Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-07-16
LONDON GOSSIP.
LATE ENGLISH BATTLES AND THE
CAUSES OF DEFEAT.
British Steel" Has Lost all lis Teuors-
Slow Habits Of the CoCkneys in the
Manner OF Iransac'ing Busi-
neSs-Some Illustrative
Characteristics.
ROUGH HANDLING OF JOHN BULL.
LONDON GOSSIP.
ROUGH HANDLING OF JOHN BULL,
.ur,r.p,uiruce of the Register.

LONDON, June rs.
The successive poundings which the
Beers oi South Africa gavetO the British
forces have mortified the English people
to an extent which can scarcely be con-
ceiyed. The real reason of these success
slve defeats does not seem to have pre-
sen,ed itself to the average British
citizen. On the one hand he is of the
| opinion that the defeats are owing To the
| conduct of the war being in the hands
OF a radical ministry; and on the other
he thinks il to he owing to the TACT, a.
| he alleges, that
The War With the Beers
was legacy from the Tory administra
tiru, and therefore bound TO be uusuc,
ceSstui. The actual cause of the defeat
Is to be found in the selfsutciency OF
the English people, in the faulty char
acter OF the British military system, and
baG management in the field. The men
are sent into the field in all the gaudy
scarlet and yellow which they wear
around the streets; and as matter OF
course they We're most conspicuous, and
| were
! Picked on With Perfect Ease
| by the Boer sharpshooters. Then it is
the fact that in the case oi target practice
there is no such thing in the
British service. II is true
that a man is allowed 600 per
annum for this kind OF practice; but this
/ is but little, ii any, better than none At
/ all. And, finally, there is an idea prey
alent mere that all that is necessary lor
/ the British army to secure victory Is to
| show itself 10 the enemy, who are ex-
pectcd To lice in terror before the re-
doubtable apparltlon. The EngIlsh
people are labOring under the
Idea that They w on the Battle OF Water
loo,
and they have been running things on
the reputation ot that alleged victory
ever since: and although they have
never won what may he termed great
battle from that day to this, they remain
under the belief, in the face OF unvary-
inc defeat, that the British army is IN
viucible. The time has passed when
ANYBODY is going TO run away
from chap in a towering bearSkin, for
ne knows that ehe chap who wears 1t Is
not seven feet high, although he appears
To br.
British SteeI'' Has Lost All It's Terrors
Ii is even now the opinion o[ the average
| Euglshman, that there are no foreigners
| who can stand British steel; however
! that NAY he, and the fact has not yot
| leaked out here,-long range guns Ol
precision are knocking British steel
| into cooked hat at least half All hour
/ before it can get into action.
One OF the most eXasperallng things
| which ar American has TO encoun-
| ter on this side OI the water, at least
among English people is
/ The Manner IN Which Business is Con-
Quoted.
\ dozen times since nv arrival | have
| been on the verge of insanity from the
/ way in which have been treated 10y
| these beet-eating BrItOns. An American
| comes here with hls American notions
/ and undertakes To put them IN opera
/ rion: the result i about the same aS
would be that CI hItching up three
! minute trotter long side ot a dray
/ horse and then undertaking to make
/ .'time" on a Wheeling boulevard. No
I time is made; the trotter worries aGt
/ irrts out his lille; the dray horse goes
/ alnng in the stvle 10 which he is accns-
toned. and nothing is gained in the
/ matter ot speed. Here is
A Case iu Point.
soon alter getting here wished to have
| some printing done, and Tor that purpose
, | went u u lob office which was well rec
ummenird 10 me- What | wished done
would require about an hour in an aver
ase American office. Possessed with
this lir,l OF the Yankee way OF doing
things went down thInSing without
doubt that | wOud be able u have the
work done and bring the materials back
with me The foreman OF the office salG
he could not DO it that day but that he
woHd
Send Up the Proof the Next Day.
aud with this | vas compelled to
be- satisfied. The next day there
was no proof, but il came the day after
that. ant was not what was wanted.
uaie the correction ia the proof, = .nt 1t
/ back with 4 not0 u be sure and SEMI up
the pri2trd matter at once. | waited
twu ,lays longer, and then went down to
the utlrr 10 sec what was the trouble.
At that place | found that nobody knew
ANYTHING about the proof. Was reter-
red from one man 20 another, until hnal
lv a ri,irk (clerk in the Amerlcan Ian
gudsr, managed 70 discover my letter
with the missing proof
Tucked Away 10 a Lot oi Old Papers.
Then | insisted that the i1b should be
hurried up. To make 4 long story short,
got u coupe uI dom ot the printed
matter ordered tn second day after
my last visit, AMI the remainder came
along some four DAYS later In aiI it re-
quired about ten days 10 10 what would
in the case Oi an American office not
taken over two hours.
Several weeks since wishing TO see
leading banker, | called at his place ol
business. There We're four clerks in tue
outer oIlire, who were doing absolutely
nothing save goSsiping and loungug.
Can SEE Mr.. SO-and-So" | asked.
cave. Do you wish-awe--to see him
in person
IVES, DO"
"ASr--c1wn'i transact awe the
business tnreou"'
"Np. Won r.lwnt. Please hau him
this crd. au.l ask him it can Sc him
III i mumri..
U,. tooS the cart with Il good deal ot
appareu, uuWitIiuGur>S, HTd sauutrrrd
of into another rnou. lie came back
in five minutes.
"Mr. Blank ls--awe awe tineIEsd"
WAS mad when rame in; WAS
madler after the lesurrly lmpertinrrce
of the clerk. aud now Mas still more
enraged 10 think that hal travelled six
or eight miles 10 find as always
tound-thOt the man | wished 70 see
was ''awe--engaSSd.'
MS very singular that never can
i'm anybody n tn.s country who
Is To, cusu:.d'
"Awe-yeS, awe-wc are-awe-a
very bIsv people
''IrS. | snouli think you were. said
I IL 1 ,lluTrl AZ fba. - k,l