New-York tribune., 1879-05-27
THE LONDON PRESS FUND.


LONDON, May 1.-The Earl of Rosebery in the
chair, Cardinal Manning on his right, Lord Hough-
ton on his left dozen other celebrities, peers and
ornaments Of society," filling the chief seats, with
hundred or two coloress responsibilities In the
lower places-such was the composition on Saturday
of what is called the Newspaper Press Fund dinner.
Most of the leading journalists of London were alb
SENT or if present. their do not appear in the
published list of guests. Everybody with title Is
mentioned everybody with title dimes at the
upper table. One or two literary lions are
recognized in a similar way-after the titles,
of course, and at q due distance Mr. Anthony
TrollOpe was one don't at the moment recollect
another, unless Mr.. Percy Fitzgerald, prolific
bookmaker and literary hack rather than literary
lion, be entitled to mention. OF journalists, properly
called, there DR.. RUSSELL Mr.. Edward Dicey,
Mr.. Sala and Mr. Yates. Not an editor of any one
of the great daily journals of London or tho PROV
inces appears the scene II is the one newspaper
dinner of the year. The newspaper men have about
as much share in the actual festival and come just
about much to the front, as did the cabmen in
the dinner given in aid Of the Cabmen's Benevolent
Society, over which the Prince of Wales presdedlas
week. So eager the managers to secure celebri-
ties for their entertainments that it would be hard
to say where they draw the line. Two years ago
they invited the young Pretender of Chislehurst,
commonly called the Prince Imperial, son of the
man who trod freedom Of the press under foot in
France to speak for freedom of the press in England.
Last year. think, they coaxed the Envoy OF the
Grand Turk to respond to a toast. Last night their
chief guest was Cardinal Manning, who would GER
tainly suppress every Protestant newspaper in Eng
land had he but the power. The Cardinal made a
speech full of pOliteness. It would not have been
polite, suppose to quote passage two in reply
from the Syllabus, or from some of Pope Plus IXtRs
Encyolicals But it would have been apt
This does not seem a very healthy state of things.
But when you venture to criticse it you are told
that the object of the dinner is TO raise money for
the Fund, and that the way to raise money is to
cure the attendance of as many swels as pos
sbe. The British public it is insisted, will pay its
guineas for the privilege of dining in public with
the aristocracy f; for a distant view Of few peers
feeding by themselves at a reserved table, and for
the pleasure of hearing few words from one or two
of them who can be coaxed into making bad
speech, generally inaudiblc The same people
woud not go to meet Journalists the dinner would
not be thought brilliant" " if only journalists at
tended the newspapers themselves would not care
to report it and if they did, their readers wouldn't
read the report. cannot pretend to dispute these
propositions. j am far from saying that the men
who manage the Newspaper Fund do not know
their own business. If there be any satire in the
statement of the facts it is not of my seeking All
mean to suggest is that, assuming these views to
be correct, such condition of things is not greatly
to the credit of the public to the honor Of the
great profession which has to resort to such means
to obtain aims for its decayed practitioners
Ineyer could see why such appeals should be
made to the public in behalf of writer's. There is a
Royal Literary Fund, with similar objects. There
is not SO far as know, Royal Medical Fund or
Royal Legal Fund 1t would be difficult to urge
any reason for the existence of society in aid of
distressed writers which would not be just as appl-
cable to distressed doctors and lawyers. One pro-
ession ought to be as we'll able to take care of it
self as another and 10 be just reluctant to send
round the hat to the general public. 1t is to the
credit of The Times that it has held steadily aloof
from these enterprises Instead of aiding Others
look after people, it has fund of it's own, out of
which proper cases are literally provided for. So
strong is Mr. Walters dislike of tbe contributions
box that he never allows report of the dinner to
appear in his paper lie does. however, permit adj
yertsements of it to be inserted for the usual
sderaton.
The nobility, in these trying circumstances. be-
have with decorum, and being, for the most part,
men of good breeding, an air OF sincere in
terest in the proceedings. If they little pat
ronizng in manner that cannot be helped. The dis
tance between an earl and journalist is not much
greater than the distance between the Prince of
Wales and cabman. Lord Rosebery is still a very
young man, and has not had sufficient practice in
pubic dinners to get down to the level of his hosts
when the hosts are of inferior rank. But he did
pretty we'll His speech was impertinent, but good
humored. 1t must not be forgotten that he had
torn himself away from his favorte pursuits on the
.u,f on1 from, tha conDenal cOmDaniOn shin of the
Ring. He had devoted the afternoon, he remarked,
TO the study of journalism. In proportion to the
importance of the subject this piece OF self
denial almost equal to Senator LOgans when he
was about to take part great debate and gave his
leisure hours for fortnight to the study OF finance
Lord Rosebery spent his wit on newspapers and on
their readers and writer's with equal liberality. He
lkened the editors letter-box to the lions mouth
in Venice; for tine ive-hundredth time. lie
likened the correspondent to the slave who
ACCOMPANIED the Roman victor in his chariot and
whispered to him that he was mortal to Orpheus
also, and to Pliny. Any other names out of
Lempriere would have served as well. DIR. Russell
was there and Lord ROsebery seized the occasion TO
taunt him with the mendacty of his account OF the
interview between Prince Bismarck and the En-
peror of the French at Sedan. or correspondence as
sucb. he nevertheless spoke with praise. We are
all much obliged to his lOrdship. 1t Is not every
day that we are honored by the good opinion OF an
earl Perhaps we are more used to the sneers OF
Lord Beaconsfeld and Lord Salisbury and can
deal with them more easily. l hardly know
whether you can bear to be told that Lord Rose.
berry. who has travelled in the United States, con-
siders the American press Acrimonious" Later
IN the evening, he explained that he meant merely
that the American papers exposed the faults of their
opponents in strong language. SO be it, They do
not at any rate ask noble lords to solicit aims for
them.
There was toast. an odd one In its terms. to
"The Foreign, Colonial and American Press"
Thls mny be q forernnner of Mr.. Forsters Anglo-