New-York tribune., 1882-04-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

A., Il
sp,s, rss, ,ys AND OTHERS BY MATHEW aREolD.
Svo. pI. 3Os. London; siuhn I'u'i w.
The most characteristic bit oi wr''1hg III '''N VIZ
ume is the Preface. Anticipating the "hi"V'i"u'o
..'Io,+ &c " nraciical politicians and mon of 'he
world the author comedies that 'he 'hiee P'i"'P"
.ssavs which give a titic 10 this hook will probably
he received with no great favor row and Wh'h
,rs.eA to explain why he assigns to them So con
.,icuous place in volume made up of his recent
addresses and magazine articles, lie feph'S !" Il
lone of airy iudiicitncc aud t"od-h"'"Vu
,cRance that he is "turious 10 know how th'l vi"
look ten wears hence if anybody happens To urh !"
Them This Ionchalance of manner Is qu'NN
cropped a he comes to express lis deepest cohV"-
tions On Irish affairs. The e'eat contention "
these ESSAYS is that in order to aIach Ireland 20 MS
solidy. the English Rave not only tc do soinc'h'hE
different from what they have done hitherto, they
have also 70 lesoneihing different from what they
bave been hitherto" As whole he ADDS
"tlcy have 10 acquire larger and sweetcr temper
n larger and mere lucid mind He does hoI
believe that the Land act has III HS"h !lo
elements fer healing the cstrangrm,nt between the
two countries. The Indispensable condition Is tha'
England and its civilization "shali become more
attractive" In what respects hat dYiiizat'oh is
10 he changed cr improved the author does rot eN-
plain in the Preface unlcss his meeuirg is luliy
and "largcncss OF temper" The main inference 10
lie drawn from the succeeding chapters IS thal lor
the fanlis of mind aud temper in that civilization
middle class education is largely resronN'ne'
The fist essay in the voiumc. The lncoinpati-
blesp opens with n characterisuc protest against
pcdantry and convcntonality i'll English ways oi
public discussion. The mcompatibillty between
the two countries must he looked into as II really
stands and ali explanations which happen 10 pass
cuIrent with class, party or certain leau'iS
must be put aside. EngShncn are exposed 10
hatled on the part Of the Irish people; ana
Independent Observers who are detached irom
classes and parties and from political ana
social movements must he content 20 look thhes
fail in the face and le; them stand Tor Wia' theE
really are Speaking in behalf oi those who are Tree
from caSs-spiit and parySpirit the author accepts
Edmund Burke as a guide whom they can trust
and EASILY proves that TO tie end OF that great
conservative statosmaus' life the misery ana dis
content of the Irish due more TO English mis-
government and Injustice than to faults of their
own. Thcrc is nothing novel III this view. Ped
antry and conycntionaiy apart, every EhglSh-
man with n conscience well Us
bra;n who has discussed Iiish affairs during
Tho last decade has admitted that from the Con-
Quest until long after the Union. the mass OF the
people were kept without well-being ana without
Justice; and consequently the conquered couid not
blend themselves n,o one nation with the conquer
ors Concessions have been made too late; the
sense of Injustice and ill-rcatment has rankled,
and the incompathlify has remained glowing
fierce unexplained hatred" There is not a gen
nine Liberal ia England who will dissent from Mr..
Arnold's conclusion that what is most needed IN
dealing with the and in ireland is TO redress IN
iustice and 10 make the tenant farmers that the
English are doing so.
Here. however is the point of departure between
Mr Auod's line of thought and the current OF
Liberal and Conservative. or as he would say
pedantic and conventional. discussion. Although he
laws so much stress in the Preface upon the neees-
fity of Engand's boaJ rather than dong something
different he passes rapidly to the consideration OF
measures which will be healiRq-which will redress
Injustice and wipe ont the memory OF it. His pro-
posals are certainly abrupt and startling lie would
send Lord Colcrdge and Mr.. Samuel Morley and
other men of truth and equity as a commission to
the island TO break with the old land system by cX-
propriating the worst landlords and he would send
Mr. John Morley and commissioners of like freedom
from bigotry and prejudice to do justice to the re-
iigion Of the of the Irish pc pic and 10 make
amends for the long reign of the penal code. lie
would not confer boons on all tenants but
would execute Justice on bad landlords and in this
way, by Il striking and solemn act, separate
tbo present generation of Englishmen from the evil
and oppressive past in Ireland. Having done right
with the land he would when the occasion arises
do right with the other matter wherein the island
has suffered great wrong-relgion. lie would have
Catholicism treated in Ireland AnElicansm is
treated in England and Presbyterianism IN
Scotland. He would pay the priests or
give them money for their houses and churches,
or establish schools and universities suited
10 their needs Having done what he cOuld
IN these two directions to bring the Insh TO acqu-
e,ce cordially in the English connection, by redress
ing wrongs in the land system and in religion, he
would make even mdde-class civilization at
tractiye to them
Ii is plain that the English middc-class cannot be
brought to entertain the authors proposals until
they have become no only radically different III
their treatment Of Ireland but essentially different
in themselves Mr. Arnold docs not say so, hut a
new England must be created before
the measures which he outlines can
be deliberately carried into execution The
vehemence with which he rencws bis attack upon
the n.iddle-class vulgarzed" dominant in Eng
lsh public hfo-le rides his old hobby with all the
Old dash and gacc, plying II with an ingenious
road taken from David Copperfield lis proof
that he has returned to his own ground after long
canter across country where many things were
strange to him. He loses whatever con
sciousness he may have had of being OF his own
field and dcscantS with characteristic force Ot the
failures on that class III social civilization. Inc
civilization of that class he contends, far from
being attractive is entirely disagroeabe to the IRISH;
and accordingly that civilization must be trans
for,ned-publc schools for the middle classes being
the indispensable preliminary to real improN ement
-befors Ireland can be cordially attached 10 tle
English connection.
We are afraid that the single decade which Mr..
Arnold reserves for himself will not give him or
anybody else the coign of vantage that is iocosey