New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-08
THE LATE PRESIDENT.

CONSERVATISM BROKEN DOWN - REGLNl 81
EARTHQUAKES INQUIRlEsAND hho'A o.,
TRIBUTE. FROM MR.. LABoUcHEkE-AN 49,
AA,pLrp AND UNIVERSAL oUTBURsr Oh "hN0i+'-
SYMPATHY. ,.,,s
prRoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE NM
LONDON. Sept 23.-The Queen orucI loi 'No
- o. -, ;to r,oprninp is another startling inno-
vaton upon etiquette. i hear that u struch 'ue
co,r, officials with something like dismay; not that
tba,, nersonally were not DESTROYS TO pay every
osnect TO President Garfield, but that the depart
,ro from all precedents was sudden and so reVo-
1utionarv. Never before has the rule been In
frinred. Except for person of royal blood and OF
kin 10 the reigning family the English court never
puts on mourning. AS all the royal families OF
Europe, Sweden perhaps excepted, are related re-
motely or directly to the Guelphs mourning Is
ordered for the death of European sovereign as
IT is for German Dukes and Princes who are near
Cousins of the Queen. 1t is family matter. The
mere ruIership of great nation has nothing 10 Go
with it, and constitutes no reason for the oDserN-
ance. | asked yesterday a friend who is an
authority in court ceremonies whether IL the lresi-
dent of the French Republic should die in Office
mourning would be ordered here. certainly mol
was the answer; sit would not even be thought
ofn He added that the Queens command had
accustomed the utmost surprise among all those of
the roval household who had not been with her or
in attendance at court since the I'd OF last July
Everybody knows that there is no such stckler LOT
etiquette in all Europe as the Queen OF England
II was inconcevable that she should have broken
away from the prescribed formula But those who
had been with her said anything might be expected
of her that would express with emphasis her us
tress and grief for the Presidents DEATH and her
womanly sympathy with Mrs. CARRIED. hehru
repeated Yesterday what heard weeks ago, and
I'D Tha nKs
and talks of nothing else" said this member OF her
household
Possibly these questions of etiquette may seem to
some Americans of less significance than they really
are.-not to ALL for the cable brings back the cor
dial and intelligent Acknowledgements OF the Amer'-
can press on this as on other points. An austere
republican may be pardoned for thinking 1t OF no
serious consequence whether court does or does
not cu into mourning. Nor is the mere act in lsell
Of GREAT Importance. Its importance lies Ia what II
symbolizes. in the fact that the Queens sorrow is
strong enough to put aside tue habits and moueS Oh
Thought and customs which all her life long nave
been law TO her. and have passed into second
nature The most astonishing thing OF all Is that
she should to quote my friends language ABOVE
ever have thought of ordering royal mourning ior
anyone who was not royal. 1t is almost equivalent
to an act of adoption. 1t is taking President Gar
field into the family; putting "a crown on MS hedu'
and anontine him as one whose right is divine. DO
not be shocked at such language. To us, Americans
and republicans, tns process of prncely canoniza-
ton can add no sanctity TO the memory OF the
President. We are all grateful for it simply be-
eause it is the last visible token the Queen could
olive of her respect Tor a noble and lite. The
English press refers to it with certain tmdlty as
II dreadlng to make mistake as 10 the purely eX-
ceptional character of the denomination. But
upun reelection and inquiry, one journal says
sduarely that official mourning is donned LOT the
first time for the death of ruler OF kindred race
who had no claims to belong to the royal caste
The word caste suggests an illustration which is
strong but not too strong. A twice-bOrn Brahman
who should join IN the sacramental rites OF nom
Brahman would hardly do a more Incredible act.
On the day following this order OF the Queen for
oourt mourning there came from two leading journals
in London. one Conservative and one Liberal, a ST.
multaneous suggestion that private individuals
might either drape their houses and shops or put on
mourning. or both, on the day of the funeral.
There can have been no concert between The
Standard and The Daily NacS in making this sug-
pestion; nor is 1t quite the same IN the TWO
journals When read 1t was half sorry to see IT,
thinking ii quite impossible it could be generally
adopted Then ] recOllected that an English
friend who has nothing to do with journalism
came to me yesterday with similar proposal 1or
himself He had not thought of anything like
general mOurmng-which The Standard is careful
TO say is ont of the Queston-but he wanted TO ask
If thought there would be anything Objectionable
heaven save the mark-or prcsumptuOus If he
should hang out some emblem of mourning from his
house or place of business. "You know" he said
eve have business connection with America p
as if he were in search of excuse to justify his
Thought of doing honor TO The President. My next
thought was that whether anybody drape win
dow or not the hint Of it coming from two such
dissimiar sources is enough to be grateful for. A
few hours later, driving down through Regent-st
] saw three or four of the principal shops IN that
street already in mourning; on one OF them Anerl-
can flags festooned half furled and wrcathed with
Grape friend who went on into the City-thaI u.s.
the great business part of LonGOn-reported that
many tokens Of mourning were TO be seen there also
on shop fro ats while in the craft of all sorts
had their flags at half mast. This friend
went to the three chief establishments of London
10 order fags and Grape for his own house. The
answer was the same at each. They had not an
American flag left SO quickly as that had this sug
pestion of the morning been taken up. More
probably people had not waited for n suggestion,
hut had spontaneously set about Offering what evil
dence they could of their sympathy. All this had
HAPPENED OH the' Friday which am writing.
three days before the day suggested for general
mourning.
mentioned yesterday the letters Of coincidence
written by Englishmen to Mr. Lowell and to other
Americans in England. 1t is still more affecting to
hear Of those written to Mrs. Garfield. a could
not help writing line" said one man of some emil
nence "Of course she never heard of me- but do
YOU think she would dislike to get letter from
strangerg' His wife added that she wished to put
In word from herself. l hear that private dis
patches of a similar kind have gone by cable, in
some cases from persons who are in no way dIstin-
cuished nor connected with America nor have ever
been there. They have made 1t their business, to
nnote again what Of these writer's said TO send