Morning journal and courier., 1885-12-05

l The Struggle of the Infant Nation- l alitIes-The Execution of RIel- l Impressive Ceremon1es-Paris Get
 ting Dul1-some Notable Fetes Planned Dramatic Matters - The Poor of England.
 l LONDON, Nov. 21. l To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 The Infant Nationalities' which were to realize an arcadia of peaceful industry near | the Balkans have invoked the god of battles, s and commenced an impious struggle. In stead of directing their bellicose energy
 against their common enemy, the Turk, they have deemed it less dangerous to cut each | others throats. Prince Bismarck once called l Servia "a match in 8 cart of hay" Now the
 match is lit and it is difficult to hope that ' the cart of hay-read "Old Europe'-will 1 not soon again be in blaze. Even M. de 1 Blowitz, the famous Paris correspondent of 1 the Times confesses himself unable to un- ! ravel the tangled threads of diplomacy and to direct the course of empire across all the l windings of the European labyrinth. The situation must indeed be knotty one, and the London journalists may be content to be puzzled. One of them says that M. de Blowitz has called aloud to some spirit of prophecy to arise from the deep of the east
 ern question, and not even an iuarticulate
 echo has responded to his call. He has lost
 faith in the nature of things, and the Times
 last Tuesday drifted rudderless upon the
 troubled waters. Not a journalist in the
 world who is biting the end of his pen in
 perplexity but will be touched by M. de
 Blowitz's cry of despair: "sTo see so many
 great States reduced to impotence by the
 smallest and youngest communities, to see 8
 minister dreaded by Europe defed by the
 puniest, is enough to make one despair of
 forecasting peace or war, enough to force one
 to exclaim: Allah alone is great, but just
 now Prince Bismarck is not his prophet. :"
 Neither probably is AH de Bio svitz, however
 incredible the statement may appear.
 Of course the Servians greatly shocked the
 English people, who express sympathy with
 the Christian populations of the East, and
 call upon Austria and Russia to put stop to the sacreligious struggle. It is easy enough for England to express, on any and every occasion, sympathy which need never go beyond words; but Austria and Russa
 whose ympathy with the populations
 means expense in blood and treasure, may be excused for choosing their time and reason. Poor Servians Poor Bulgarians! They will probably be allowed to destroy each other; but in the long run they will be compelled 
 great powers.
 Of all the acts of the English which have of late been alternating French sympathies from them, there is none that has had such an effect as the execution of poor Louis Riel will have. If he had been summarily shot after court martial, it would have been different matter; but to coolly hang him after respiting him three times, and thus keep him months and months lowering be tween life and death, is pro ceeding unworthy of a powerful Chris tian country, and leaves one to gravely doubt whether the English have made much progress in humanitarian feeling since the day when one of them lighted a fire in the market place of Rouen to burn Joan of Arc. Executions for political offen ses are always highly impolitic They invest the victim with the halo of martyrdom and often revive ancient animosities which would
 otherwise die out. But when the offences consist in trying to obtain redress of such grievances as are admitted by the majority of Englishmen to exist in North Canada, political executions are not only impolitic, they are odiously cruel, almost criminal
 Mr. Stead's condemnation has given satis faction to many English people, because they say he has preferred false charges against his own country. What will they say of the election agent who left the following 'fSocial Statistics of the United Kingdom" at my housea It appears that the fabulous sum of 125, ATT, ,275 pounds sterling was spent direct ly in intoxicating liquors in the United King dom during the year 1883. In the same year 361 ,542 persons were apprehended for drunk enness. Nine hundred and seventy four thousand seven hundred and tifty-nine pau pers were upon the books of the various par ish unions the 1st of January, 1884. Thl ee million, four hundred thousand per sons came upon the books of the same unions during the year 1883, and 103, ,355 were confined as lunatics. One million, nine ty-nine thousand nine hundred and seventy seven were proceeded against before the mag istrates for crime in 1885, and 273, ,560 were committed to prison for crime. Over 76,- COG, 900 bushels of grain were destroyed to manufacture the drink consumed in 1883, or as much as would have kept the entire popu lation of the three kingdoms in bread food for four months of the year. Finally, 120,- GOO deaths annually caused directly or in directly by the use of intoxicating liquors These figures are not exaggerated, but on the contrary, understated, for great deal of the mischief done by intemperance never comes to light at all, and a vast amount of known mischief is done by intoxicating liquors l which never finds any public record. We'll | wel1 well! as Henry Irving says in Olivia, is it possibles France, and now surnaned Ferry the Ton kinois is the butt of all sarcasm. People l abuse him, snub him, boycott him, sit on | him, and he is in a woeful plight. He is the l bete noire of the newly elected chamber of deputies The Radical members have decid- 1 ed on demanding the impeachment of his | ministry. Alas pressing measures demand | the immediate attention of the chamber. The l of M. Ferry would not restore 1 to France the blood and treasure which she i spent in Tonquin. M. Jules Ferry ought to be condemned to the most terrible form of | punishment-to oblivion. And the chamber | should immediately proceed to business.
 Your countryman, Mr. Burdett Coutts, l non-Conservative candidate for Vest | minister, has had an imitator in l Paris. The young Count de Lugival, aged pa !, , has just married a widow. aoaa seventv-two The lady who has adopted him brings him | dowry of six million francs I should call it l Ian indemnity rather
 The fashion in Paris now is to attend 1e 1 captions and gatherings at the different in- | stltutes and academical societies. The he l roes Of Parisian life are TOW all craniums l and spectacles, They may be more respecta- ] ble than the heroine of Parisian life during l the second empire; but Paris is getting very | gloomy In medic veritas ct virus,
 Yes, Paris s'ennuie! Such Is the verdict | to which everybody agrees in France. The 1 gay and lovely capital is getting dull and the ] Parisians terribly bored. Spartan austerity l may be becoming for a republic, but the rich l stay away in their country seats, foreigners 1 do not come and trade is in fearful state. | With Gambetta in ofice-Gambetta a Pari- | sian to the backbone, Paris was lively With l M. Brisson, the present prime minister, |