New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-22
IMPERIAL FEDERATION.
ENGLANp's NEGRO PROBLEM.

after drawings by the author LIMO PIP ''''
Charles Scribner's Sous.
Mr. Froudes book on the English In the West
indies is it need hardly be said brilliant one.
and il will provoke the more discussion because IL
is assuredly not mere record OF travel pue GU
phatically poemic. Mr.. Froude has reached the
AGE when IL illusions Of one kind usually oisaP-
pear their place is apt to be taken by others WIN
which the declining powers Of nature darken ana
aisturh the senile vision. Perhaps II is because
he has recognized the danger Of such subjective
pessmsm that he introduces, discusses and declares
himself not in sympathy with, the fOreboding ex-
pressions employed in Lord Tennysons new Locks
lev Hall He does not agree with the Laureate In
deed, but he disagrees sharply with MIR. Glad
stones reply to the Laureate and despite his dis
ciaimer of hopelessness his look from first to last
is a mngling OF censure and lament: censure for
the governmental policy which he regards as 1ndi-
eating at once the abandonment of patriotism and
principle lament the production of a colonial
situation which, II his premises are accepted, would
appear to be irremedable.
The views Of Mr.. Froude on English affairs arc
by this time familiar to the public. He is not a
Tory after the model OF Disraeli. He is Tory
rather after the model of Carlyle. Modern pro-
gress in statecraft he considers to have been Tor
the most part unfortunate and mistaken. Mr..
Gladstone he regards as the most mischievous ana
dangerous man in public life He hberates his soul
in this book upon that subject through savage
assault upon the whole class of talking politicians
The man Of action, the strong, imperious man, VINO
drives and not guides his generation. is his hero
The extension OF the suffrage the transfer OF power
to the democracy all the measures which tend to IA
ciliate the acquisition of political influence by
speeches of special ability in his eyes simply
steps in national descent. He even permits his
readers TO suspect that West Indian emancipation
seems to him doubtfully benef cent or WISE and he
quotes in one place a Philadelphia lady who de-
clared that in her opinion the Southern slaves never
should have been manumitted with cOmplacency
which would scarcely have attended the exhibition
Of so obviously significant expression had not
his own feelings been sympathetic to those OF the
speaker.
In this volume arc many eloquent fragments OF
description. Mr.. Froude is master OF vigorous
racy and felicitous English and as all readers of
his historical works know he possesses that warmth
of imagination and that feeling for life and color
which are so indispensable in vivifying past events
and are so useful in depicting present material
scenes. His accounts of the tropical beauties OF
the West India islands, while perfectly easy ana
unabored. are so bright and vivid as TO bring De-
fore us the luxurant vegetation, the deep plue
ocean, the brilliant verdure the perfume laden at
mosphere, and the hot sun bathing the whole IN
floods of intense light But description is merely
incidental TO the main purpose VI tHo oo"fN' Inv
question which interested him, and which took him
10 the West Indies at q time OF life when most men
are content to seek quiet and comfort at their own
Greside. was the fate of these colonies. TheColo-
NAL Exhibition in London had just been closed
II had produced in the British mind some revival
of that general interest and pride in the colonial
possessions Of the Empire which, according TO MT.
Froude and those who think with him. the Liberal
party has done much to weaken and eXtlngulsh'
II had shown moreover that the coonists them
selves had no desire to serarate from the mother
country; that they resented propositions OF that
kind; that they were still filed with patriotism
so old-fashioned that its pattern has almost ceased
to be recognized in England But it occurred to
Mr. Froude that the position of the West Indies
was unlike that Of the other dependencies. save
India and that the extension to them OF the demo-
cratic elf-government which had proved SO lar
successful in Australia and New-Zealand, would
probably be followed by wholly ca!amitous re-
suits And while on the train which was taxing
him to southampton and the mail steamer he med
itaed on Lord Tennyson and Mr.. Gladstone ana
something of his reflections we here append;
This only was clear to me in thinking over what
Mr. Gladstone reported to have SAID ana III
thinking of his own achievements ana career, lldl
there are two classes OF men VINO have played ana
still play prominent part In the wolld-tnoSSe
who accomplish great things, and those VINO TAX
and make speeches about them The doers OF
things are for the most pnrt silent Those VINO
bnild M empires or discover secrets OF science,
those who paint great pictures or write great poems,
are not often to be found Spoutng upon patlortns
The silent men do the work Inc taxing 1 men an
cry out at what is done because 1t Is not done as
they would have had II, and aftcrward take pos
session of it as if it their own property war
rem Hastings wins India for us; the eloquent
Burke desires and passionately tries TO hang MN
for it. At the supreme crisis in our history Whcn
America had revOlted and Ireland was defiant
when the great powers of Europe had coaleSced 10
rs
at Yorktown. Rodney struck a blow IN the W est
Indies which sounded over the world and saved for
Britain her sceptre. just IN time, Tor the
popular leaders had persuaded the liouse OF Com-
mons that Rodney QUE to be recalled ana peace
made on any terms. Even in politics the names or
oratorical statesmen are rarely associated with the
organic growth Of enduring Institutions. The most
distinguished " them have been conspicuous only
as instruments OF destruction Institutions are the
slow growths of centuries. The orator cuts them
down in day. The tree falls and the hand that
wields the axe is admired and applauded. The
speeches Of Demosthencs and Cicero pass into lit
erature and are studied as models OF IAN
gage. But Demosthenes and Cicero DID not under
stand the facts of their time their language might
be beautiful and their sentiments noble but WIN
their fine words and sentiments they only missed
their countrymcn The periods where the orator oa
Is supreme are marked always by confusion ana
dsintcgration. Goethe could say of Luther that
be had thrown back for centuries the spiritual cuic
tivation Of mankind, by calling the passions OF
the multitude to lrdge Of matters which should
have been left to the thinekrs We ourselves are
iust now Ia one Ct those uneasy periods, and we
have decided that orators hrc the nttest people 10
ruls over us The constituencies choose their
members according to the fuency of their tongues.
Can he make O speech is the test OF cempe
tencv for a legislator and the most persuasive Of
the Whole we make prime minister. We admire
the man for his gifts and we accept what he says
for the manner in which it is uttered. lie may
contradict to-day what he asserted yesterday No
matter He can persuade others wherever he Is
persuaded himself And such is the nature OF MN nm
That he can convince himself Of anything which 1t
is his interest to believe. These are the persons
who are now regarded as our wisest 1t was not
always so 1t is not so now with nations who are
In a sound state of health. The Americans. when
they choose President or Secretary Of State or
any functionary from whom they require wise ac-
tier do not select these famous spcechmakers Such
nds do last for the condition. which they