TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Star, Issue 9703, 11 May 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

[From Otni Special Correspondent.] London, March 15; .Newspaper scribes have wasted a sumptuous assortment of notes of exclamation over the announcement that Lord Randolph L-uurchill left personalty valued at £75,000. I confess I should prefer knowing what his executors had in hand when his affairs were completely cleared up. The gross amount of a testator's possessions really affords no information as to the actual state of his finances. Several wills were proved last year with upwards of £IOO,OOO gross, whereas the net value of the property was nil. As to the much-talked-of " estate in Oxfordshire which was bequeathed to poor Randy a few months back by an enthusiastic old maid, its markot value does not at most exceed £6OO. Instead of the "palatial residence and park," concerning which certain imaginative Tory scribes dilated so magnificently, the property consists of two fields. Mr Arthur Arnold, who succeeds Lord Roseberry and Sir* John Button as chairman of the London Conuty Council, is a youuger brother of Sir Edwin Arnold, and was for some years editor of tho • Echo.' He came to the front prominently as an assistant-commissioner during the cotton famine, and has written several volumes of travel. Mr Arnold lias his family's "gift of the gab,- and should do well iu his new post. SPEAKER rKEL. The Speaker's retirement is no surprise to anybody. A year or more ago, after Mr Peel's severe llluess, it was generally expected ; but the "First Commoner in England" ts one of the pluckiest, and he held on to his arduous duties with a resolute tenacity almost heroic But more than once in the past few weeks Mr Peel has ail but fainted at his post, and at last he was forced to recoguise that his determination to see the present Parliament out must be abandoned. Even the iron constitution of his immediate predecessor, Lord Hampden, was not proof against more than twelve years of a laborious and monotonous post. The present Speaker was elected eleven years ago. The public then knew nothing of Mr Arthur Peel, except that lie had sat for tweutv years m }\ Q , H°«se. He bore a famous" name, :md Mr Gladstone's unerring judgment had selected him as the right man for the post, these Mere his recommendation". No ■sooner, however, did the dignified, resolute and serious yet courteous middleaged gentleman don Mr Speaker's robes than ■us choice was justified. Mr Peel's speech ■u returning thauks was a revelation, and he rapidly grow into the strongest Speaker of modern times. There was at first a teuleucy to complain that he magnified his >ihce unduly. But results justified him. If ic interfered where other Speakers would have sat silent, it was to allay bitterness aud promote peace. Less authority, less urbanity, and less tact would have been calamitous. Everyone will remember in that famous scene in committee a couple of years ago, when hon. members' passions seethed to ooilnig point and Colonel Saundcrson and .'us Irish foes fell to fisticuffs, how suddenly ihe scene altered'with Mr Speaker's advent. II resembled the arrival of the head-master in a turbulent schoolroom. The naughty hoys hung down their heads and began to excuse themselves forthwith. Mr i eel's special strength lay iu understanding not inly when to intervene but how to intervene. His intervention was not the intervention of the schoolmaster or the judge, hut of a gentleman. He had a ready and instantaneous sympathy with any membct whose feelings had been hurt, or who thought himself suffering from a wrievmce. Nothing, indeed, could be better than his management of what are called "personal episodes." You will remember, I daresay, how that melancholy lunatic, Mi banner Atkinson (who was subsequently confined in an asylum), assailed Mr Peel. Lhe average man would have snubbed such ■i notorious "crank"with a contemptuous sentence. But the Speaker, whilst takinp lull care of his dignity, was most considerate to the unfortunate man. " When," say* the 'Daily News' in its farewell eulogium or the Speaker, "Mr Harris, the author ol 'Herme3,' came to take his oath and the scat, Charles Townsend asked who that was. On beiug told the new member hud written grammar and on harmony he replied: ■ Tnen what in the world does he come hen for, where he will get neither one nor th< other. The Speaker has done his best both tor thei harmony and the grammar of tin House. OSCAR'S 1,1 UEI, CASE. Lord Quccnsberry was committed for tria l for cruninally libelling Mr Oscar Wilde on Saturday, but as a criminal libel cannot be justified in a police court nothing of importance or beyond purely formal evidence Iran spued. Amongst facts worth noting wen the ominous withdrawal from the defence of Sir George Lewis (superseded by Mr Chailes--Kussell, son of the Lord Chief Justice), tin refcrcucc3 to certain unnamed Royal personages said to be countenancing Lord Queens berry, aud the hitter's obstinate adherens' to the very nasty names he had called the pre secutor. "1 wrote that card in order t< brine matters to a head, as 1 couldn't mcci Mr \V ilde. I abide by what I wrote," sair ins lordship, calmly. Oscar Wilde, looking a degree Ihbbiei than usual, drove to the court in a Duchess':carnago and pair, accompanied by Lord Alfred Douglas, a pale, effeminate litthman. He was examined by Mr Humphrey s to prove the libel, and at first showed a dk position to Oscari an repartee. "Are you ;> ■ iratiutic author V ' ' I suppose some would call me so." At this point tho magistrate chipped in and stopped the performance liis frown said "No antics permitttd here, and his tongue drily remarked : "Yru must answer questions directly, sir." Oscar collapsed, and iu ten minuteß was out of the box. It seemed he had only met Lord Queensbcrry on two occasions, when he had joined Lord Alfred and himself at breakfast at the Cafe Royal. A year ago Lord Alfred had shown him a letter in which there wa« a, gross libel. Counsel wanted to put tintletter iu, but the magistrate was resolved to have no revelations in his court, and persuaded both sides to reserve envelopment*for the Oid Bailey. When Wilde's counsel had done with that celebrity Lord Queensberry's couusel took him in hand and bewail to cross-examine him re his friendship with Lord Alfred Douglas, but the magistrate promptly intervened. " You can't croo--examine in this ourt." Counsel thought he could. He wished to show that Lord Queensberry had.taken this step with a view to putting an eud to the acquaintance between Oscar Wilde and his son. " That ■' said His Worship, " would be quasi-justifi-cation, and is not admissible here." After some discussion counsel gave way, and, with the formal committal of the Marquis, the proceedings closed. GENERAL BOOTH'S WELCOME HOME. One of those huge gatberingsatorganisine and manceuvrmgforwhichtheSalvation Army are unequalled took place on Monday night at the Royal Albert Hall, the purpose being to welcome home "the General." Ten thousand persons were got into the big building with perfect order and without any unnecessary crushing, and a lengthy evening spent of exhausting vocalisation and hallelujahs. There can be no doubt of the affection of the lads and lasses for thtir chief. The reception they gave' him can only be described as tremendous. But of that more anon. The object of the meeting over and above huzzaing Mr Booth must first be mentioned. This was to "register the gratitude of the Army for the manifestation of the Divine presence with our leader to give vent to the enthusiasm and devotion of his soldiers, but above all to raise the tone and accentuate the desire of the Army for a most desperate attempt to save souls on a scale hitherto unknown to us in Great Britain." The General was not present to begin with. The Army organisers understand perfectly the value of theatrical effect, and the chiefs appearance was to be the culminating crisis of a highly emotional evening. e b egan under the leadership of Mr Bramwell Booth, the other members of the family being ranged in a row on the platform. The opening hymn alluded iu complimentary terms to the General * Friend of the wretched, the poor, the betrayed • lhey cannot pay thee, but thou shalt bepaid ' A magic lantern show followed, iu which we were rapidly taken over the ground of the Generals American and Canadian tour. Uen, onoe again, the hall was illuminated

point of the first section of the proceeding! hall by the door opposite the front of the platform, behind the grand circle, passed down to the arena and down the centr? aisle between the stalls td the platform. The whole audience rose to their feet simul. & ÜB te- and *S hcw [ ? fter cheer ™%« d forth, filling the. hall with conflicting volumes of sound 'that were all but deafening. Ihe cheering was accompanied by the wavmg of handkerchiefs. &en anothe? Salvation Army «volley "-this time not of cheers but of " Amens»-was delivered, and choru™ eCtl ° n d Witha roo " in ßArmy A remarkable spectacle was the second section. It consisted exclusively of greetings ol the General by representatives of various departments of the Army's comprehensive work. Ihe representative contingents tho platform, and passed in turn round the ,wi T*T n tho platform t0 be intxo. duced to the General, tho leaders of each contingent presenting to their chief a written message or report. After greeting the General they again passed to the arena, and occupied the seats which up to this stage had been unoccupied. First came members of the Generals own family, including hovoral of few grandchildren, and these were warmly cheered as they passed up to the patiorm Then followed twenty members of the International Headquarters stair under the leadership of Commissioner Carle' ton, ami representatives of the foreign work of the Army-came next, these being presented to the General by Commissioner Mrs Booth-Tucker. Workers in the British Held ot the Army's operation were then presented, these including twenty-five slum o icers in regulation working dress. The Women's Rescue and Social Work reprcseu. tatives, under Mrs Bramwell Booth, passed up next. Ten girls, who had passed through the Army homes, and who are now engaged m industries connected with the rescue work of tho Army, passed in front cf another ten who are now engaged in domestic service' amwluo VCre atUr s ed in tho dark and white caps and aprons which usually distinguish their class in the evening in the households where they are employed Thou came a sample of six "grannies" from the Women* .Shelter, and twelve nurses en. SniKi' 0 C ? aae n,V on n With tho Women's Social Lrauch. Tl le Social City Colony was next represented, aud samples of "sevu. stnges of man," as met and transformed in connection with the "Darkest England" scheme were brought forward. There were out-of-works'' bearing all the marks of destitution, and carrying with them " cups •t thick aud doorsteps," much to the iniuscmentof tho audience. Happy Mien who, having been under the influencef of the Army, were starting out to new situations, die workmen with their bags of tools over their shoulders, the clerks with bags iu hand, xnd they were followed by simples o great transformations," representative men, now engaged iu business and occupy. <ng responsible positions, who have been elevated by the Salvation Army scheme Representatives of the Farm Colony re. orm work of the Naval and Military League, of . London waif boys, aud of officers about to proceed on foreign service for the Army, came last. The Amcricaus appear to have treated the General well He has lost the strait anxious look ho had some time ago, and ha n led out com ortably. "Hallelujah! Lookit the large 'cart of >i,n,'> cried an ardent damsel near me. I replied that it was not so much the good man's large heart as a more prosaic portion of his anatomy which seemed to me conspicuous. "'Twould be ill the same to me if he'd a pot-belly and a squint, avowed this dreadful young woman, defiantly. "It's lho Wfc {hafc *» | tho f rt ' I tell you.'' The General then osc to speak. 1 must conless tho secret o{ ins magnetism puzzles me. His voice is unmusical, his language commonplace, yet he Si' r° U i ! l e ,noctia * d «l«rously, and one could fed it was entirely with him. What uo said you can imagine. "Canada and America were great countries. Their possi. bilities were tremendous. The Army must assist him to exploit them," etc. THE ARMY'S LITERATURE. _ Though very few outside Salvation Arm? influences read those sanguinary sheets of 'blood ami fire- the < vfar Cr>' and lb i onng Soldier,' they are extraordiuarilr lucrative properties. It must make \U proprietors of many worldly publication green with envy to read that the profits o! the War Cry, etc., were £17,000 in IS9I. Mr Bramwell Bootli, indeed, frankly boasts i «S« the nice total of 1.500,000 a year to headquarters. Lut twelvemonth fil 000,000 of newspaper, magazines periodicals, and tracts emanated from headquarters, all containing " EO me dehiiite teaching for tho ungodly, the young, and the afllic cd." Unfortunately the tench, ing doesn t always seem to have the effect, intended Mr Taylor, of Tooting, wallowed n blood and fire," and '■ the blood of (he amb" and "bloody sweats" till seas of blood began to swim before his eyes, and he turned his front parlor into a shambles whilst he cut the throats of his wife aud seven children, and finally committed suicide himself. Mr Taylor, of Tooting, prayed in fervent language whilst slaughtering his belongings. He had lived altogether a, most respectable life, and might with hi! tamily have been amongst us now but for blood aud fire '* literature. Clearly, then, j \\ ar Crys and « Young Soldiers ! are not wholesome taken in excess.