Morning journal and courier., 1885-10-24

small this week to see that an Abyssinian chief named Ras AIula, with a handful of determined followers, has been able to de- feat the Arabs in the Soudan and kill their
 dreaded leader, Osman Digna; in fact by a few hours fighting to settle the Soudan hash and do what his own soldiers could not do in
 as many months. England felt that her army had failed, and yet to persuade herself and the world that the British had as usual done wondrous things, she made great ado about them when they returned from their useless errand. She showered crosses and medals upon them, created her fonly gene ral, their leader, g viscount, and gave the
 whole party a welcome which might have be-
 ago. But this is her way, and not at all a
 bad one either. Nobody will deny-and
 should be the last to do so-that the British
 are brave soldiers, but England is in no wise
 military power in the Continental sense of
 the word; yet by few clever moves, and by
 making the utmost of her honestly earned
 reputation for bravery, she manages to make
 other nations believe that she is a military
 power second to none. One of the best il-
 
 pened during the Russo-Turkish war in 1877.
 Lord Beaconsheld called two regiments of
 Punjab cavalry from India to Malta, and
 their mere presence in that island positively
 frightened the Russians away from Constan-
 tinople.
 The result of the French elections, so far
 as it is now known, has taken everybody by
 surprise Personally I think it mi sht have
 been very well foretold. The French are
 tired of governments which neither mon-
 archial nor republican. What they want is
 something; strong government that will se-
 cure order and liberty at home and respect
 abroad. They are sick of pseudo-Repu bH
 cans who initiate the worst form of 1nonar
 chy without inspiring the confidence and se-
 curity which powerful monarchy would
 naturally inspire. In fact they want a real monarchy or real republic. This is clearly manifest from the return of monarchists and radicals. They are sick of ruinous and use less petty wars that bring neither honor nor profit, and the sooner the government reali- zes the truth of this thoroughly, the better. Nj. Jules Ferry, in passing the scrutin de iste bill hoped to see most of his Opportunist lists successful at the polls. He made mis- take. The French are not to be taken in so easily as that. They voted for whom they pleased, and chose in the lists only the names of those candidates who seemed likely to break with the traditions of that poor imita- tor of Gambetta, RI. Jules Ferry. That the Monarchists will not in the end after the second ballot be successful is quite certain, so that the question naturally asked now is:
 ''How will any government secure working majority in the new chamber?' A question more easily asked than answered. The re- sult-to fayorite French phrase-is a
 slap in M, Jules Ferry's face, and condem-
 nation of his colonial policy; and my ooun-
 trymen, who as a rule are not hard to please,
 are happy for the present. Another impor-
 tant feature of the general election is the ut
 ter failure of the so called Revolutionary So-
 cialistic party, which once more proves that
 the people in France are eager for peace.
 Confidence at home and peace abroad are
 what they want, so that they may carry on
 their industrious pursuits undisturbed. Alasl
 will they get what they wants
 The Paris fashions for the forthcoming
 winter are going to be marked by their sim
 plicity and economy Rich raiment of silk
 and velvet is to be rejected, prohibited as it
 were, and plain woolen stuffs of useful tints
 worn. Not only in dress is this simplicity
 to prevail At seven o'clock every evening
 many of the elite of Parisian society may be
 seen eating of the fare offered to the public
 in those essentially bourgeois places of re-
 freshment, the Bouillons Duval. There is
 quite run on the homely ''steak with fried
 potatoes" Do not imagine moment that
 the French aristocracy have ceased to be cpl
 
 herd by initiating their habits. This aus
 terity is assumed with the object of showing
 the tradespeople and manufacturers that the
 republic frightens capital and that money
 does not flow in Paris nowadays. It is q
 kind of strike on the part of the aristocracy and the leaders of fashion, with the aim of stirring up the commercial part of the com
 munity against the republic. We shall see
 how long the Parisian ladies will lend them
 selves to the scheme and aid in the war now
 waged. At present it is resolved among
 them that their ball-dresses shall be of mus
 lin and such like inexpensive materials,
 which shall not cost them more than about fifteen francs, or three dollars. It is good form to avoid any show of gaiety. Gallic light-heartedness is at discount, and the
 grave and solemn demeanor of the Briton is affected by everyone with any pretensions to style. 'Ichabod," says the visitor to Paris, "Where is the brilliant city that we visited in the time of the empiree" Surely this is not gay and giddy Paris. Long faces and sober dresses meet the eye on all sides. No more gay uniforms lend color to the streets reviews being rare and uniforms being no longer compulsory off duty. And on seeing this begin to think of Mr. Freeman's words: HWhat is to be the fate of Parisa Is some wholly different position in the faee of France and of Europe to be the future doom of that memorable eitya'' Men will look on it's humiliation with very different eyes, Some may be disposed to take up the strain of the Hebrew prorhet and to sayi How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden eitv ceaseda Others will lament the home at o,o gaaee and pleasure and whah cajla itsa1f eie- ilization. -''oi- oi'' MT. w. T. Stead, the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, is making good use of the time that has to elapse between his commit al by the Police court judge and his trial at the Central Criminal court He lectured at Keighly yesterday; he lectures at Leeds to- night and at Newcastle, Bradford, Glasgow. Leicester, Sheffield and Nottingham next week. On Saturday, the 17th, he has to surrender at the Old Bailey together with the other defendants. He requests the members of his staff to state that it is quite impossi- ble for him to accept any of the many other invitations which are pouring in to address meetings in other towns before his trial He also asks them to reply to the kind and pressing invitations which reach him from many quarters, to allow himself to be nomi- mated as candidate for seat in Parliament by the simple statement that he regards the functions of 8 journalist as so immeasurably superior to those of mere member of Par lament that, even if he were to be elected az protest against the prosecution, he could not consent to ahdfeate his chair in the Pail Mall Gazette office for the safest seat in the United Kingdom. Ohi you coquetI
 By the death of Lord Shaftesbury Eng land has lost great Christian philanthropist of whom she is justly proud. I cannot re- sist the temptation of quoting some verses of the late Dean Stanley, which appeared in the Times. Lord Shaftesbury had written to the dean to ask him to find some new and | younger chairman for the annual flower show
 in Deans Yard, adding that he was in the condition of tree which, as Lucan says.
 Coasts shadow no longer by it's leaves, but only by it's stem." In the way of answer