The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-12

| pens ana everybody has more or less forecast
/ what has occurred and what Is occurring.
therefore take no credit to myself in this thing.
| since fools IN the street have been wiser ard
moro farseeing than the Cabinet and the veriest
| tyro in diplomacy and government, has been
| ahead of Mr. Gladstone, whose blindness and
| vanity have led England to the edge of pre-
| cipice over which she would go headong but for
| the check of public opinion. IL Gladstone lives
long enough he will yet fulfill the saying OF Lord
Palmerston that he would either die in a lunatic
/ asylum or live to ruin his country.
| ~.
| Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, member OF Parliament
| for Eye, is not always wise or discreet in his
| public utterances; but he has given the Russo
Afghan question very close and deep attention,
and during the past two years has been continu-
! ally drawing attention to the advance of Russia
in central Asia. He reminds me now that in
| 1873 Mr. Gladstone and the Duke of Argyll re-
fused the Amer, Shere Ali, the alliance he
begged for, and by their inapt refusal drove him
| into the arms of Russia. THAT blind and craven
| abnegation of duty rendered the Afghan war of
1878 inevitable" and Mr.. Ashmead Bartlett con-
| tends that similar piece of folly is now being
| enacted by the present government. How
long will Abdurrahman and his shrewd chief
! tains maintain the British alliance when they
| find Mr. Gladstones Cabinet again backing
| down before the legionS of the great White Cart
| They will make terms with Russia, as Shere Ali
was forced to do--and then the deluge." An
| alliance offensive ard defensive between Russia
and Afghanistan would, without doubt be a very
| serious business for England and for India.
| How one is forced to look back to the wise policy
of Lord Beaconsfeld when one is contemplating
| the feeble optimism Of mis- successor. If Mr..
| Gladstone had not sacrificed his country to his
| Jealous hatred of Beaconsheld, the Tory settle
ment with Afghanistan would have been main
| tanned; we should have had railway to Can
| dahar and garrison there; and Russia would
have thought Of Herat as really, for this genera
| ton, outside the pale of her advance. But Lord
| Beaconsfeld is dead and Gladstone rules in
England. He takes affairs so easily that one
wonders if there is such place as Afghanistan
| az all. Neither he nor his Ministers knew wheth-
| or the Russians were in its boundaries when
| they ordered them back The Russians did, and
| told them they had not crossed the frontier
Then stay where you are until we find out,
was the English reply. And so they staid, and
we were thus saved great war, provoked and
| entered upon as if it were no more than tea
| fight. Once or twice lately have asked myself
if the entire business is not, after all, a putup
| job, scare, game of speculation rather than
| a real international difficulty
] 1t is most certain that some great officials have
/ made money out of the situation. | do not say
there has not been trouble, and may be war, but
| st. Petersburg, London and Berlin have made
| millions of pounds out of alarming kilograms
and false reports. Who is the richer for the
commotion9 We shall never know, of course
| II one could only get at the names of the real
| spectators the list would considerably astonish
| the public. 1t is evident that Mr. Gladstones
government do not believe in the danger or pos
| sibility of an encounter between England and
Russia. They are making no preparation for it,
| The war ships they undertook to order last De-
cember have actually been reduced in number
| during this present month of March. AT the
| same time they promise us much. They believe
| and hope that for the present the Russian diff
fculty is settled, yet they assure us they will not
relax Their hs efforts . to prepare ar for the
gloomy picture of the situation. and
gives some startling facts and figures
about the nefficiency of the navy and the insn-
cerity of the government. My contemporary
charges Sir Thomas Brassey with directly mis-
representing the true position of things, and the
Ministry with breach of faith. Instead of pre-
pairing for war, they are doing far less to-day in
that direction than they promised in December
| before 1.-The scare began. Surely. then, it must
be scare, a betting scheme game at financial
| pitch and toss it cannot be real international
| difficulty; otherwise, the sober facts of English
| government in these days take all the humor out
| of Allce's ''Wonderland."
v.
| While we are drifting, ENGLAND, possibly upon
| the rocks of great war, you and in our imagin-
airy boat let me recall some of the artistic. liter
airy and theatrical events of the time Gilbertand
Sullivan have made genuine success with the
The Mikado," which is probably being played
and sung ere this in America. it is sure to be
| liked on your side The Japanese costumes and
scenes will take you, and the music is Every
| catching" l could not help hearing the follow
ing CONVERSATION III tue savoy 6GdilS III the nrSb
night of "The Mikado" "Oh, yes, Gilberts
| lbretto is always so much better than the
| music said madame. 'You think sol" replied
her neighbor. do you know Mr.. Gilbertl
II have only met him once; but thought him
charming. so genial and pleasant, and altogether
without the airs some authors put on" YES"
responded the neighbor; "but don't think he
would be much without the airs that Sullivan
puts on" The curtain went up on the second
| act, and the conversation was interrupted.
| noticed that the two ladies did aDaak RI
each other again. For my own part think the
| repartee was hardly deserved in respect of 1.-THE
Mikado." Parts of the book are simply drive
| it is true; but some of the numbers are quite
worthy of the deserved fame of Tho Bah
Ballads AS a whole, the libretto lends itself
| artstlcally to the musician, and the collabora-
| ton is quite as perfect and harmonious a part
| nership could be desired. l think the three
| little maids" carry off the acting honors of
| the new opera. Mr.. Grossmith will Go
more with his part by and by. Tt gives
| him fewer opportunities for fun than he has in
| some of the other pieces to the success of which
| he has greatly contributed. Mr.. Darlington
| and Mr.. Temple are both admirably fitted. Sec
| ing that Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan have held
the stage for so many years, they could not have
| been surprised at predictions of cessation of
| their popularity. They have done so much for
the theatre in the direction of wholesome enter
| tainment that it is pleasure to note in "The
| Mikado" every promise of long and prosperous
run. The attempt to establish purely American
concerts in London is meeting with fair success.
| If the very best artists only were employed. the
scheme would soon become popular. Mr.. Fur
| long, the American vocalist, gave a reception
at his rooms in London one day this week, prior
| to sailing for America. He is quite an Admirable
Crichton. He showed some clever landscapes he
had painted he sang his own compositions and
recitations we're given by visitor, from his own
book of poems. A little English girl astonished
| everybody by the defamation of 1.-THE Star
| Spangled Banner" Mr. Furlong has gone to
| Boston, but returns to London for the May and
| June concerts. ''The Hunchback," at the Ly-
| ceum, will be withdrawn at the end Of this week.
trous failure; so also is Lytton's "Junius," at
| the Prncesss. ''rhe Private Secretary still
runs along to great business; ''The Candidate"
| holds its own; and 'The Magistrate is likely to
| N ant rto iryn he Dr;