The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-10

noses 10 the apathy Of the British nation. In
stead OF being great and influential, 80 you
once were, you permit your Ambassador 70 be
insulted, not once, nor twice, but over and over
again, A. II he were OF no more account than the
Portuguese. or Belgian, or Swedish Minister.
He makes demands. They are jeered 1t. He
asks for an audience; the Sultan 10 busy-or III.
We wonder what has happened, and why you
care nothing for the downtrodden turk. tell
my friends that there are evil influences at work
which have psralyzed Eneland's power; but I
must own to you that firmly as I am convinced
of tho Sultan's cowsrdico, 1 also condemn the
British Government 40 cowards."
University Of Oxford is generally held up
as an example OF hide.bound conservatism. and
its other name 10 "Tho homo Of lost ~causes.'
In spite OF this It ever and anon tries some laud-
able experiment. The last has been the training
OF teachers. or late nearly every Englishman
has his pet theory as to what Is the matter
with Great Britain, and, Of course, he has had
his own special cure for the disease. The
Daily Mail has lately been running the
idea that tho young Briton is badly edu-
cated, and looks for salvation at the
hands Of q new and enlightened race OF school.
masters. The leading idea Of q recent series Of
letters. which have been featured" in the
Mail, seems 10 be that when Britain hurries up
and teaches her sons we'll in school, especially in
mathematics and chemistry. then once moro
the British Isles will monopolize the earth.
Whether Oxford 10 going to provide the neces-
sary kind Of teacher or not remains to DO seen.
In the meantime this 10 tho method In which
they are making the attempt
In August last . vacation course in Oxford OF
four weeks was attended by thirteen students.
or these. nine were already schoolmasters Of
considerable experience and good position.
Every day were given two lessons OF o half
hour each by tho candidates in turn to . class
OF sixteen boys. These were followed by three
quarters of an hour of criticism by the other
students, an exercise very apt to degenerate
into wrangling and productive Of il-feeling I'M
less under the control Of an experienced and
tactful arbiter. but also. on the other hand. Sec
ond to mono ss an "eye-opener." Aftor this do
struction camo construction, In tho shape OF q
lecture &c cdthedrd, on some subject connected
with the Theory. History, and Practice OF Edu-
cation; and finally q private interview with the
tutor, who looked over the lesson prepared for
the day and directed the candidates' reading.
The course 10 y postgraduate one, and the
diploma 10 not granted unless o candidate gives
satisfactory proof of having actually taught In
q good school. The examiners intend to lay
most stress on practical work; the quality Of
work in the classrooms will DO the main critic
rlon, and disciplinary power will be essential.
The experimental classes referred to above were
Of various kinds. one Of them being q picked lot
Of "termagants." Teaching work done under
tho candidates present chief 10 regarded as q
satisfactory probationary qualification, the
classes taken in Oxford being apparently o kind
OF practical examination.
The first examination for the diploma has
Just been held. and. from what can be gathered
from candidates and examiners. It seems that
at present Oxford has set its theoretical stand
ard too high. The candidates seem to have
done unutterably badly In the History of Edu-
cation, but excellently we'll in the practical
part. No mention ia made Of that highly inn
portant branch of the English educational sys-
tenn to which DR.. johnson attributed his sue.
cess. When asked to account for his wonder.
full proficiency in Latin. the doctor replied:
Sir. my master whipped me very WELL"
Thirty.seven years Of playgoing have brought
Mr.. Clement Scott to the conclusion that actors
are, as q rule. vain and egotistical, and actresses
are not, as o rule. either ladies or pure" He
published this discovery some weeks ago. and.
when the sorrowful tidinRs were borne by an
interviewer to Mr.. Beerbohm Tree, tho actor
answered in epigram that the article would
hurt neither the reputation of the theatre nor
of Mr.. Clement Scott. The friends of stage.
land are the popular side and Mr.. Tree was
taken to mean that the theatre Is impeccablo
and tho reputation of Mr.. Scott too exploded
already to be capable Of further hurt.
About the same time 1t was announced that
Mr.. Scott was suffering from acute rheumatism
(gout D, and the matter might have ended on
the assumption that his complaint accounted
for his article. But Mr.. George Bernard Shaw
of tho Saturday Review. the very antithesiso of
Mr. CLAIMANT Scott NJ tho DniIa TsTsn,.nxb
comes forward to testify that the attack 10 all
true and that Mr.. Scott has erred, as he
always errs. on the side of good nature" After
this the actors have broken their splendid out
burst of contemptuous silence of which Mr..
Tree spoke at the actors send-off dinner to Mr..
Charles Cartwright last night. Mr.. Cartwright
is a fine stage villain. Q fine follow, and q finer
stage manager. He has accepted q long en-
gaRement in Australia, and his colleagues babe
him good.by last night. Mr.. Charles Wyndham
of the Criterion Theatre took the chair. and in
his eulogy of Cartwright took up SCOTS chal.
lenge. FINALLY" said Wyndham. Cartwright
10 o good comrade. who. in all these years.
has never failed in loyalty to his art or his
fellow artists. not alone because he Leaves
those he loves, but also because he has
to share with us tho feeling-however
transient-of pain and indignation of know.
ing that q mar whose livelihood and posi-.
ton have depended 30 largely on the profes.
sion, who has been received for years into com
radeship with us. has thought proper. in. I sin
cerely hope. Q at Of mental alteration, to Rratu'
itously hurl the most foul. false. and treacheroue
Islander on our inner life. Nothing 10 80 easy az
general accusations. nothing 30 unfair or I'M
generous as to stigmatize o whole community
for the faults of . few. Apply these methods
to any division of social life and tho re
suit will DO as misleading as It is in our
case. The Islander. of course. Will perish BY
its own emptiness; 10. indeed. already dying
by the clumsy hand Of tho slanderer with
his silly Illogical excuses and qualifications
but. in the meantime, like all ISLANDERS. 1t may
do some mischief among the unrefiecting AND
the historical. Cartwright will DO saddened 81
all this during tho first few days Of his voyage
but under tho warm rays of a Mediterranean
sun he will soon be consoled by the reflection
that every poison has Its antidote, and that the
antidote in this case is the recollection of the
unstable source from which the poison springs
He will say TO himself that we actors and