The sun., 1895-05-10
ENGLIsH MORALITY.

| Non Over Oncnccs Only Too Familiar TO
the English Mind-Ana on the Revcin-
tions Made by Lord dQueensserry's Letters
| NICE, April o5.-I have no intention OF trou-
bling your readers from this place and at long
| range with any reflections OF my own on tho
| obvious and superficial aspects OF tho nauseous
| scandal which has been forced upon tho atten-
| tlon OF all the English reading public by the
domestic quarrcls Of q noble Scottish family. In
| connection with the agnostic baldcrlash and
aesthetic" " vulgarities of the English "lltera-
ture" and art" represented by that priest of
| tho sunfower and OF blue china. Mr.. Oscar
| Wilde. But Ind conversation this morning
| on the subject with n man OF the world. and
| common sense. who knows not a little OF all the
| parties concerned on both sides OF this re-
! voting business or rather on the private
| sauabbles and tho public proceedings which
| have given 1t such prominence for the time In
tho life Of London: and think II worth whilc
to give you II summary OF this conversation. 1t
| was suggested 10y n paragraph in French news
paper. setting forth not very accurate or co.
hercnt version Of the story. us a typical picture
| OF English morals"
| This paragraph had been pointed out to my
| friend by London man. as illustrating either
| the ignorance or the malevolence or both tho
| ignorance and the maevolence of French Jour
nnlists writing about England. To whom my
friend MS he told me, had made answer: French
Journalists may be us ignorant or as malevolcnt
as You please, but II that story does not illustrate
English MORALS should like to know what 1t
does Illustrate. Look at It," said my friend to
me. from whatever point Of Wow you will.
Suppose Oscar Wilde to be guilty of all the
abominations alleged against him. is he the first
Englishman against whom such allegations
have been publicly made? Is lie tho most con-
spicuous Englishman against whom they have
boon made! You and know very we'll that
allegations like these have cropped out In quar-
tiers OF English life of which Oscar Wilde and
his small crew OF acolytes know next to o,hing,
over and over again, during every decade OF this
current century. You and know very we'll
that practices such are charged upon him
have dissraced the records Of the English
courts. dealing not with aristocratic debauchees
or with aesthetic profgates. but with the
middle and lower classes of English society.
time out Of mind. To interpret tho furious out
burst of popular Indignation against Wilde, as
an explosion OF the moral sense Of the English
public, Mortified by revelation OF abomina-
tions unprecedented and undreamed Of in Eng
lish life, Is to show either an absolute ignorance
OF the social records of England or the most
wrctched hypocrisy.
1t is not necessary to go back to the DAYS of
the Regency. or TO tho story of the valet sup
rosed to have been murdered by a prince. You
certainly have not forgotten the sudden disap-
pearance from England a quarter OF u century
ago OF man OF rare wit and briliancy, idolized
by set OF very conspicuous people. both in Lon
don and in Dublin. who was forced to cut short
his visit In country house in Dcvonshire and
to take passage for America, where, as you will
remember, he passed most OF his time in a we'll
known New York hospital. thanks to an ncci-
dent which occurred to him on the passage out.
And how lOnv yyas l,,t . f),.,l ;fo
less person than Lord Spencer. then Viceroy
or Ireland. and now First Lord of the Admiralty
was made burden to him bv the horrible at
mosphere OF imputations and Of innuendoes. in
which he and his whole household were involved
by the scandals OF Dublin Castle? Much
more recently. what really came of the story of
Cleveland street, and what Is the position in
London life OF this man. Oscar Wilde, In COM
parison with that OF some Of the persons who
are perfectly we'll known by you and by me- as
we'll rs BY the highest authorities In England,
political and judicial. to have been implicated
In that story? Most assuredly there Is nothing
IN the aspects OF the case. as they were init
mated during the trial OF the libel suit against
LORD Queensbcrry. more revolving than the incl
dents which led up TO and accompanied the trial
for conspiracy. in 1871 OF Park aud Boulton.
The newspapers tell us now that the photo
graphs Of Wilde have been withdrawn from tho
windows OF the London shops But the photo
graphs OF Park and OF Bouton, dressed as
women. were Haunted rs you must remember.
in all the shop windows OF London during that
spring OF 81. and, as you very we'll know, while
the trial ended IN an acquittal of the accused,
II led to the complete disappearance from Lon
don ana from English life OF young nobeman,
the son of duke. and of higher rank, though
not of moro ancient blood than the young
scotchman through whose acquaintance with
Wilde all this mess OF garbage originally
drawn out of tho holes ana corners Of Chelsea to
be spread before the world 1t is the most pitt |
ful afectation to pretend that any grown man
in London believes the present explosion to bc a
proof OF the normal purity and dignity of British
social life. On the contrary. IL you look the |
matter courageously in tho face. think You will
have to agree with me that the revelations made |
by this case OF the domestic and family life of |
the Douglases Of Queensbcrrv are much more |
startling and significant than any .so-called |
apocalypse OF low and morbid scnsuality which |
could possibly DO made in the OF Wilde. |
Did you read carefully those letters of Lord |
Queensberry to his son Alfred, which were pro-
duced in the court? Do you think they show
the writer to have had any decent conccp-
ton or the maternal relation. its obligations and
its duties? think you know Lady Quecnsberry
and perhaps you knew her eldest son, poor Lord
What can you sny OF the illusions
made In these letters OF Lord Quecnsbcrry TO his
wife and to his eldest son: to his wife. who had
oeen driven into legal proceedings against him.
and to his eldest son. of whom not a few people
believe that the accident which ended his
brief and troubled life. on that autumn MORN
Ing In the field. was no accident at nil? Heaven
forbid that should sit In judgment on tho diff
foTenccs between Lord Quecnsbcrry and his
"lle one OF whom know slightly. and with the
other or whom never exchanged word in my
life. But surely the tone OF Lord Quecnsbcrry's
letter TO his fathcr-n-law which was produced
In the libel suit. is very far from showing that
the writer was either tender or of IN.
feelings OF tho wife and tho mother about whom
he was writing To her own father. / can under
stand too. that Lord Qucensbcrry. having lost
his seat as a representative Peer. because his
brother Peors OF Scotland objected to " hat they
his irrelgious ard irrevcrent turn OF
mind. should have been annoyed. or even cxas-
per"ted when Lord Rosebcry deliberately put
pldast d lie l..