New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-02
NOTES FROM LONDON.
n DE LEsSEPs-THEOLOGIC POLITICAL
AND LITERARY NOVELTIES.

celebrities commonly placed, but was merged IN
the less distinguished multitude which throngs the
body of the Gudhall banQucting hall. 1t is posi-
BILE enough that the City authorities meant N. de
Iesseps TO perceive that between the estimate put
upon his position by his French admirers and the
estimate of London, there is difference as beyond
doubt there is. His speech could not be heard, his
friends complain. 1t was in French, and 1t did not
greatly matter whether il was heard or not. The
morning papers were kind enough to translate 1t,
and neither i'll its original nor its translated form
was much comfort to be got out of it for those VINO
are interested in the reform of the present ana inc
construction of a future canal. Plenty oil thoSe e
words which are proverbially said to butter no
parsnps but of pledge or definite proposal for I'M
provements, not syllable
Nor has the feeling with regard to NJ. de LesSeps
much improved since. Various conferences nave
been held between him and the leading shlp-owncrs.
There has been, think, sincere effort on the part
of the representatives of the great commercial inter-
ests of London to discover some common ground OF
action with the master of the Suez Canal. Ii has
not succeeded NJ. dc LeSseps shows no signs of
Welding ON what are here regarded as vital points
He commits himself to no concessions in respect OF
tolls OF of dividing fairly with the English the gov
eminent of the canal company, OF of those admins
trative reforms most urgently needed. Perhaps ii
is too soon to expect him to do so. lie is going to
Liverpool and to Newcastle. He has TO make up his
mind as to the state of opinion not in London only,
but in the great ports of the North He has 10 sat
isfy himself how much money and determination
there may be at the bottom of rival schemes in
word to make sure what is the least concession that
will. not satisfy, but silence, English opposition
and leave him, he means to be, undlspntcd mis'cl
of the Isthmus. Mr.. Gladstone said not word AZ
the dinner TO lessen the mischevous effect OF his
previous statements, and NJ. de Lesseps may be eA-
cused for thinking that he will still have some and
n ant of
in his struggle with the merchants and shp-owners
Of Great Britain, An odd state of things, truly.
NJ de Lesseps's speech at Trinity House last night
showed how strongly this idea of ultimate help from
the Ministry against the people of England has |
possession of his mind. IL am here i'll England |
said he in friendly country, to come TO an under
standing with those who have been opposed TO their |
Government. The Government have had the Wis |
dom and the goodwill TO reconcile their interests |
with those of the persons who have provided TINS |
passage for England and for the whole world. The |
Government are wise and prudent, but the people |
have failed to follow them" Yes, NJ de Lcsseps |
and the failure will continue and even yonr courage
and uncOnquerabe energy will be inadequate to the
task of coaxng or frightening the English people |
into surrender of interests vital to its commerce in
the East. NJ. de Lesseps pleads that they who fur
nIshed the capital ought to have the chief share IN
the profits Perhaps they ought, but i'll that case |
great deal more than they have yet received
The new Lord Mayor is a man of more than usual |
energy of character, and has the courage of his |
opinions. He has proved both by Withdrawing the |
permission he had inadvertently given TO Herr |
Sucker Court Chaplain at Berlin, to hold meet
ing in the Mansion House. THIS Lord Mayor Fowler
does on the express ground that Herr StOcker was
leader in the Jew-baitng of which Berlin has lately
In hoo Ttp The Jews in the CITY, |
need not saw are numerous and powerful, and they
brought pressure enough to bear on the chief mags
irate of London to outweigh the strong religious
feeling on the other side The matter is not of deep
importance, but such an act is at least useful as
protest against intolerance of peculiarly disgrace
full kind
Aenosticism has not been excluded from PaIlia-
ment by the exclusion of Mr.. Bradlaugh. Mr. p A.
TAYLOR the respected member for Leicester, has
been expressing in print opinions which, if not athc
istlc are probably more damaging TO the orthodox
theology than atheism pure and simple. Science in
his view whether scientific men mean 1t or not, is
the rreconcilablc enemy of Christianity ia its dog
matte FORM Even agnOsticism is hostile to a pOpu-
lar theology which prctends TO know what II does
not know, because the doctrine of agnostcism is
that there are some things which not only are not
known but cannot be known positively. 1t is there
fore dishonest pretend to know them. The cx-
istence of Deity Mr.. Taylor neither approves nor
denies The supernatural, Deity included, belongs
10 the region of the unknowable
There is nothing novel in Mr. TaylOr's position.
1t is the position of Darwin and perhaps of Huxley.
When questioned as TO their belief in miracles or
future state, they answer simply that there is not
evidence enough to satisfy mind accustomed TO de-
eide on evidence alone and not by help of faith. ,
And it is Just this demand for evidence which is
making most havoc with theology. If man IS TO
believe only what can be prOved-but am going
too far. / only meant 10 suggest that such cham
pions of the faith Lord Randolph Churchill might
try their hands on Mr.. Taylor. 1t might even be
worth while to reconstruct the Fourth Party Ill
order TO expel him from the House Of Commons.
The Fourth Party, however may not he in need of !
reconstruction. There has never been evidence J.
enough Of its dissolution TO satisfy the scientific
student of politics. And only n few days since, '
apropos of the departure for India of Mr. GOrst who
belongs TO it, its mouhpece in the press, The Morn
ing Post proclaimed its vitality in no doubtful +
terms.
Nobody seems to be more useful to English Tories 81
than the newest American apostle of that Radical II
ism whose motto is plumber, Mr.. Henry George. ] d
find Mr. H. c. Richards, future Conservative candi- I
date for the borough of Northampton, quoting the
following as passage from Mr.. Henry George who =
says respecting American institutions =
We do not even get cheap uoVeThIncht we n
might keep Royal Family and maintain palaces,
provide them with courts and guards, masters of y
robes and rangers of parks, for much less than is
wasted and stolen under the nominal Government h
of the people The ordinary citizen has moro in 81
huence in the Government under which he lives | I,
than he would have in China: The experiment Of :,
popular government In the United States Is clearly
failure.
Well may Mr. Richards say that if this had been t'
uttered bya Conservative. it wOuld have been u
called libel on republican institutions. Whether "
1t be the less libel in the mouth of Socialist, is g.
question for evervbodv to answer TO his own liking