The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-16
PUBLIo MEETINGS IN ENGLAND.
LONDON, Dec. 81 have attended politics

| there was much TO excuse untonporod Heal on
the part of the people. but-excepting the pc
Rod Of our civil war-tho most disordcry
| gatherings l havo ever known havo been in
England
! speak OF meetings that may fairly claim to
| be reputable and whore people may reasonably
be expected to conduct themselves properly
In theatres the average Brton Kisses. or other
wiso audibly expresses his surplus emotion.
very much NJ he secs 1T. and seoms to have no
| fear Of arrest by tho officers Of the law. though
| in most Of the larger theatres some OF the police
are always present In ordinary public gather
| ings, when any considerable element OF tho
opposition Is present. tho Interruptions and
general disorder are sometimes almostfrightlul
Tho English ara very prone to look upon
| Americans as n violent. lawloss people. whose
liberty simply means license; and curiously
| enough. they also seem to imagine that Eng
lish" il nearly synonymous with law
abiding" 1t is a tremendous deluson. or our
people who are violent and lawloss, II would be
interesting to know Just what part first drew
breath on British soil and. as for our native
American people. they are generally so far
| superior to their English cousins in intelli-
gencc and as good citizens, that comparison
is only aughable. At some OF the meetings
| have attended in England Texan might we'll
have been astonshed at such scene OF mis-
| rulc-of democracy gone stark mad / do not
see that the masses Of the English at all deserve
| the name OF law-abiding people. That there is
| not more bloodshcd in their riots is very large
| ly duo to the fact that the law is very severe
upon tho carrying Of firearms but they resort
| to the use of their fists to bricks. and other
| missiles. with grace that seems akin to nature
| itself Tho Briton seems to be a born striker.
am inclined to think the strikes we enjoy in
the United States might Justly be termed for
| cign luxuries." for which wo are indebted to
mother England.
Last winter attended mass meeting in ST.
James, Hall in support Of Mr.. Gladstones
resolutions on the Eastern question. The Duke
OF Westminster had promised to preside. and it
was In every respect a heightened affair so far
as its managers werc concerned. Tho Duke
was not able TO be present. but worthy substi
tuie came-Thomas Hughes, author of Tom
Browns School Days" and member OF Parlia-
ment. Many eminent men occupied the plat
form and among them were several dstn-
| gulshed clergymcn. As many as five thousand
people were present. The opposition was well
represented, and it soon appeared that the latter
had gathered in groups here and there about
tho hail. Interruptions soon began. and the
| Turkish sympathzcrs Missed. groancd laughed
derisivoy and interlarded the sentences Of the
| speakers with running comments OF their own.
10 such an extent that at times II was impossible
tohcar n word Of the speakers for five consccu-
tive minutes. Repeated scunlcs occurred in
various parts OF tho room. and blows were FREE
| quently exchanged
While the Rev. DR.. Raleigh was speaking the
| tumult seemed to reach crisis. and for some
time he waited for the audience to get calm.
At this stage Of the proceedings" said the
Daily Mems OF the following day. "a fight &C.
| Cured in the centre ot the hall" Plenty OF the
| police were present but they did not offer TO in
lerfere md no arrests were made. They really
seemed to take it that the people were only in
nocently enjoying themselves. Toward the
close Of the meeting the Chairman struggled
for fully five minutes to put the resolutions to
vote and when he did SO | could not hear
word he said. For wild. ungovcrnablc disorder
that meeting in st. James's Hall. Plccaiilly was
the most disgraceful affair of the kind | ever
Witnessed The offenders were not roughs. but
seemed io be mostly city clerks and other bust
ness men.
On another occasion n meeting Of the Sunday
League Society held in the Frccmasons'
Hall II was in support ~ the opening OF the
public museums aud picture galleries sun
day. Dean Stanley presided. and Profs. Tyn-
dali. Huxley. and Morley. Moncure ID. Conway
Miss Helen Taylor-a niece of John Stuart
Mills. and member Of the London School
Board-and a number of distinguished clergy
men were on the platform. While Prof. Huxley
WIS speaking. one Of the audience several times.
in loud tone. invited him to connne his re
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