The Washington times., 1901-08-25
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.


l LONDON, Aug PA rumor running
through the half-empty political clubs at
tributes to Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain. the
COLONIAL Secretary. desire to induce the
Cabinet to dissolve Parliament as soon az
Lord kitchener's surrender proclamation
| has brought about the expected close Of
the war in South Africa The rumor GER
| tainly suggests pretty closely the conclu-
| sion to which the last session might wei,
bring an astute politician like Mr.. Cham
! berlain. The Tory party is obviously stale
a general election would tone It UP, II
taken on the issue of settlement In
South Africa, and would find the Liberals
as divided as at any time during the war
Moreover, Mr. Chamberlain might find IL
such an election the most taking oppor-
| tunity to revise and recast his provincial
! councils Idea Of Parnell's day-otherwis&
nome rule all around-thus. at one stroke,
| a'Vertins the Irishmen from that excess.
| I'VE attention to Parliamentary duties
which has brought the House of Common.
to paralysis. giving Scotsmen and Welsh.
| men the long asked-for local self govern.
ment. relieving the Commons from petty
provincial business, and, by opening {
way for representatives from Canada,
Australia. and South Africa, give a start
1 to the liberalization of the British EN-
pire
Mr.. Chamberiain's imperial zollverein
scheme fell fiat. The colonies would not
| accept free trade within the Empire. A
| better fate might attend some such Par
liamentary federation scheme, which Is
just the kind of scheme to attract Mr..
Chamberlain. Here. however. we are in
the land Of pure political conjecture.
Londoners. or such of them as remain,
are this week thrown right into the silly
season, and, but for the diversion which
Abdul Hamid considerably provided in
the near East, there would be little else
to read in the papers than the usual silly
season topics. This year these topics in
ciude The Decay Of Domesticity. is
the World Growing Better or worse?v
and THE Abuse Of Drink"
The statement that Lord Rosebery has
Joined the Board of the Great Northern
Railway Company Of England lends new
point and interest to discussion pro-
voked by the persistent decline of the
revenue-earning power of English rail-
ways. Not only does the decrease Of 81
per cent shown for the first half of 1901 In
goods. live stock, and mineral receipts of
twenty English and Welsh companies con-
tinue, but the decline progresses rapidly.
July and August compare very badly with
the same periods last year. This decline
of railway receipts is almost invariably
the first symptom of wave of trade de-
preston such as now seems to be begin
ming to pass over Germany. British ship
owners predict that next year will be bad,
and the year after very bad II these
premonitions are verified, bad times are
before the British railways, and already
the directors are coming in for searching
criticism One representative comment
may be quoted. Says the Westminster
Gazette"
We can none as US shut our eyes to the
fact that our railway service has ceased
to hold the lead, even in Europe, while it
Is by common acknowledgment far behind
the enterprise and energy OF America.
The investor suffers. the public suffers,
from the present state of affairs The
remedy is not as some directors appear
to think. to take it out of the public, but.
on the contrary, to give the public
cheaper, better. and quicker service,
whether for goods or passengers than
has been enjoyed during recent years.
Here are abundant opportunities for
practical craftsmanship. If Lord Rosebery
really means business
Hall Game and his astute publishers are
trying hard to create another diversion
by throwing 100000 copies of his new
novel. The Eternal City," before a read
ing public which ts for the most part
on heather and moors. 1t is bold to at
tempt to break away from the belief that
august is an absolutely dead month in
The world of books. 1t seems to have
come somewhat as a surprise to the re-
viewers that Hall Game could treat such
subject as political social. and &C.
,iesiastlcaI one with some dignity and sin
Sr ia
I the book is great popular success,
English novelists can take courage. and
give the public of their very best assured
art anu
An event of infinitely greater intrinsic
literary Importance. though far less
n nye1sc abroad abroad is of course; the Pam
non not represented seemed to be Eng
and, it remaining doubtful whether in
cornwall they still speak the ancient
;eltlc language. Whatever one may think
IF the practical value of this effort to
preserve and foster the Celtic language.
here is no denying the picturesque quali-
les 9f this gathering of Poles. Bretons,
men, and the rest, with their embroidered
robes, kits. and tartans. and attendant
pipes and harperS. W. B. Yeats. the poet
evoked enthusiasm by declaring that this
anguage-movement had created a revo-
ution which would yet shake Govern
nents, while the congress resolved to
BRING united Welsh. Irish Highland and
Nanx pressure upon England to secrre
)i-lingual education in the schools of the
Celtic parts of the. kingdom. Wales has
.ertainiy shown the possibilities of such
Celtic pressure. for report read at the
congress asserted that all the NEST pro-
,ressiye school boards of South Wales
md a ma jority of the boards of North
Wales are now makins-du allowance
or Welsh in the time tables.
Those who assert that Thackeray is a
lead force in English literature should
tote that the Macmillans intend to pub
ish this autumn the first volume OF
inform edition of Thackeray's works at
S Cd per volume. They will be published
Monthly. Another leading firm only re-
emily completed an elaborate new edi-
ion. with biographical notes by Thack-
rays daughter, Mrs. Richie.