LONDON GOSSIP.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10213, 6 December 1893, Page 2

LONDON GOSSIP.

[ FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.] London, Oct. 20. GOUNOD. With Charles Gounod, who succumbed to &u apoplectic lit early in the week, 8 heaven - born genius and a very great musician hag paused away. Ho wa« one of the masters of the century, and his name will have a place amongst the higheafc, Most of us, I fear, knew him chiefly an the com noser of Faust, of Romeo et Juliette, and of Philemon et Baucis, The sacred music, which was his chief pride, and contained his grandest efforts, has never been appreciated as it ought- to have been. For that kind of work he was not’, perhaps, fortunate in hia age or at any rate in his place in it, French audiences were nob always disposed to find his highest to their liking; The Redemption and Mors et Vita really made their most serious impression on this side of the Channel. Faust is the East Lynne of Italian and English opera. When in doubt the enterprising impresario invariably playa it and can generally bo sure of a,full house. As mounted now-a-days at Govent Garden it has become a superb spectacle. Romeo et Juliette owes its popularity in London mainly to the Prince and Princess of W alas with whom the opera is a favourite, and who ordered it for the State performance this summer. Philemon et Baucis Gounod himself preferred to either of his more popular operas, but (though, played frequently latterly before Cavalleriaßusticana ) its music was “caviare to the many.” MARSHALL MACMAHON. , Marshal Mac Mali on, who passed quietly away on Tuesday morning lasc after a long illness, borne with characteristic heroism, was a great soldier-and a poor politician. He had no gift for diplomacy, and very wisely, directly ho found France was opposed to the course which the intriguers of the Elysoa had committed him to, he threw up public life and bis great position and retired. Time has vindicated all hie motives and his final act as President of the Eepublie. Whenever he did ill it was because he was purposely confused by his intimate advisers and did not see the drift of their advice. But once he understood their purposa he stopped, pleaded engagements and stood upon his sense of honour and of patriotic duty. MacMahon’s family were Legitimists, and though he served the Empire as a member of the Senate ho was favourable to the elder branch. Yet it was he who said, when the Comte de Chambord stood by the white flag, “If we restore the monarchy the guns will go off of themselves.” Ho refused to be a party then to a restoration. ; Mrs 'Crawford relates that on the day on which the septennate was voted by the Versailles Assembly the Prince de Jomviile s»id to General Changarnier, " Wa have secured a sword.” “Yes,” answered the General, “but a wooden sword that will never draw a drop of blood or cut a gordian knot.” THE NEW VICEROY OF INDIA.

Like a great many of Me Gladstone’s appointments, that of Lord E'giu to be Goveraor-Generalof India excites severe criticism. The administrative experience of the noble Karl is certainly inconsiderable. He has been Chairman of the Fife County Council and of the Dunfermline Parish School Board. As a rule the holder of the third greatest appointment our Empire provides is required to possess at least a brilliant record. The Eadical Prime Minister (cry the Tories) can give no better reason for promoting this—to put it mildly—inexperienced young man to a most responsible position, than that he is a peer in want of a place. It is the kind of blunder no Conservative, and not many Liberal statesmen dare baya mace. Even the most thick and thin Qladstonians cannot contain their surprise. “The Earl of Elgin Las arrived in. London from Broome Hall, Dunfermline,” read out a man at the National Liberal Club last night. “ In view of recent events,” he wont on, “ it surely should be new Broome Hali.” ** What will they say in India?” asked another. What won’t they say ?” retorted the first speaker bitterly. “ Fancy all the civil end military big wigs and native ’princes having to ‘ kow-tow ’ to a raw know-nothing of a Scotfcie, with nothing but a handle to his name to commend him to them.' Eeally some one ought to prescribe a strong course of Kipling for the G.0.M.” - THE COAli STRIKE. Though the coal famine is at an end, and prices are falling as rapidly as they rose, the strike still continues in many parts of the country. In Staffordshire (for example) affairs seem simply desperate. Women who will go out and beg manage somehow to stave off starvation, but the self-respecting poor (prouder far than their richer brethren would be in similar straits) suffer silently at home. Shocking scenes are described by relief visitors at Wolverhampton. In one house, bare of furniture, a child was found sleeping uneasily, and when asked if it was ill the mother burst into tears, and revealed that hunger had done its worst, and her darling was dying of slow starvation. Li another case a twelve-months’ old baby was found greatly emaciated in its mother’s arms, and the skin seamed to hang on its bones. “The doctor ordered brandy and milk, because he’s wasting away,” said the mother, “ but he might ss well have told me to give it sovereigns to play with. He can’t eat bread, and I can’t get anything to feed myself, let alone feeding the child.” Numberless children have been found-who only get cue meal in twenty-four hours, and any tallow candles left in the schoolrooms are at once surreptitiously seized and devoured by the hungry little ones. Many of the houses have nothing in them, not even a chair, and the children, sometimes nine in number, are almost naked. Women have pawned their wedding rings in hundreds, and throughout the whole district a great cry goes up that the strike may come to an end. stead’s patee. Mr W. T. Stead baa long meditated a morning paper. For years he has been in search of “ The Ideal Editor ” who " had the Lath in him and the energy to attempt the foundation of a paper whic)i would be in its essence much more of an attempt to help, to serve, to instruct, to amuse, and to guide its readers than a mere quilting together of more or lean well-written accounts of yesterday’s happenings.” But those editors who have “faith” have inadequate energy; those with energy Lava no more faith than a grain of mustardseed. So Mr Stead has locked in vain. At length an idea came to him to consult the “spooks.” Julia was requisitioned, and ordered to write the came of the “Ideal Editor.” Now Julia is a discreet ghost; if she sniggered she did eo spirit-fashion and inaudibly. All Mr Stead knew was that thelady guiding his hand wrote firmly, “ The only living editor who can conduct the Ideal Newspaper is—in the words of the Grand Old Man—that good man Stead.” Mr Stead was immensely surprised. This solution of the problem had, curiously

enough, never occurred to him. Kow, however, the spooks mentioned it, he at once perceived he was made to conduct this journal of journals and resolved to start the same. It will be a Steadite paper, of course; belonging to no party, and doing that only which seems right in the eyes of Mr Stead. It will support religion! all religions, for is not Mr Stead “ the only! English journalist who has been on terms' of personal and more or less confidential 1 communication with the Cardinal Secretary of State at the Vatic?,n, with the Prooura-tor-General of the Holy Synod, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and with the’ loading Nonconformists”? Also it will support the English-speaking ra,ce, with that fine, healthy belief in the destiny and the greatness of the Anglo-Saxon for which wa may pardon Mr Stead many political errors. And it will support—of course—* 1 the Woman's Movement, In fact, if the paper is ever started, it will be a fine,' rousing publication, conducted with allj Mr Stead's well-known energy, enthusiasm aud ingenuity. But newspapers cost money. You want a good deal of capital; and Mr Stead proposes to got hia in a novel manner. We cannot do better than transcribe hie own account of the scheme as given in the October Review of Reviews:-— u As a be-; ginning I form and register, merely in; order to facilitate the issue of debentures,’ a Company to be called * The Daily Paper, Company, Limited;' the articles of association will set forth that it is formed for the purpose of printing aud publishing a daily paper which I am to be free to edit and control as I please. Having brought this Company into existence, I offer to the readers of the Jlevieio of Reviews the opportunity of co-operating with me in producing tha new paper on the following terns« —* With this copy of the Review is enclosed a form of order for the Daily Paper, for the first twelve months after it is'; started. (1) If 100,000 of these forms are sent to the National Provincial Bank of England (Limited) at the head office, or any of its branches, accompanied by 26s for one year's subscription, I will undertake to bring out the paper, and each subscriber will receive the Doily Paper every day for one year through his newsagent, if’ he Is in a town receiving d-iiiy parcels of papers from London, Where they only can bo delivered by post, 13s must be added for postage. (2) To the first 100,000 subscribers I will give by way of bonus a debenture bond for Ji 1 in The Daily Paper Company, Limited, redeemable at par at my option. - These debenture bonds will have coupons attached entitling the holder to receive interest annually at the fate of 5 par cent, so long as the circulation of the paper is between 100.000 and 150,000; per cent between 150.000 and 200,000 ; and 10 per cent when the circulation exceeds 200,000. By this means any subscriber of.SGsfov the first year will receive not only 312 penny papers, but a debenture bond of the value of £l, bearing interest from 5 to 10 per cent, for which ha will receive ill when I redeem it.'

“My object,” adds Mr Stead, “in thus giving away the capital on which the paper will be started Is not philanthropic or generous. It is good business. I want to establish a tie between my readers and the paper which I propose to publi sh, so I make them debenture-holders, and undertake to pay them a minimum of, £SOOO per. annum as long as the circulation is 100,000 per day. I want to interest thein pecuniarily in the success of the paper to make it a co-operative enterprise, so I promise to raise the interest to £IO,OOO a, year if the circulation rises to 200,00 p.” Mr Stead rather oddly calls this scheme an offer to give £IOO,OOO to his readers. It will strike most people that it is the other way about; the readers are to give £IOO,OOO to Mr Stead, or rather to lend it to him on his personal security. However, we hope Mr Stead will get his money. Hia paper will probably say and do many things we shall not like; but it is certain to bo good reading. SPADES OB EAZOEB. “ The number of young men now obtaining a University education has risen far above the number of professional careers open to them, and nothing ought to be done to stimulate further the supply of such secondary education as is preparatory for professional life.” Such was the opinion Canon Bell, head master of Marlborough, expressed befpro the gentlemen recently assembled in conference at Oxford upon secondary education. The Saturday Review countenances the pronouncement in an able article in its current issue. If ever, it says, Mena Tekel was written on the wall, these words of Dr Bell wrote it' there and then. The crime, the blunder; and the danger of the present system lio in the fact that the number of young men now turned out under secondary school and University education is enormously' above the number of careers of any kind, professional orother, which areopentothem, and for which they are fitted. They have' rebounded from the choked professions into the “vocations and employments," to use the language of those Income tax papers, which few of them are over likely to receive, or to receive without groans,' (“ Even from the point of view of those who think that c the career open to talents * settles everything, we believe that the thing is-an utter mistake—that a really clever boy, in even very low classes, had a better chance of rising undae the old system of limitation and patronage, than under the new system of competition and crowd. There is an entirely different side to the question, and one of not less real importance—the lowered value and virtue of learning, even in those who are not exposed to these dangers as a result of its vulgarisation; But that is not, perhaps, likely to appeal very much to the kind of public opinion prevalent at this or at any time. What’the people of England may possibly be brought to see is that it is no use multiplying costly machinery to turn 1 out razors when you want spades, and that blunted razors make the very worst spades in the world; that there is only a limited quantity of human steel that will make good human razors, and only a limited ■quantity of human razors wanted at all, and that when you turn out more, the process is horribly cruel ethically, recklessly wasteful economically, and from the point of view of all rational politics, supremely unwise.”)