, 1880-04-04
LONDON.
The Dissolution Of Parliament,
and Lord Beaconsfield's
Manifesto.

and Lord Beaconsfield's
Manifesto. z,
. Liszt's "Faust Symphony''-Spell
ing Reform In Germany.
Capt. Webb's Latest Feat-Ballooning +
the North Pole.
I Special Correspondence of The Cnteapo Tribune.
/ LONDON, March 15.-The master Of sur
prises has again upset the calculations OF th'
know-alls. When Easter comes in, Parlia
ment will go out ...>..
l. THE DISSOLUTION,
Lord Beaconsfie1d's announcement las
Monday in the House Of Lords, that tht
Government had decided to dissolve Parlia
! 1nellt on the 23d. fairly electrified everybody
Assuming a magnificent sapienoe after the
event, the daily papers cUlldescendlngly him
that unlnistakab1e signs Of the imminent end
| were plain to their perceptions days before
But 1t is a laughable fact that not a single
| editorial whisper was permitted to anticl
| pate the news. The secret was beautifully
nursed. The Ministers did not take even
their own friends into confidence, and the
faintest indication OF the Premier resolution
had not been made manifest to the Opposi-
| tion. So it happened that, when the Chan
cellor of the Exchequer sprang the same
mine in the Commons that his noble chief
| had already fired in the Lords, the Liberals
were quite unprepared. Their leader, Lord
Harrington; not only was not in his place in
the House, but he was out Of town. Nor was
Mr.. Gladstone in his seat. Mr. Bright also
was absent, The duty of saying the few
conventional words which the situation de-
manded from his party .desolyed, therefore,
upon Mr.. Forster, who replied with tact
and good sense. Within an hour the news
had been carried on the burning wings of the
telegraph to every town IN the Kingdom.
Immediately the country became flooded with
election addresses. The most noteworthy of
these, and also the first to appear, was the
manifesto Of Lord Deaconsield himself.
have nothing to say Of it as political docu-
ment. But 1t deserves notice as a literary
composition, for 1t Is thoroughly Disraelian
abounding in bombast and ALTERATION.
Among the jingles are "classes and creeds,"
"power and prosperity" "destructiye doc
trine, y consolidate cooperation {wilatever
that may mean), flight and leading" and
s'love OF liberty and law.". Now it happens
that the Premier has put clearly on record
his own opinion of the rhetorical expedient
he has employed in his appeal. Some gl1ou1
has been ransacking the Hansards, and finds
that during a debate on the Reform bill
brought forward III 1860 by the Government
Of Lord Palmerston, Mr.. Disraeli said: ssAl
liberation tickles the ear, and is very popular
form Ut language among saVages. 1t is, be
ieve, the Characteristic Of rude and barbar-
GUS poetry; but it is not an arg1unentinleg-
islation." Cruel, isn't it? And friend and
foe alike are laughing to thetop Of 'theirbent.
Lord Beaconsfield, however, has got the best
of his critics at one point, and, I
have no doubt, is chuckling inwardIy at his
c1everncss. These gentlemen made grea.
sport of his appeal to "men Of light and
leading" They hurled their granlm ars at
him. Would he kindly explain to them what
lie meant by "n,en oflight'? Was "leading'
a noun or what2 Or was, he only massacre
ing the language. as he had massaered the
in Ills writings, informs us Of an ingenious
plan of his Of transferring whole sentences
from ancient authors without acknowledge
ment, that the critics might blnnder by Civ
inng ,azes to SENECA and Plntarc willie
Prime Minister has been up to the same little
game @Men Of light and leading" is
plagiarism from Burke And the critics are
discounted. This is not the first time that
Lord Beaconsfeld has cribbed the phrase;
he had appropriated it long ago. He used it
in the House Of Commons as far back as
1916. in his defense Of Lord George Bentinck.
LISTS FAUST SYMPHONY"
has just been produced for the first time in
England. It consists Of 4'three character
RstaFss Ebseiysv after SeadsS esHg gst
en-" and 'AIephistopheles.' Although |
the arrangements for it's performance
were on an extensive scale.-including the |
cooperation Of an excellent. orchestra of |
our best instrumentalists, and Of well-se-
lected male chorus;-the piece can hardly |
be said to have created q favorable impress |
sion. Speaking for 1ny humble self, found
the symphony crude and .,e tedious. Certain
not by the hardest listening come to any
other estimate OF it as a whole than that It |
was collection Of vague harmonic ideas,
thrown together with utter disregard for all !
M severe @ S criticism % IS D from the bail Nc|cs.
Though arbitrary in tone,-for the Daily
Nclcs critic is Of the old school of reviewers,
lit is certainly the best notice Of the great
Abbe's work f. that have seen $ = in any Of the
1esl1 confirmation to the. opinion several
lines previously expressed, that Liszt's am
3ition far exceeds his powers of imagination
An entire departure from all form and de-
;elopn,ent can only be tolerated in Il genius
70 vast and profound as to require modes Of
expression that were hitherto Wanted,-as in
he case of Beethoven. With this mighty
Master, however, innovation was process Of
e not Of sudden If fantasons sg
'erman school, among whom Liszt
$ one Of the most dedant.-his Faust Sym
'hony' being a n,onstrous and exaggerated
esses great practical skill in the command
'yer the varieties Of orchestral coloring
frequently oyerwrought), is indisptuable;
nd from this his music derives Fictitious
such as commonplace platftudes
n speech might gaiI-With some hearers
ghen uttered with stcntorian vocal power.
That there are occasional passages in the
ynlphony Of inpressiveness and beauty, may
e granted; but it must be q very poor
rator who occupies 4 platform for more
i1an an hour without saying few things |
sorth listening to. When, however, these
re so rare rs iii the work referred to, it is
impossible to avoid a protest against so am
itious and prolonged a claim OIL attention !
nat might otherwise be much more Wortbily
estowed. That Liszt is a man OF remarka-
lie gifts and attainments, music, and ]
part from it-no one can dispute; but, J
|nce he deserted lis assured career as an ac-
great pianist in the efforts to be-
ONE great composer, he has too often mis- ! !
tken arrogant seH-assertiOn for the prompt !.
1g Of genius. {