New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-17
LITERATURE IN LONDON.
THE LORD MAYORS LITERARY BANQUET

lrf"M The REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIL II rpIprNr
h'NpoN, June ia dinner to the representa-
| lives OF literature" such as was given S,turd,v
''eh' al the Mansion House 10y the Lord Mayor
raises the question, Who are the rcn-cseptat;vcs f
! iulatureY 1t would raise ii still more sh.rnlv
c"uio IL he assumed that the list of guests present
'c'ui'' Az those who were invited which il Ger
''i'S 'lid not W hen the Lord Mayor with whose
S'iiarge OF ms functions host no fanlt need be
louhd proposed Literature tho toast of the even
ing. and divided it into classes who are the mon
WHO respond'df For poetry, Lord Houghton. who
wrote graceful verses forty wears ago and who sro
or'eiiy and happily and Lord Lytton whose poetry
IKE is politics, never beyond the range of The
amateur Mr. BlacSmore and Mr. Black represented
Ehghsh hctlon. History found a spokesman in MFR
justin mccarthy. and Frenchmam named Ulhach
~ "i'uan smith spoke for biography suppose in
virtue OF his edtorship of dictionary. and for
elasScal literature. 90 the dryasdust departments
OF winch ne has devoted much attention Tho Lord
mayors iaSt section of literature was journalism,
lor which Lord Shcrbrooke Nfr Lowe that was,
| ME- H. ates and Mr.. A. Forbes were asked to ro
| spond.
iheSe gentlemen were, it must be supposed tlc
iioSt eminent, each III bis department. of the
guests who were present. 1t is just possible there
lore that c"nsorons public may ask itself
on the whole the Literature of ENGLAND was or ,vas
not adequately represented. | might think il nm
generous TO originate criticism of this sort but a
icahg Journal OF London has already pointed ont
,na' among the poets neither Mr.. Tennyson nor Mr.
browning WHO both 30 much into society were
among me Lord Mayors guests nor yet Mr. Swim
burne. MIR. Morris Mr. D. c. Rossettl: all either ~
inc iirst rank or very close to it, Mr. McCartbv's
merits as historian considerable but he wonld
himself be the last TO affirm that they have eclipsed
th"Se OF Mt frondc, Mr.. Lecky, Mr. Freeman MIR
n'n"ps' Mt Gardiner, or Mr.. Green AS to fiction
the weakness and monotony Of the younger school
now IN possession of the market make il difficult t.
say 'h' one Is more or less eminent than another:
hu' at least such veterans as Anthony Trouonc and
Challes keadc have not been displaced in pounlar
favor Nor does one quite why a compiler like
DE- Smith should be preferred to men of original
gifts ard research in biography like Mr. Treyclvan
or Mr.. John Morley or MI Leslie Stephen snppos-
ing any one of these others coald have been had
The Drama, though represented personally. in pro-
portion TO Its real strength, strongly than any
other OF the Lord Mayors sections of letters WAS left
out of the toast
THE PRESS THE PEERS AND THE PUBLIC
The critic from whom borrow more or less Of
theSe observations has nothing To say about Journal
ISM lie Is himself journalist and his rcticence is
an instance of the discretion which the writer's for
the leading daily papers of London habitually
practise. But If | might venture on a remark I
shonld he disposed to echo Lord Sherbrooke's ones
ton why he was called on TO answer for journalism
1t is true he in former times leader writer ON
Ihe Times; and wrote leaders OF high order of
excellence. But he does not seem to like being re-
minded of those days and deeds. His speech WAS
one elaborate sheer AT the profession and practice
Oh journalism sheer under the guse of n descrp-
ton and burlesque panegyric on the caricature
% ms own creation. as most noble and glorious
institution
MT Yates, IN following, seemed 10 take it all
literally, and in simple good faith observing that
no amount of obioquy which might be thrown on
those connected with the press could do away with
the Tact that the statesman, Niscount Sherbrooke
had acknowledged the journalistic triulnphs of
Robert Lowe. But perhaps Mr.. Yates meant this as
ironica!: In which case IL is pity he hid his irony
behind 80 thick mask. His auditors were aware
OF no irony. What they perceived was Mr. Yates's
uncomfortable joy at finding himself associated
with Lord Sherbrooke. His pcrceptive faculties
seemed drowned in this deep delight. He would
hardly have noticed it had Lord Sherbrook directed
his bitter gibes against society journalism instead
Of journalism in general.
Mr.. Forbes applied himself more suo. to a STATE
ment of his personal grievances as a war CORE
Srondent finging down a handful of apples of dis
cord as pleasing dessert for festivity of this kind
Major Burnaby before him had improved the occa-
Sion IN like manner by attacking Mr. Childers who
as Secretary of War, is his military superior Mr.
Forhess complaint that he had been refused medal
for his services in Zululard with an odd effect
'front.' and half a dozen crosses his coat How
many more does he wantf IIe described a CORE
spondent "A who when he does his best 10 tell
truth, is denounced "A liar by every body whose
blnnders he exposes-from n Niceroy downward
This slap in the face of LORD Lytton who sat a few
feet of, fairly took away the breath Of the COM
pany believe Mr.. Forbes quite right in his old
quarrel with Lord Lytton, but whether he did we'll
to renew it on such an occasion is another matter
()pe pf hi ,lo dad of
that Forbes had done the right thing at the wrong
time; proposition to which there was a general
assent. The papers did not report this speech
whether because they had not ROOM or from an i'm
pulse of discretion | know not. MI Forbcs's ex-
IRENE andacty in publicly and personally attacking
a Peer and ex-Viceroy may have appalled, his COL
leagues, and would beyond doubt have scandalizcd
the British public. Mr.. Forbes's speech had at any
rate, the merit of being short and pithy.
Lord Lyttons speech was long and empty, and
the sound of 1t was soon lost in the murmur of gem
cral talk. But it reported. IL must be said
also that he noisily cheered when he rose
the dry bones Of Jingoism rafting loudly in this
unexpected way. Lord Lyttons admirers are dis
couraged neither 10y the proved plagiarsms in his
poetry nor by the utter and disastrous collapse of
what no called his Indian policy. This is n free
country. and every Briton is entitled to choose his
hero and worship in his own way hero he
must havcOr an idol and whether his idol be of
clay Or brass of fine gold tried in tho fire there
are always men To prostratc themselves before il
with equal fervor.
MIR. LowELLs CHAIR VACANT.
Mr.. Lowell was TO have been the guest of the
evening. The place of honor the right of the
Lord Mayor reserved for him and his would
have been the leading speech, whether in
response TO the toast of Literature or TO