New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-17
LONDON TOPICS.

aIs SERVICES To BRITISH JOCRSALlSM-BREI
uARrE MAKES SOME ILI-TIMED REMARKS AT tn
ROYAL ACADEMY DINNER.
trnoM TUE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF rng TRIBUNEl
LONDON May 5-Mr Frederick Greenwood
withdra wal from the editorship of The Pail Mall
asefe is an event IN English journalism. 1t marks
two things first, the termination of remarkable
career; secondly, the transformation Of n paper
which, for good or for evil, has been great power
in England. Ido'not moan that Mr.. Greenwood Is
not likely to be heard of again. man OF
his force does not disappear from pubic HE
in the fullness of his abilities, anu WIN
capacity for work showing no signs OF eA-
haustion. The career that is terminated IL
not Mr. Frederick Greenwood but HAT OF inc paper
which he created and which he has directed from
The day of its birth down to last Saturday. IheF1H
Mall Gazette, indeed, lives. and NAV nave De'ore II
n long and prosperous life, but it is not The FdH
Mall Gazette of the last fifteen years. The change
that come over The Times when Mr.. Delane ceased
IN edit IL vas NOT more remarkable than the change
IN. Pail Mall Gazette mnst undergo i'll new hands.
There are able men ready to take charge of 1t, but
there is no second Frederick Greenwood. The ne"
men may improve it or may ijure 1t; OF may I'M
prove it in some particulars and Djure II IN Others
What they cannot do is to recreate the precise
form which Mr.. Greenw God impressed on ms jour
nal HIS it was in all that goes to fixing the iden-
tty of paper from the intellectual power always
manifest in its leading articles down to It's pc
cuiiarities of type, its distribution OF news anu It's
general makeup In many features il had the al
traction of novelty at the start, and kept Its SUI
periority in these when they were inflated
An adversary has borne tribute to Mr.. Green
woods transparent honesty and unfincEing indie
pendence. The tribute is just but no reader OF me
Pail Mail Gazette cOuld be in doubt about lts quail
ties which were stamped on every page. The worst
enemy Of the paper-and 1t had bitter enemies
never called in question its sincerity. Americans
who read il were obliged to differ widely from 1t IN
politics. in morals, in its fundamental notions OF
the State and its views current questions both
national and international. 1t made war on most
articles of Liberal faith Its mission has been de-
fined-not adequately nor accurately-to have been
the overthrow of Radcalism by philosophy There
Is truth in II epgram to tins extent: that it ap-
piled unusual powers of political thinking to
the service of some of the most conservative
among modern ideas. Originality OF view you
might be sure Of finding II in dealing with It's
rivals il showed at times rather too open AFRO
gance and even contempt, there to be SAID in pal
lation of the offence that the contempt was often
deserved. But be Mr. GreenwoOd's faults OF mar
ner what they might. he raised he level of English
Journalism, and that is service for when every
Journalist ought to be swift to make acknowledge
ment. The paper never had n very large circula-
ton. but 1t was read Ivy the Einorty who form the
opiniOns of the majority. Lattery even its intiu-
ence fell OIL TOR it was Obstinately committed to
ideas which had lost their hold England, though
MIR. Greenwood so far from being the only man
who was blind 10 the coming reaction that even his
Liberal colleagues thought he winning when
he was losing.
need not go into the controversies which have
sprung up over the transfer of the paper by Its pro-
prietor Mr.. George Smith. and the consequent re-
tirement of MIR. Greenwood If the Duke Of New
castle claimed ian very different matter to do as
no liked with his own, Mr. Greenwood. who is a
political pupil of :he Duke, ought not TO dispute
Mr. Smiths right to follow the Dukes example
1t Is said the paper has been losing money, and that
when the country turned out Lord Beacousheid 1t
became clear tn the owner of The Pal Nal Gazette
that Jingosm was losing speculation. l am re-
luotaBt to use the wVrd JlDGOisD in connection
with this Journal because II implies a sort OF Yul-
garity very unlike the elevation of view which
often distinguished it's defence of Lord Beacons-
felds foreign policy. Still JinROiSm it was, and
the overwhelming dread Of Russia and the spenete
dislike OF Mr. Gladstone constantly expressed in its
pages deserve no better name. The moment of de-
feat is the moment when the brilliant courage of
the yanqusLed deserves recognition. Nj Green
wood indeed though he quits the journal he fOndly
called bis own. far from owning himself beaten.
BE is busily negotiating for new paper. and.
hear, with every prospect of success.
Mr.. Henry Yates Thompson Is a Liverpool gentle
man of wealth. culture, ability, with special
knowledge of economical subjects, the son-in-law
of Mr. George Smith, and defeated RsplTant for
two or three Parliamentary seats. don't know
whether he has served apprenticeship ia journal
ism. He must have hls hands full, III any case, for
Mr. GreenwoOd's staff went with hum after he had
Mr. ihomuSOu'g nron0SaiQ n adj
tor. One does not see how such proposal could
be accepted for Mr. Thompson means that The
Pail Mall whsle remaining independent Of party,
shall be independent in the Liberal sense and not
in the Tory He is thought to have earned the graf
itude OF his party by transforming dangerous as
sailant into a benevolent neutral But it remains
to be what future the paper has before it, and
what sort o! a journal Mr.. Greenwood may succeed
In establishing The report that M Edwin Arnold
Is TO become Mr. ThompsOn's editor can hardly be
true. Mr.. Edwin Arnold has been the writer of the
political articles in The Daily Telegraph since that
Journal rated; ss he was before it rated.
Mr. Bret HarteIs speech at the Royal Academy
dinner on Saturday cannot be reckOned among his
oratorical successes People who were present say
1t was imperfectly heard. One credible witness
testified that it was read from q manuscript: an
other. not less credible. that it was spoken from
memory. The single reporter present-for the
Academy tolerates but one-seems to have taken
down only the exOrdium. The single newspaper
published next morning omits even these few SEN
fences In order to make loom for the pious prelec-
ton Of His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury
and the lofty eloqueDce of the Lord Mayor of Lon
don, who to such heights that he forgot to take
the whole of the alphabet with him. In no journal
does our fellow-countrymAn attain ~ the honor of
much a summary Of his whole speech And
must confess that should not have been sorry If
the whole had been suppressed. / hold strong
opinions on the piracy Of English books by
American publishers, but certainly don't think an
American Is called upon to confess the sins of other
Americans before foreign audience Mt a dnner-
table. Mr.. Bret Harts described himself Us belong