New-York tribune., 1900-12-23
WHAT LONDON TALKS OF.

ADMIRATION FOR DE WET.-General De We'
would be by far the most acceptable Christmas
box to the average Englishman. though theie
seems little likelihood of the wish being srah's
The desire for the suppression OF this "ohue.tu ~
Boer leader however, is accompanied oy seheiou'
admiration of his latest feat lit would De ui.
worthy of the British name" says Ihe Times
'to refuse the credit that is due feat OF arms
so brilliant as the unexpected dash oackwaro .,
De Wet and his men through the British hnes
ds IL sahs the SeR w Charge
Balakava In fact. admiration Tor the eStraoc ki or
easo4 Almost aimos{ predominates the chagrin at
the failure Of the BRITISH snnnging oGer 70 up pSo
sophie indifference to the ncapabllity Of the gen
sa expected T Last Christmas society almost went
sent to the soldiers on the veldt. This year they
are not mentioned. In fact the public is unutter-
only Interesting features the sensational sue,
nf Pc whose to fight
to the bitter end Is evident from its declsion, 70
several members Of the Cabinet however would
be heartily grateful were the Boer leaders TO sue
for peace.
DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS. = The Nicaragua
Canal still fails really deep interest
here as 1t is thoroughly understood that Great
Britain will take action in the near future. and
the Chinese negotiations regarded more in the
light of a monotonous farce than serious prob
em thanks to the misunderstanding which have
arisen between the Powers themselves. The only
quarter in London where the gerformance Is thor,
which sir Chih-Chen-I Feng-Luh. the Minister of
fepored to- Be m IN se pe oeT
the attitude of Chrstendom.
AMERICAN COMMERCIAL RIvALRY.-More
the question Of the day is Americas commercial
rivalry, which throughout the week has been form
ing the basis for long analytical articles in THE
Express and The Daily Mall written by en-
gineering and other experts. which retail the re-
suits of recent trips to the United States under
the headlines Wake Up, England why We
Are Failing Behind ETC., reiterating that the
English manufacturers lack initiative and alb
surd in their conservatism, which is summed up
in the following paragraph in OF the articles:
If the foregoing facts unpalatable it is better
they should be known than that the nation should
next cycle of bad trade, when we may find our
markets in the possession of others
ANGLo-pUTCH BoUNDARY-The announce
ment that the Netherlands does not consider itself
bound by the Paris-venezueia Commission decisions
regarding the AngloDutch frontier Is not regarded
by the Foreign Office as being of any Importance
likely to form the basis for interna tional
friction. The Dutch boundary is a comparatively
minor matter att on which the Colonial once has been
action is h regarded as step to ward on con, on,
contemplated.
ARTISTS oRGANIzING.-The artists are joining
the ranks Of organized labor. Headed by Alma
Tadema, a group of we'll known artists including
Prinsep, Dicksee. Stone and Fildes sending out
circulars to their brethren urging the formation of
professional union lines similar those of the
Society OF Authors. They hope to get seven hun
dred members 10 pay a guinea each. The espe-
Sia object Of Organization will be watching the
now" says Alma Tadema. the successful painter
brothers But. given association with common
fnites fnffrsSi hattie the y0ung man has an in
interests and those of his profession
EDUCATORS PERTURBED-The decision Of the
otIrt decla = 70 ha
the London School Board spend the ratepayers
money for teaching science and art at evening
classes for adults has created perturbation. Some
ninety thousand pupils affected and the whole
OF London's educational system must be reversed
II the House Of Lords upholds the verdict 1.-The
Speaker" declares II is the most serious disaster
which has befallen education for some time
Columns Of comment appear on the subject in the
daies. Other large cities seriously concerned
as they all have classes similar to those of Lon
don. The head masters of expensive schools ap-
pear to approve Of the decision, maintaining that
the School Board is endangering the existence of
the secondary schools.
At a conference of the head masters OF the great
public schools this week one of the speakers
severely arraigned the irrational educational meth
DDS the schols were forced to employ in order TO
pass boys officers into the service A military
correspondent of THE Pail Mall Gazette" criti-
cising the Sandhurst and Woolwch methods de-
cares that the British authorities admit that West
Point is in advance of anything in England He de-
system in vogue there saying:
Education at West Point is serious thoroughness
rather than an extension of attainments. prfn-
ciple is controlling education together with the
knowledge OF how to make use of it. Like all ex- |
ceptionally good education it is enormously costly
perhaps the most expensive in the world. But in
many ways it is said to be by far the best An
exhaustive comparison of West Point with our own
military colleges, as educational mediums is to the
disadvantage of our institutions. The princi-
pal industry in the United States is education
gsgeS in the Business OF dssemnan aus e
If Great Britain is to hold her follow
In the footsteps of the Republic be content
with second place.
BRIDGE PROHIBITED.-A sensation has been
hibting game of bridge within the precincts of
the club The committee declares this is the only
course by which 1t preserve harmony, disputes
having become frequent over the question OF
rules 1t is rumored that the quarrels have de-
veloped blows. Bridge is so new that It's varying
rules create endless differences of opinion causing
dssensions In clubiand than existed over Mr..
Gladstone at the time OF the Home Rule bill dis
cussion considering that bridge is by far the most
sively by royalty and In almost every country
house. generally for high stakes, The clubs de-
cision has come in for a lot of criticism.
HOLIDAYS IN ENGLAND.-There will be a
merry Christmas in England, though in conse-
quence, London is already of the dullest spots
in the United Kingdom The fashionable world
has ncontnently deserted the metropolis and
sought refuge in the country places. There will
be such round OF house parties as has been un-
known for several years They Will be accom-
panied by the revival of the queer old customs
which century ago made the season the occasion
for unrestrained merrymaking among rich and poor
alike. 1t would that those who are able to
celebrate realize the necessity for dIstracting public
attention from the events In South Africa. At
Osborne the Queen will be surrounded by the Duke
and Duchess of York, the Princess of Battenberg