New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-29

| lot ireland. This Episcopal community or so
| much OF it as is Episcopal, gives itself up to
| religious emotions. or perhaps to ecclesiastical
emotions. l add the qualification because in
Scotland, which is country surely not less
religious than England. Holy Week does not exist,
| and the thrifty Scot, knowing no business can
be done with his English neighbors, has annually
| turned Good Friday into bank holiday
| OF topics non-political, the Queens Journey 70
| Grasse has been, at least for the newspapers, the
| chief. Every circumstance of her Journey her
arrival. and her occupations since her arrival is
| described with a minuteness which may pass
proof of the loyal interest of part of her subjects
I There was for one moment shiver of alarm from
| the alleged presence of small fog in Grasse but
the story, though probably true in part, was
denied in toto, and Her Majesty's subjects breahed
freely once more. Grasse is at best a dirty little
town, but all possible precautions were taken by
DOCTORS sanitary engineers and other competent
persons to insure the Queens safety President
Carnot has sent her civil welcome. perhaps too
| civil, to which the Queen replied with civility,
| but with more reserve. In no respect do these
polite messages soften the auserities of the French
Foreign Office. French papers contrve to find
In the visit of the Queen some political meaning,
but there is, of course, absolutely none.
Lord Salisbury, too, is III the South of France,
| or probably is, though the papers have sent him
aS far as San Reno He certainly has not gone
either to San Reno or to Beaueu in order to
talk politics or Holsters, but In search of rest,
which he greatly needs.
OF matters domestic or social there has been
nothing this week to equal the great Chtheroe
case of last week, but discussion on the law Of
husband and wife has been continued with energy
in The Daily Telegraph, to which it is peculiarly
adapted Columns of letters arc published which
somebody, suppose, reads. There is not so far
as one hears, any widespread discomfort with the
decision of the court in the wifes favor, nor is it
easy to dissent from the Lord Chancellor's dictum
that subject in this realm has a right to i'm
| prison any other subject There are however.
| lawyers who say il is no law The baccarat seam
dial reappeared for moment in court on an appli-
| cation 10 commit for contempt Mr. Robbins, man
ager of press association, and Mr.. Edwards,
editor or owner of an evening paper Their offence
consisted in spreading report that the defendants
| did not mean to defend the action for slander
| brought by Sir William Cumming This foolish
| story was promptly denied by those who set it
afoat, but the lawyers of the Wilson party thought
! it, as it probably was, good tactics to use the
courts to emphasize their denial They did not
expect to put Mr.. Robbins or Mr.. Edwards in
| prison, and were perhaps surprised as well as
pleased when the judges condemned the former to
|
the contrary, surprised and not pleased 10 hear
| Mr. Justice Grantham describe his press association
as cooperative scandal society, brilliant speci-
men of judicial wit if of judicial impartialty or
dignity in spite of which Mr.. Justice Grantham
will presumably continue 70 have and to deserve
good reputation.
| HOLY Week has brought at any rate. one ab-
| solute novelty the discovery by The Times
that the true source of Irclands woes is the drink
| ing of ether In very elaborate narrative II
! describes malady, the existence of which nobody
heretofore has suspected, and gives figures that
are positively appalling, if they do. in fact, cor
recty denote tiir-number of ether drinkers. How
| they are obtained does not clearly appear. III is
happily only portion of Ireland which suffers
| from this vice, the northeast, but there we hear
] of $500 drinkers in Draperstown, out of total
| population of 300, with many other towns where
the proportion If less, is still very great. This, at
any rate is an evil for which Home Rule IS no
remedy Nothing like it has been heard of since
it was discovered that the defeat Of France by
| Germany in lS7O-7l was due TO the soitening OF
the brains of French officers, brought on by the
| continued consumption of absinthc.
| Whether this or anything else produces much
excitement in London it is hard to say, Tor
| London is in that condition known as empty
Parliament is having vacation. Ministers are dis
|
blinds are down In Mayfair and Belgravia. the
clubs are deserted. the streets are melancholy
wi IN the closed shutters of idle shops and SIDE
walks along which trickcs thin stream OF unlm-
portant humanity. Many theatres have been smut
all the week Banks shut, and OF business
| there is next 10 none The machinery oi soclal
life at the West End of London is at stands'ili'
There are no safe means of forming Opinions
on current events unless you 90 50 far as 10 form
| them Yourself and events are themselves InSghlH-
| cant.
II phere he an exception 10 this stagnation OF
interest. il relates TO the British Postoflicc Inc
British public though worm, has turned az las'
| under She unrelaXng pressure OF that eIc"V Nv
partment. Perhaps no Postmaster"encral hau
ever heavier heel than Mr.. Raikcs lndcr ms
rule the Postoficc has steadily doterioratcd Ills
attitude is that of public servant WHO Is resolved
10 be master. lie will neither do what the PUBIC
| wants nor let any one else do 1t. Inc long stI"g-
ole between the ngsufiering masses ana th'ir
trrant came 10 a crisis in his dispute with two
companies, the Boy Messenger Company ana "e
District Messenger Company. Each OF these s'rove
90 snnnlv admitted wants. ] suppose you IN
New-York cannot realize how deficient is LONDON
i; tho ordinary facilities Of intercourse which yon
eni0v The electric call system is one Mr.
| Paikes set his face against IL, ana
ofused IN allow it. to be established in connection
with the messenger system. He tried TO crush this
last also. and is still trying. In vain dd 'he
companies offer royalties on each message ana oii
oocb electric call though they supplied these
| GRATIS 10 their customers. Mr.. Ralkes "ouiu
nonc Of their royalties. His monopoly was dearer
"a him than even that revenue which the mohopoy
was designed to protect lie rejected all proposals,
scented compromise and took his stand on his legal
riobts More than that, he undertook to interpret
the law. or make law Of his own Inc companies
urodnced the opinion OF eminent counsel III laVor
~ their own view, but Mr.. Raikes preferred that
~ his Postofice attorney. Not uhul strong eA'
ternal and Parliamentary pressure was aPpii'"