New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-08
JOURNALISM IN ENGLAND.
MR. IAnOuc9ERE AND TRUTH,

spectator must see MN Muho nO
indulging in his simple tastes" at
Twickenbam. where he inhabits the villa sacred
to the memory of Pope Mr.. Labouchere's luxurl-
ous weaknesses are lawsuits In these he takes
that Intellectual pleasure which the ordinary
pursuits of wealthy Englishmen fail to afford him.
No better proof of the complete independence ana
originality of the inventor proprietor. editor ana
chief writer of Truth can be found than the con-
tempt which he never fears to express In any conf
pany for those sports which occupy the ltve-out-o
doors and speak -one-language aristocracy at
whom Lord BeacOnsfed finally tnng his contempt
in I othairD To reach Popes villa it is far better
to send ones carriage round after driving to Rich
moud and take NE silent highway ones self-that Is
on fine summer Sunday afternoon for during the
week the Member for NORTHAMPTON is constant In
his attendance at the House of Commons. On sun
day he grati6es his simple tastes by the river
side. and is at home to few privileged persons
II is very pleasant to Jog up the river it winds
under well-wooded Richmond Hill, past York
House. where dwelt Mr.. Grant-Duf before
he went TO govern the Presidency of Madras
past the old home of the exiled French royal
ties. now the Orleans Club, past ancient Ham
House the gloomy mansion of Lord Dysart ana
mast Eel.pie Island till P0pe's villa is seen deeply
embaved and close to strawberry Hill. Pope's villa
s very queer structure raised on the site OF the
house occupied by the poet By some Innate VINO
imagined it clever trick to bring together several
| national architccures IN one building mus one
story is Italian another English, the thirl SWISS
| and the fourth Chlnesc-the last having brought
| it the nickname Of " the tea-caddy.' Something
| between an Italian camQauie and Chinese pago-
da springs up into the air from Swiss chalet ana
recently has displayed huge elock-face teilnF
the time to all passeT5-by on the river This clock
was long a serious matter OF douot TO MI LaOou
chere. When he took the villa he found the face
but neither clock nor handsan then debated IN MS
mind whether it were better to live III house with
dummy elocl-face or TO incur the awful response
bilitv OF keeping clock always to the right tine
Keen friends spoke of the expense of buying huge
turret-cock bus il is only just TO Mr.. Labouchere
to mention that this consideration was not even en-
| tertalned by hun. There were two sides to the
| question and two only Was 1t better that he
| should les a vacant cOlk-face stare idiotcaly
| over Cross Deep, or that he should incur tho
moral obligation of always keeping accurate time
IF nv clock went wrong be said plaintively,
| land deceived people and made them lose their
trains and go wrong themselves, tie curses OF the
widow and The orphan might pursue LIE, aud on
| the next Sunday feet full of belated buccaneers
| land on ny lawn and proceed to revenge" but ne
concluded to nut ND a clock on the ground that it
|
there Is the blue clock-face.wlth gold hands and
numerals telling the time to everybody who rows
past
Another object Just visible from the river Is the
entrance to Pope's Grotto, as it is called, really
tunnel under the road ut the back of the house,
leading to the extensive lawn, strawberries and de-
Hcious kitchen garden on the other side. At one
time Mr. Labouchere thought he would like to rele
PONIES villa aud for the first and last time IN his
life wrote an advertisement, which he made far too
interesting for il brought crowd OF slght-seer'
down upou his establishment. u Is extremely
comcal TO hear him, as be walks under the immense
frees regret the loss Of Frances, Lady Wade9fave'
not only ON her own account hut on that oil her
guests 1T was amusing" he will say, when l
had not many of my friends down, to see the
pretty way in hich all the people at strawberry
Hill who had had enough o, Shakespeare ana th'
musical glasses, would hold kind OF overflow meet
inc here It was an excellent parade ground for ou
dear old Mr. Hayward who had story ana
quotation for every square inch IN the place"
Landing NJ the steps by the river and crossing the
lawn. Nr. Spectator, being OF the Laboucherim cir
ole o.cenls some steps and finds a pleas mt com
uany ON broad terrace built ont on level with
The drawing-room window. The host himself IS q
short tbick,et man, Sith beard and muStache Of
sable silyered He wears very low turn-dowr
collar and a boating suit Of gray serge. He IS SIT
ting with Mrs Labouchere aJ little table. ar0unt
,-blch as becomes a democrat, are gathered The
! heir TO q dukcdom, who has become pronounced
| radical and is known a. Labby's novice al
Irish peer of hunting and dramatic celebrity, al
American actress. a journalist, and a Member o
Parliament. The men are all smoking cigarettes
even Mr.. Labouchere himself who has of lat
given I'D the enormous cigar without which no PIE
ture of him was once complete. There IS no lack 0
conversation here the least excited and least vo'u
bile of ali being as Is seemly, the host himself 'bu
tits dinicult nj anv time to discover any trace o
anxiety or agitation on his features. lntellcctu
allv. he is highly organized mammal
nervouslv. he is an nvertebrate Of tn
invertebrates. He never appears to be either very
nlea sed or displeased and nothing Is more amusing
than TO see HIM listening TO narrative OF the IN
credible kind He remains absolutely mouonlos
in his chair except with the cigarette-hand' ana IN
varr-spinuer. who knows him not, watches Yalnll
for anv sign of emotion. He cannot DE SURPRISED
h, INV miracle nor can he be dashed in,O lndgua
zion bv the bitterest wrong. tremendous IL
gires him intellectual pleasure, for while the mar
rator is going on smoothly without interruption
..Iabbv7 is mutey wondering whether the man
such cougenital IDIOT a. to imagine that he Is DE
inc accented in good faith. he situation is jus
one of the conundrums which amuse him. Their
is creat fun at Pope's villa on Sunday afternoon
bnt not much noisy laughter, the jokes being o.
that higher and drier quality which requires al
| intellectual audience with swift brains ready T.
cotch the slightest alluson. Doubt and dislike ar
bipted in the true manner attributed to Addison rs
tbe sometime dweer on this spot One grea
charm among Others in Mr. Labouchere's converse
ton Is that it includes the priceless element OF IN
unknown. the unforeseen II il this which gives
neculiar quality to everything he does. lie Is
Genuine man. not as Mr. Carlyle would have sale
"a homuucuus." AS a politician he ha
extraordinary insight. and years ago. when ever!