Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-19
LONDON GOSSIP
Mr.. Carnegie's Munifcence to a
Yorkshire College.
HIGH PRAISE FOR AMERICAN LABOR
The Stars Office and Reading
Room on Trafalgar Square.
GREAT HARBOR AT DOVER

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
LONDON, August 8, 1899.
The court-martial in the Sale des Fetes
of the Lycee at Rennes is center of in
terest for the whole of the civilized world,
and the pathetic protest, Il am innocent,
my colonel of the prisoner. undergoing
retrial after suffering five years Of degra-
dalton and torture, is one that will reach
the hearts of all who are possessed of SYM
pathy. The interest of the world In the
proceedings is shown by the enormous at
tendance of representatives of the press
five hundred of whom are said to have been
in the court room on the opening day OF
the trial. Such a gathering is unique, and
the case will take it's place in history as
one of the grand causes in the world. The
trial, however, has not commenced aus
piciously. The means of unparalleled pub
LEFTY are there, but almost the first pro-
ceeding of the court has been to resolve
on a secret sitting for four days. This Is
bad Secrecy was the vice of the original
trial, and out of it arose most OF the
trouble which has convulsed France in the
course of the past four years. OF what one
court-martial in secret session was capable
of doing we know too much to place i'm
picit trust in another acting under the
same unfavorable conditions. The reSolu-
ton of the officers composing the court TO
sit in secret may almost. indeed, be taken
as an evidence that already they have to
certain extent succumbed to the pressure
of fanatic public opinion and TO the ter
rorism of great professional names. The
new court-martial has not an extensive
field to travel over and the necessity OF
prolonged investigation is not evident. The
inquiry is severely restricted by the order
of the supreme court. In making that
order the judges of the court of cessation
submitted to the c0urt-martiai single
question. The military judges are asked to
,t,t frt-f rnfr1l1
Gated to the agent of any foreign govern
ment the information specified in the Dor
dereau, and the only evidence of such In
formation having been communicated Is the
bordereau itself.
For some time past there has been
widespread disposition to believe that the
acuuittal of Dreyfus by the court martial
is a certainty; that the rctriai is, In TACT.
little more than a formality. The court OF
cessation, which examined the case in all
it's details, practically pronounced the con-
victs acquittaf. and RENTED the matter
to a court-rnartial that the forms of the
law might be observed. 1t is not, however,
a certainty that the thing which was clear
to the trained legal mind of the civil judges
will be equally clear to the officers who are
met at Rennes 1t must be remembered
that. Notwithstanding the absolutely con-
elusive evidence of the guilt of EsterhaZy,
Patty du Clam and others, and the com
plete absence of evidence duplicating Drey-
fus, something like two-thrds of the French
republic to this day remain convinced that
he is traitor.
Another consideration which the officers
composing the court can hardly dismiss
from their minds is that an acquittal must
be construed as cenSure upon the Off
GERS who condemned Dreyfus, and upon the
five ministers of war who in succession
have vouched for the justice of his con-
demnation. There is. too, good reason to
think that an acquittal must be followed
by series of prosecutions of men in high
places. which would eliminate in mill
tary scandal of even greater dimensions
than the scandal which it would set at
rest, and that consideration Will weigh
heavily with them.
Despite all these considerations, the good
faith which France has shown recently in
the matter makes it difficult to believe that
complete vindication Of Dieyfus from the
charges. though doubtless there will al
WAYS be people in France who will harbor
belief in his guilt.
Mr.. Carnegie's Yorkshire Gift.
Mr. Andrew Carnegie is losing no time in
carrying into effect his declared intention
of disbursing at least a substantial portion
of his enormous fortune in fertilZing the
educational institutions Of his native ISL
ands. On the 9th of May last he wrote
note to Mr.. Chamberlain from the Lang
ham Hotel offering to the trustees of the
Birmingham University scheme the last
10000 required for the endowment of that
institution, on cOnQluOn lndt SClentlI1C
teaching was placed in the forefront of Its
mission. after the model of Cornell Univer-
sity. He has now turned the stream of his
bcnevolence to Yorkshire, and the town
council of Keighley last night heard with
grateful ears that he proposes to give to
the town 10000 for the establishment of a
free library, provided the people are will
ing to put the free library act into force.
The council, of course. promptly accepted
this generous offer. Keighley is an aspir-
ing and energetic town where educa tional
objects are concerned and it has had be-
fore it more projects than it could afford
10 pay Tor. Mr.. Carnegie'S gift will put 1t
in possession of one of them at once, and
will help the council to make Roadway with
other schemes that have been competing
for help from the rates.
/ learn that Mr.. Carnegie's attention will
be next turned to tn work of the Yorkshire
College. The mission of that institution is
precisely that which Mr.. Carnegie desires
to see embodied in the charters of the uni
versity colleges of great industrial towns
the training of the young men born into
manufacturing industry in the practical
science of their trades. and the raising of
class Of able and enthusiastic young ex-
perts such as he gathered about him at
Pittsburg from the laborat cries of the
technical colleges of the United States
With the limited means at its disposal the
Yorkshire College has done and is doing
much work of that kind, but it is cramped
and INSTRUCTED In its functions by the lack
of liberal endowment. / hear that the
Plttsburg millionaire will suitably endoW
the college shortly.
American Standard High.
The increasing Importance of the United
States as a competitor with Great Britain
in the markets of the world for machinery
and finished products of machinery gives
rise constantly to comparison of methods,
etc. Here is the opinion of manufacturer
who has just returned from studying Amer
lean methods. 1t is on a par with that of
other unprecedented observers: Il had ex-
ceptional opportunities of seeing and COM
pairing American workmen with the British
mechanics, with whom / have been associ-
ated for nearly forty years. Americans
show. in my view, a higher intelligence and
greater desire to produce quantity and
quality. The reason is hard to find The
conditions vary. In America you will find
English French, German. Swedish and
American mechanics working side by side
in friendly rivalry. Subcontracting, the
bette noir of trade unions, is common ANY
man, mechanic or not, can do any class of
work he is capable of doing without inter-
ference. Free competition is the universal
practice. Electricity is used everywhere for
light and power. Education seems more
practical The general school system seems
to bring employer and employed into closer
sympathy. The workmen reject with con-
tempt the notion of restricting output to in
crease general employment. The standard