The Washington times., 1901-10-06
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
Discontent Over the Situation In
south Africa.

Discomfort Over the Situation In
south Africa.
LONDON. Oct. 5.-This weeks disas-
ters in South Africa have produced Gu
| riousy different effects upon English
| opinion. on the one hand they nave
| stirred up bitter criticisms of the Govern
ments slackness in the conduct OF the
war. Tory Members of Parliament anu
| Tory journals are even bitterer than tne
| Ministrys political opponents Last night
Winston Churchill went so far as pub
licly to warn Mr.. Balfour and Mr. Cham
| berlain, as the main guard of the Unionist
cause in the absence of Lord Salisbury,
who is still summering in the south OF
Europe, that they cannot devolve the
burden of this tremendous enterprise, the
greatest we have set hands to since the
times of Napoleon. upon a subordinate
Minister or a particular department. IL
rests upon their shoulders. With its sue
cessful conclusion are bound up their po-
itical fame and personal honor. Yet
Mr. Balfour still golfs and Mr.. Champer-
lain is amid his orchids at birmingham.
But. on the other hand, there has arisen
within the past few days an unaccount-
able optimism. The Times special
correspondent lately in South Africa, the
Daily Chronicle" and other journals de-
clare positively that the recrudescence OF
General Botha's activity is last desper-
ate effort and the end will come with
startling suddenness. when, says the
Times - correspondent, 1.-The Boer at
tacks in force and fails, he always loses
heavily. The moral effect of these fall
ures is infinitely more far-reaching than
it would be with us. As General kitch-
ener told General Botha at the Middel-
mar "
fall: you cannot" The fact that the
War Office shares this optimism and, as
alleged. intends to despatch no further re-
endorsements, may count for nothing
more than the old official stupidity.
The epidemic of smallpox continues. and
175 London cases were under treatment
at midnight on Thursday. But even more
noteworthy is the epidemic Of vaccination
among the upper and mi 1dle classes. The
anti-vaccinatioa movement and the Gov
ernment slackness have evidently left the
faith in vaccination untouched among
these well-to-do sections of the commun
ity. Fifty vaccinations a day is a quite
common average with the suburban prac-
titioner. and great is the run on calf
lymph. The local authorities, with their
eye especially uron the working classes,
are now making chickenpox notifiable
UlSeaSe Tor a period SIX
The official returns of mortality from
smallpox during the past nine weeks
might seem calculated to discourage this
increase of faith in vaccination among
the thinking classes. OF thirty-five deaths
seventeen were among vaccinated and
thirteen among unvaccinated persons,
while in the case of five no statement
was made. One explanation is that a
very great majority Of the population
were vaccinated only in infancy, which
affords little protection in manhood.
Many recent deaths were at an interval of
forty or fifty years after vaccination.
Revaccination. so common during the
past two weeks. is meeting this danger.
The long-neglected army medical ser
vice is undergoing complete reorganlza-
tion in consequence of the lessons of the
war The new scheme is designed to
bring the service into closer association
with civil practice and weed out the idle
and incompetent officers by frequent ex-
aminations- The pay is 90 be increased,
the lieutenant receiving from the first
S1,6ls a year and the director-general
$4,000. Office work is to be reduced and
leave given for purposes of study, and
inducement afforded TO qualify in special
subjects, keeping officers up to date in
bacterfOlogy, hygiene, and sanitation. Or
ficers In the higher ranks are to be con-
ministration, and in tirle of war or cpl
demic the service is TO be expanded by
the employment OF civilian practitioners.
The magic of rank once again. as Eng
llshmen like to think, bids fair to relieve
England from a serious industrial crisis.
The Earl of Marlborough, who owns most
Of the fishing centre of Grimsby, has in
tervened in the dispute between the fish
ermen and the owners which seemed like
ly TO ruin the trade of the place. and both
sides. who before were irreconcilable,
have come together under his influence.
The peerage has not quite lost its uses in
England.
The Church Congress, in session this
week at Brighton, concerned itself chiefly
with platitudes and the intricacies of rit-
ual. but two topics were of general pub
lie interest. The Bishop of Chichester. in
an inaudible address. assumed an unusu-
ally outspoken line regarding the Roman
controversy and warned the young clergy.
He said: 1T is certain to recrudesce. 1t
is ever with US, working for the most
part somewhat silently, yet the Church
of Rome is always aggressive, always
watchful, ever setting forth the same
strange unhistorical claims to place and
power, demanding the unqUestioning obed
ience of ALL"
The other topic was temperance, which
the Church still handles officially with
the smoOthest of kid gloves. One ac-
credited delegate startled the congress by
asserting that IL Great Britain could bring
down the consumption of alcohol in this
country to the level OF America the
British national drink bill would be re-
duced by $3.50. OO00 900. Much of this reduc-
ton would be so much clear gain TO the
wealth of the country.