Evening star., 1898-12-10

had secured permission from Costa Rica to
erect a fortified coaling station on the coast
Of that country. This Is in distinct contra
vention OF the Clayton-Bulwer treaty.
which is still I'm force, and which was
framed with the object of preventing such
control, by a single power, over an isthmus
canal as the proposed station will give the
United States. However, Great Britain Is
disposed in her present state of good feel
ing for US not to insist upon the strict
reading of the treaty, but 1t is quite likely
that something will be expected in return.
Indeed, the proposal is already advanced
that the cession to England of the eulu
archipelago would be proper return tor
such concession. Still l do not think that
any compensation would be insisted upon
Some idea Of the state of mind in England
regarding wars and rumors Of wars, to-
gether with the new condition of friendship
for the United States, may be gathered
from a letter that went the rounds Of the
London press yesterday.
Novel Proposition.
The letter is from a British ship owner
and l give the portion under consideration
in the writer's own words: " Hands Across
the Seas is the favorite sentiment accorded
to our American offspring, and the chord
reverberates throughout the British SOW
eregnty. 1t is, think, desirable that the
American government should have the loan
of t2O,OoO,UOO, at 2i2 per cent, repayable IN
sixty years, for the purpose of eXpending
this sum in building up Eavy to cooper
ate with us under certain conditions to be
defined by the cabinets of Great Britain
and America. The advantages are appar-
ent. Continental nations would carefully
consider and review the actual position,
while we would have a navy as our ally
ready for any emergency without any spa-
cial efforts on our part. This navy would
be leased to Great Britain, but it would be
manned and maintained by America for
her defense, BY the expenditure of this
money we would receive full value, and it
would create bond of union and mutual
self-interest between the two countries
which will tend to promote international
amity between all other nations, heralding
the time of peace and goodwill
This is reducing the alliance to a COM
mercial basis with Il vengeance.
The London Sunday.
London is greatly disturbed at present
OVER the action of the county council in
stopping certain Sunday concerts, which
had become very popular and afforded great
relief to the poorer Londoners who have
little leisure except on Sunday. The music
given a; these concerts was of the highest
class. and was valuable, in its way, as an
educator, but the county councillors, in
pursuance of old blue law on the sub
Ject, have stopped this form of Sunday
recreation. The drsarineSs of a London
Sunday is proverbal. Travellers and writers
have condemned it over and over again.
Perhaps Dickens Indictment of it will be
remembered.
1T was Sunday i'll London-gloomy, close
and stale. Maddcning church bells of all
degrees of dissonance, sharp and fiat,
cracked and clear, fast and slow, made the
hrlCk-and-mnrtar echoes hidcous. Every
thing was bo1ted ana barred that could by
possibility furnish relief to an OVerWork ed
people. No pictures, no unfamiliar animals
no rare plants or flowers, no natural or
artIhcidl wonders of tn ancient world-all
taboo with that enlightened stric tneSs that
the ugly South Sea gods in the British
Museum might have supposed themselves
at home again. Nothing to see but streets,
streets. streets. Nothing to breathe but
streets, streets. Streets Nothing to change
the brooding mind on raise it up. Nothing
for the spent tOiler to do but to compare
the mOnOtony of his seventh day with the
mcnotony of his six days: think what
weary life h led, and make the best of it
or the worst, according to the prohabli-
ties"
4 Backward Step.
The National Sunday League has done a
great deal to change the conditions Dickens
wrote about and Of late Sunday has been
improved by the opening of picture gal
leries and museums. music in the public
parks and elsewhere. The action of the
county council is distinctly retrograde. and
is condemned by people of modern ideas as
a monstrous place of cant. The lives of
large section of ne British public how
ever, are so humdrum that they are en-
tirely governed by habit
Their lives are ruled something like their
food-haccn and eggs for breakfast cold
beef for lunch or supper, oast ribs of beef
or leg OF mutton for dinner, early or late.
Such are the limitations of the culinary
horizon of thousands of worthy families
An annual dinner party, a Christmas ia M
lily gathering, the theater perhaps once a
month and church always on Sunday. these
make up the round Of life for them They
never go to Sunday concerts and see no
need of them for others. The singular
thlng Is that, though concerts are forbid
den. drinking saloons are open for a short
time during the day and all the evening.
Corporations With Souls.
The old saying that Corporations have
no souls" finds many exceptions in Eng
land, especially In the treatment accorded
to faithful employees and public servants
The civil service pension list is a lengthy
one, and shows fair sums given to indI-
viduals. Banks pension off old servants
ana private houses afford many instances
OF such consideration for services rendered
Inc Iimes has a pension list, too, but
two recent cases of generosity on the part
or proprietors are worthy of mention.
The first Is that of Mr.. Henry Callaghan
d "eH-kno"n Californian, who for some
time past has been managing engineer for
a London syndicate at their mines in Avs
tralia. On leaving for q holiday Mr.. cal
laghan was presented with a check for
t5VOo by the syndicate as an honorarium
above his salary and expenses This
imagine, is very rare, but instances where
lesser amounts are given are of FREQUENT
occurrence in this country
The second case is that of newznaner
correspondent who acted for u London paper
in the Soudan. Herbert Maxwell was sent
out 10 the Soudan by the Standard. and
just before he went he told me that III
would be his first experience as a war cor
respondent, and he had some fears as to
his ability to cope with the veteran specials
like Charles Williams of the Daily Chrnn.
lc4e ana Knight of the Times He started
IN June. and after kitchener's campaipn
was over was sent to Palestine TO renorf
the kalsers movements. His paper was so
We'll pleased with the work he did that on
his return home few days ago he receivad
a check for f2,O00 as honora arium. A few
years ago Mr. Maxwell was reporting for
a provincial newspaper, and for ahout n
year before he adopted the more dangerous
Gaining OF war correspondent undertook sne-
clal work for the Standard.
The newspaper fraternity Is not nearly
so nuctuating i'll this country as in Amer
lea Men secure positions on paDers and as
a rule, keep them until old age or deafb
makes a change necessary And old age
here means the armchair period with us
haJ