Morning journal and courier., 1885-05-16
MAX O'RELL'S LETTER.

| TER. All Rights Reservedl
| LONDON, May 2, 1885.
| To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
| Black clouds are gathering thicker and
| thicker. War seems inevitable. The sound
| of the armourer's hammer is heard every
where in the land beating ploughshares into
swords. In every English shipyard warships
| are being fitted out for the fray. Blood
| stained Russia is shaking under the tread of
| men in arms and the slaughter is soon to be-
gin.
What is strange, however, about this i'm
pending war is that it seems that the Russian
and English armies cannot meet. The Rus
slams can go to Herat in a few days from
where they are, and it would take the Eng
| lish several months to reach them there. II,
| on the other hand, Turkey follows Germany's
advice and remains neutral, the Black Sea
would become a mare clausum and Cron-
stadt is inaccessible. Would to God that the
parties, finding it impossible to meet in the
field, would continue the war in the newspa-
pers and let the people alonel
The English might seize Candahar and
wait, but will they leave India behind with
out an English army to defend it against an
attack fren without, or to fight it in case OF
rebellion withins The question is, How far
is the loyalty of the mild Hindoos to be de-
pended upons They would prefer Russian to
English rule, say the St. Petersburg newspa-
| pers. Ny opinion is that they care as much
about the matter as lamb cares whether it
is to be eaten roast or boiled.
Judging from this state of affairs, the Pail
Mall Gazette, which is almost branded as a
traitor by the Jingoes of the land for trying
to bring the English to their senses, seems to
speak sound1y when it says: .'We are bully
ing away as if we had twenty thousand men
at Herat, and yet we dare not dispatch sin
gle official to that city lest his throat should
be cut by the people whom he would be sent
to defend. 1t is a bad thing to b1uster Of
war, but it is worse to bluster and not be
ready to make it"
According to leading st. Petersburg pa
per, John Bull had better let Russia follow
her own sweet will undisturbed, for the dy-
naniters are only waiting for his attention to
be diverted to blow up the whole of London.
No less charming is the following extract
from the Globe: ssThe Emperor Alexander
may have the power to capture Herat, but
the eventual cost of the enterprise might ea-
silly be the ruin of his empire, the downfall
of his dynasty, and not improbably his own
assassination by the hand of the Nemesis
who, in Russia, stands behind the gorgeous
splendors Of tile imperial throne" Of course
each would be grieved to hear that his pre-
dictions were realized 1t is only friendly
warning, you know, with hope that the dis
asteT may be sverted. Nothing more. Ali
the good Christians!
Mr.. Sala, who was interviewed On his ar
rival in Australia, said that while lecturlng
in America he never got a cheer when men
tioning Mr.. Gladstone's name, but that the
mere suggestion Of Beaconsfeld was sure to
draw forth an 6ubburst of enthusiasm. Con-
sidering the democrats nature of the Ameri-
can people, this statement takes ons by sur
prise.
I suppose no one really doubts that the po-
sition of a wife and mother in England is
not all it ought to be, though John Bull does
not like to hear foreigner mention it. A
lady, writing to the Pail Mall, calls attention
children In cases where a separation takes
place between the parents The father may
be as great brute OF scamp as it is possible
to be, yet to him belongs the right to have
the custody of his offspring, ana his wise
must choose between bearing with his bru-
tality or parting with her children. They
managed these things better in Babylon
rights were supreme.
Mr.. Justice Lawson, commenting upon
the sudden death of the late Irish chancel-
lor. said that the event reminded him of
Burke's remark; tfIt shows what shadows
we are and what shadows we pursue"
yearl Such was the pretty and substan-
tial shadow the late Irish chancellor pur-
sued-and succeeded in catching.
Many visitors to Paris must have noticed,
as they took their drives in the Bois de
Boulegne, d brisk, fI1e-1eoking, white haired
old gentleman, almost always surrounded
by little regiment of young folks, some
tines on horseback with his troop canter
ing beside him, at others driving cart
load of them in a little wagonette. The
old gentleman, who is such numerous
grandfather, as Artemus Ward would have
said, and who appears to like it, is no
other than NJ. Ferdinand de Lesseps, the
greatest engineer of modern times and the
hero of this week.
At the reception of NJ. de Lesseps at the
French academy last week, the French en-
ioyed one of those intellectual feasts in
which they delight SO much. The occasion
was an exceptionally interesting one, be-
cause the speeches were both tHade by ex-
ceptional men, NJ de Desseps and III. Er-
nest Kenan being undoubtedly the two
greatest living Frenchmen after the unap-
proachable Victor Hugo. All the aristoc-
racy of talent bad crowded to the little
building to witness the reception of the
valiant and evergreen veteran, who looked,
in spite of his eighty years, as healthy and
vigorous as ever.
M. de Lesseps is essentially a man of deeds,
and it was long since the 'forty immortals"
had admitted into their company man that
was not a man of letters, which made the
event of his reception all the more remarka-
| BILE. His speech was short and to the pur-
pose, as he himself wittily expressed it: Ne
pouvant faire bien, j'ai fait mieux; j'ai fait
COURT He wound up by very characterls-
| tic little bit: 81 thank you for admitting
me into this home of thought and peace,
but am bound to say that cannot promise
you to remain calmly seated in this chair. "
And he might have added: Gear je suis tou-
| iours iuene" 1t was scarcely possible for q
man of eighty to revendicate more prettily
| right to lead an adventurous life to the
| last.
| It is said that, when man is admitted in
| to the French Academy, he rests on his lau-
/ rels for the remainder of his life, very much
as the English complain that no more work
| is to be expected from man who has been
rewarded with seat in the House OF Lords.
| From the foregoing remark of M. de Lesseps
1 it is evident that he means to be a fresh ex-
| ception to the rule.
| The silly Bosphore-Egyptien incident is
| over, amicably settled-and not too soon Ell
ther. Nubar Pacha Will call Oh tno Ieucu
| diplomatic agent in Cairo, and make apollo
| gies. The paper will be allowed to reappea1
| Immediately Well and good. As usual
in such matters, the public, both in France
and England, had been led by the unnecessary
strong language of the press to attribute te
the unpleasant affair degree of Importance
which facts did not warrant. 1t was an
| nounced, few days ago, that the French
would avail themselves of England's embar
rassments in the East to seize Egypt
| It is a fact that the so-called serious
/ papers have become SO comic of late thai
| one must look to the comic papers to fine
something wise in the way of advice. 1t il
| the Paris Charivariss that supplies this weel
1 the best advice France could follow. The
cartoon represents clouds in the shape o
lions and bears. At open window,
| young girl (France) looks at them, and says
sfThe weather looks stormy, think 1t VII
be prudent to stay at home"
new opera has just been brought OUT II
Paris and has met with a huge success Ih'
/ music is from the pen of the late vIoto
Masse. It has for title, "Unit Nue. de Cleo
patre,n and the hbretto has been compiled
from Theophile Gautier's story OF the sam'
name. The plot may be told in few words
A bold and handsome Young fisherman
IIyT 1nf1 ad