Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-20
THE CHAMBERLAINs TALK.
Views OF the Member for Birmingham
and His Wife,

From ths Boston Transcript August l6.
The Right Hon. Joseph Chsmbeslaiu, Mp,
and his young wife, WIN are now al ths home
OF Judge Endicott and Mrs. Endicott in Salem,
are extremely interesting people.
An international marriage has always a ro-
mantle interest in life or in novels n when
Miss Endicott vent from . residence IN WASH
mgton az a daughter Of q member Of the Presi-
dents cabinet to her English home az the wife of
a distinguished member of parliament, people
felt a natural interest in her success, not merely
social or personal, bat just q little deeper. II
was more worth while for her to be liked aud
TO meet the requirements of her life, for ex-
ample. than an American girl who had married
q peer OF the sort whose voice is never heard in
the nations councils. Those who have been in
England during the past two years know how
warmly Mrs. Chamberlain is liked and what An
element OF the best in our new world hfe she
has taken into a society where the American
heiress is lot always truly representative of
the women and the girls this side of the ocean.
Yesterday there was the CAV sound of voices
OF morning callers welcoming Mrs. Chamber
lam In the drawing room of the old-fashioned
gambrel-roofed house on Elm street, where
MRS. Chamberlain will spend the autumn with
her parents. Gen. Sherman and his daughter
were spending the day; there were people vino
mad driven over from shore places, their horses
waiting IN the drive. and in the library on the
right Mr.. Chamberlain was busy with q little
inevitable public business.
A CHAT WITH MRS. CHAMBERLAIN.
Mrs. Chamberlain, charming, youthful, al
most girlish in her little close-ftting lilac cot
ton morning gown, was radiant with satisfac-
ton In being once more In Salem. She said
she likes living in England very much. Every
thing is done to make her enjoy the life. But
with all tlat-nn matfar how nanny nna ia-ik
Is good to be here again. Yes, / was born in
this house" There was a quick glance about
the pleasant, picture-fllled rooms. the glance
that Is a cnress when given to a friend. 1--WE
shall stay until late in the autumn. Mrs. Stan
Icy is coming over before long. Oh, yes, l
have read a few OF Mr.. Kipling's stories.
Everybody Is reading them in England. They
seem to find them very interesting.
Il don't know exactly what I think about
women's interest in politics in England. 1t is
different there. 1t is so much smaller q coun.
try; l suppose that is one reason of the interest.
In London everything ~centers. and it il easier
to know what is being worked for. Perhaps it
isn't because they think of il rs anything sepa-
rate from other interests" 1t was a very
graceful and pretty way of explaining the
reason Of women's successful interest and in
fuence in the political life OF England. SO far
as it exists. They take their interest naturally
with their other interests, not separately and
strenuously, and as IL life apart.
ANTIQUITY OF JOKES.
When Mrs. Chamberlain went to see new
visitors, the talk went on to the beauty of the
surroundings. Judge Endicott said that he
had an idea that beauty in form, like beauty in
music, has only certain notes. The white
carved stair rail was The colonial copy of the
beauty in marble found in italian staircases.
ideas of beauty. as Wendell Phillips used to
say OF jokes. are limited. I've never forgotten
his saying that there are only forty Jokes and
any attempt at making others is only vain effort
at variation. Up in New Hampshire, in the
farm houses on the hill sides, they say that
when they want to know if the cows are COM
ing home they look up chimney. They used
to say the same thing in Italy and SO on east
till you get to India. Probably they had the
same joke in the Himalayas."
Mr.. Chamberlain came out Of the library,
an alert figure with the air of thirty and the
animation and repose which our young imita-
tors OF Eng)ishmen fail to get the acting secret
Of; a clear-cut face, shaven like a monk; blue.
unmonk-like eyes; dark, thick hair above a
good forehead, a diplomats ready speech and
a hearty mans unaffected cordially; gray
checked morning clothes. a gray derby hat in
his hand and a dislike of personalities in his
heart. he was willing to talk of great inter-
national subjects, but none the less willing to
argue about the relative values Of personal
topics.
ER. CHAMBERLAIN ON SENSATION NEWSPAPERS
N RuDYARD KIPLINa.
present history il very WELL" he said,
when it concerns what a man is and does, but
I am bound to say that I believe that sensa-
tionsl newspapers are responsible for the pres
ent tendencies of literature. There il no
chance for a man to write a ntagnHn opus.
People are too busy reading the account of the
peccadilloes of the great to have time or
thought for serious reading. / do not con-
denim tho tome of American aansotinpal Mama
papers merely; it is the same in England. 1t
is like a perpetual feeding on sweatmeats; the
system has not power to assimilate what il
needed of solid food. There is KipIing, now
writing in England, with all the world reading
his stories OF Indian life. They are good
enough stories-the scenes in India and the
life and action good. But / don't believe that
the man can ever write a sustained work. He
must write for an immediate market.
People are perpetualIy eager for some new
thing. That Is one great reason for the rest
leSsness of hfe-the perpetual craving for the
new thing. The personalities Of too many news
papers are not OF the sort that make plain the
life or the graces of a people. They gloat for
the vulgar mind upon the lapse: OF the great
and these are made excuses to the common
to do with the restlessness and superficial
CAPABILITIES Of life today"
SOCIALISM.
@"As oAu kAus ~
last word cannot soon be spoken.
Socialism, as it is known on the continent,
tie seething anarchical avowal of equality,
when equality has not yet been developed. is
not known in England. In its practical work.
ing state socialism is in great power there. The
state has control of the post and of the tele-
graph; the poor law and free education are ex-
amples OF state socialism. There are poor who
cannot or will not provide for themselves and
the state makes provision for them. Free edu-
cation is there. as here, the states wise arrange
ment for the education of the many.
'Of course in England there has been the
great question of large and small holdings.
The state proposes to put some of these into
small holdings and make il possible for thou
sands Of poor fellows to improve their condi-
ton slightly by giving them chance to have
half an acre or an acre for their own house and
vegetable garden. With property that cannot
be distrained the workman would have incen-
tive for acquiring more and the power to buy
fifty acres may by and by come in his way"
IRELAND AND THE IRISH.
us it likely that your committee will get
their way with this measure?' Likely! Il is
certain" exclaimed the member from Bir-
mingham. 'There will by and by be a. good
q chance for poor men in England a. there il
in Ireland. Yes. l know it il customary here to
think of the Irish who come to America as es-
Gaping from the heel of the oppressor. but /
wish moro of your people could see the for
tunate condition of the Irish in Meath and
some OF the other counties. or course the
land that is called land in the west Of Ireland
is mere bog or rock. and the people very prop
erly become emigrants. The time when the
- ILL IL ~