Of the House
who daily violate them would vote 10 retain on The
statute book" In English politics there is complete
absence Of what the French set store by under tho
name of logic. Common sense replaces it; much
more useful quality.
make these observations in no spirit Of i'll viii 10
quite the contrary. have 10 object bnt
70 state facts and to make clear the position and
views of those who are working for what ] think
great social reform. And of course the RESPONSE
Dility for my view belongs to me only. Let ne add
hat Mr.. Joseph Arch was on the platform and one
IF the speakers. His presence is enough to prove
-he profound interest which his own class takes IN
lie effort for its improvement.
One of the most apDlauded " gacsr at the Aham-
bra performance Of Ohenbaclrs Orph6e aux enlers'
IS pnt into the month Of Jupiter Disguised with tho
rebellion Of the inferior deities, the monarch OF
Olympus declares he wlll 90 into retirement and
= ,f.-A ut. g.. DO
stone is received with roar Of gJOd-hnmofea laugh
ter This week .bpiier may have fresh lube. hr.
latest pnbic performance delivered m
the midst of = political struggle when may air'L
the whole fuiure of Engiand-s speech on pottery.
Ii is an old hobby OF his but people thought he h14
fired Of il when he sold his own collection, ana
found it fetch less than half what be had hoped.
Not at all. lie is more enthusiastic than ever
whom should You pick ont # asked 20 name " tLe
most extraordinary man IN tho history oi me co4-
mcrcial WOrdY p Would you say NedEHo0df lioD-
ably not, yet he is the man on whom Mr. Gladstone
pronOunces tins astonishing eu'ogY; Wen may he
saw he is n little given To hero worship. lie might
add there Is nothing like doing yOur WOrshipGg
heartily while yOa are about N. Ills reasons ioi put
ting Wedgwo0d hgh are several; NedgTo9d
not only, he says, completely reVoLatohne9 the
character OF tho fabrics OF his day, hut ho carried me
manufacture Of carthenwrre to by Tar The highest
p0int ii had ever attained IN any country IN the
world Truly Nir. Gladstone is not an Engliahman
for nothing. lie is acquainted with 6reeN aiI 10
has certainly heard Of Rhodlan ware. ana ne
maiolica of Italy cannot be wholly unkn9wn 70 nm
Eut NCdCWOni 80 Dt fllHt dDhNt tlitiii Aii
only means that Mn Gladstone values certain quau-
Ties in the potreI's work and underyanes Others
He does not FOR instance, value color ~ alii iOr
had any decorative worth apart from It' iorn ana
lis design. Another thing Mr. Gladstone ra'ss
highly is the commercial success OF NcHgNo"dS
Manufacturers Befor, his tmc pottery dld not pas;
England was an importer Of pottery. MeHgNood
made her an exporter on a great scale, Iom -
Petersburg on the one hand 70 the 9llsSIN'iPP'."n
tbe otherr Siyres itself took 10 initiating Inn,
which was his greatest triumph OF all Inns auu
much more did this most versatile OF Lngiisl siaes
saturday evening last BIT not all he sald qWls
cvnlaius 10 rhe common mind why Ne6g"ood
sLoud take rank rs the greatest man IN the history
90 tba commercial world.