New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-01
NOTES FROM LONDON.
PROFESSOR DRUMMOND - EMINENT Rus
sIANs--TWO CONSULS-GENERAL.

/
mostly ladies, to hear diseourses by Professor
Drummond. friend, whose bent is to the
frivolous declares that no better proof could be
| gwen of the straits In which society finds itself
than that it should be driven in its search for
amusement to the hearing of sermons. Tins is
sentiment which deserves the severest rebuke III Is
matter of history that the gulf which divides DIS
| sipation from devotion is neither broad nor deep
| 1t is often and easily crossed. Professor Drum
mond moreover, long since set people talking ABOUT
him by his we5l-known book, Natural Law IN the
| Spiritual World; book now in something ike its
fortieth edition. He came to London by invitation
of Lord and Lady Aberdeen. and has all the ad-
vantage of their powerful patronage.
discourse in the large drawing-room oil
Grosvenor House by a divine thus douby intro
| dueed IS a very different matter from discourse
| in a church. There was a rush to hear Professor
| Drnmmond; You had 10 go an hour before the thhe
if YOU wished to make sure OF seat. Carhs Oh ih-
vitation were sought for by the most select, ana IL
Won made call on Of the audience later lh the
afternoon you found Professor Drgnmond ana MS
addresses the chief topic, Undoubtedly he was
| liked the impression he made was, In some eases
deep one. To the majority he seemed young
man of real convictions and much knowledge /;
with a lucid method, not perhaps perSua-
| siye. but with power enough to fixsthe atten-
ton of his fashionable friends and hold it. There
| is nothing but praise for him in any qualter ard
soci ty shows its gratitude in its own way Tor the
| sprltual entertainment which this young
Glaswegian has provided for ii. lie is onized TO
point which might turn head not solidly balanced
on pair OF broad Scottish shoulders You Will be
asked to meet him at dinner and after dinner, and
the outstfetched fingers OF fair women point adj
mirngly to him in the crush of smart parties And
| have a note to-day to the effect that IN conSe-
! quenoe of widely expressed wish. Professor Drum
mond will give one more address at Grosvenor
House next Sunday.
A man and a book capable of concentrating all
this attention must have in them something very
mueh ont of the common 1t is too late TO question
the potency Of a volume religion which within
two years has been bought by 10000 men and
women and read probably by twice that number
1t is book one has heard of from the most opposite
quarters 1t had been subject of conversation IN
DRAWN roDIns long before Lord Aberdeen brought
its author to Grosvenor Square. and asked London
to listen to him in GrOsvenor House the Duke OF
Westminster's resdence). One OF the busiest ana
ablest men in London told me last year that he had
| read every word of it four times over; and pro-
ceeded to prove his familiarity with it by full
summary of one important chapter. Still Professor
Drummond has not taken quite all the world
| captive. At a party last night where he was, APP
! parently carrying everything before him | asked
| an Englishman Of authority what he thought of the
| book aWe!l." he said, it is book which at
| tempts with much ingenuity TO deal with the
| spiritual world the basis of natural law, or TO
set up an analogy between them. But Professor
Drummond has never asked himself what he means
| by the word spiritual.
One effect of the new Peace with more or less
Honor) will be- il is said to bring Nine. de Novikoh
| back to London Ii would be idle 10 conjecture
what the specific errand of this ingenious gentle
woman may be. 1t would be still idler to imagine
that she comes without one. Her last mission say
| those who dislike her, to persuade Mr.. Glad
stone that Russia had no desire to advance an inch
further toward the Afghan frontier Russia was
| then at Sarakhs. She is now at Penjdeh. Is Nine
| do Novikof bent on convincing the Prime Minister
that at Peijdeh the Muscoyite means TO STAY In
that case you may expect to hear presently OF
Cossaeks ut the gates of herat. Perhaps the most
dan gerous thing about Mime de Novikof is her SIN
certify She believes what she wants to make her
| English friends believe. Yet they say that some
! of her English frien u.s. beginning with Mr.. Glad
stone while retaining all their personal regard for
this distinguished Russian lady, have come TO look
with a certain degree of distrust on her political
predictions, and to doubt the permanent value Of
| her political assurances
NJ Lessar meantime, remains in London to enjoy
his triumph. and to complete the grateful task Of
| drawing hi. own frontier in English ink. He is
| still to be met IN good English houses, and no one
that have heard of, the Persian Minister ex-
cepted has shown the least reluctance to make his
| acquaintance. The English bear him no grudge for
having done his best, after his Russian manner, for
| his own country. They would be grateful to some
of their own negotistOrs if they had stood ont for
| English interests and prestige as stoutly as NJ.
| Lessar has for those OF Russia Meantime, they
continue to cover his table with invitations. must
saw he wears his diplomatic laurels with modesty
and continues to play with brilliant success the
part of the candid friend who knows what is best
| for England better than the English themselves
General Merritt has received his successor In the
United States Consulate-General with grace and
good will He invited large number of gentlemen
| to meet Governor Waller at dinner at the Con-
| tinental Hotel on Thursday. Mr. Lowell was one Of
them. desiring no doubt, to signify by his presence
| on such an occasion the friendly relations which
| nave existed between the Legation and the Consul
| late during the last four years Governor Waller
sat on General Mcrritts left. Mr.. Hoppin, First
Secretary of the American Legation, faced his host
| AS many Consuls could manage to leave their
| posts present to say good-by to their chief.
| Not many of them think, will hold the same rela-
ton TO Governor Waller. Civil Service reform. IN
the Cleveland version of it, requires hecatOmb of
| victims on its altar. Mr.. Wilson King, of
| Birmingham or lately of Birmingham, Major Evan
| Jones from Newcastle and Others were present.
The Russian Consul General one Of the guests I;
most of tho Others were Americans, and most OF
| them were representative Americans in sense
or another Mr.. Lowels speech was in the circum-
stances a difficult one to make, but was made with
tact and with all the charm of dcton and manner
which belong TO MIN. General Merritt sensible
and practical Mr.. Conway found time for pleasant
rer;n,scencea of his two and twentv years of Eng