LONDON TABLE TALK.

New Zealand Times, Volume LV, Issue 9969, 2 August 1893, Page 3

LONDON TABLE TALK.

(FROM UUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

London, June 10.

Tho threatened retirement of Mr Sexton into private life created oven slpoeror dismay amongst the moderate Gladatonians than amongst the Irish members themselves. Davitt has already tired of parliamentary life, and Dillon and O’Brien retain but a sbxdow of their former influence. Soxton’a elimination woold have meant nothing leas than the handing over of Ireland to the tender mercies of Healy and Co., and at this prospect even tbe most enthusiastic Homo Rulors blenched. Fortunately, by Tuesday evening tbe differences between tho leaders of the Irish party had—fur the time being, at least—been arranged, and on Wed* nesday Mr Sexton was back In tbe House agoing Parliamentary experts, especially amongst tho Tories, deolaro tho peace la not likely to b) kept long. The toot of ill-feeling is due to other oauses besides tho little difficulty at tho office of the Freeman’s Journal. There Is, of course, the personal rivalry amongst tbe leaders of this happy family, which baa been smouldering over since Parnell's fall, and this baa been developed during this past week or so by the concessions which Mr McCarthy and Mr Healy have at Mr Gladstone's behest urged the party to accept eerily against the will, not only of tho KodmoijUea, but of tho inuro thorough going Nationalists whom Mr Sextoo represents. In faot, thsre has been a divergenos of mou’a opinions and onu bitions, which tho enemy say must sooner or later end ;n a split.

THE FREEMAN'S JOURNAL SQUABBLE. Tho particular point on Wbioh Mr Saxton and Mr Dillon fought with Mr Healy and bis faction was whether or not a Parnellito politician might properly become a director of the Freeman board. Mr Ilealy said ■Certainly not; such a deed would be an Insult to every man who helped to found fno National Press.’ This leads me to give vou a brief sommiry by ono of the less prejudiced Irish members of the history of this rather squalid rbw. He reculnrisaa that when the Paroell uplU took place the Freeman s Journal was a great power iu Ireland, polity oally and pommeroially. It was the organ cf tho priests and the agitators. It paii » dividend of 10 per pent. After the break’up of tho Irish party in Committee Room lo the Freeman stuck to Mr Parnell and fought hu battles from December. 1890, to September, 1891 Archbibhop Walsh iml Mr Henly recognised that without a daily paper they were powerless to fight Mr Parnell for long, and the battle was evidently going to bo a long ono. Accordingly £40,000 was sub* scribed to found the National Press, which, , when founded, under Mr Henly’e direction lost no time in taking the aggressive. In September, 1891, however, Mr E. Dwyer Gray, tho principal shareholder In the Freeman, decided to switch back the paper into th* lines of tho National Press, and this was accordingly done. The old staff retired, and founded tbe Independent; and it was just after tho Unea of the uew Parnellito papor wore laid that Mr Parnell died. Throughout this period Mr Healy had pursued Mr Parnell with the utmost brutality ; an l, having obtained possession cf ono newspaper, was very loth to let go of it. However, tbe Freeman and National Press, under the auspices of Archbishop UVsh, were.ulth raately amalgamated, and a mixed board of directors interested in each paper was ap« pointed. From that day the fortunes of the Freeman declined. Ihe board fought in private for months, and finally came into tbe open and fought coram populo At first Archbishop W»l 3 h sided with Mr Healy’s faction, bat as tho finances of the paper grew small by dtg’Ors and beautifully loss, the Archbishop [w in with bis co-hieraroha bad Invested largely io both AntPParnMllte papers) backed Mr Dillon and Mr Sexton.

The 'Umax c.rua ia t March, wbvu tb" annual rep -it of tho dir.Dlora showed o loss for 1302 of no baa thau *15,0 »0. The lo•jowitta of the company for 1800 ebowed a profit of over £15.000. U.-fRr the fir.in'Ul genin', th«:rctorc, of Mr »• f-xt.on tbiro vvai. a net lons* in two years of £30,000. -* reserve fund of £OOOO ami a bal ding fund of £OOOO, and uu available surplus of XIU.S94, had all been wped out by the McCarthyite succor ra or tho am llite directors Mr Ss*xt n and -\rt:hbisMt» WaLb were anxiou.i to try and rutriovc Ihe for'cuuca of the Frcemuu by conciliating the Lublin reading public, and thi.j they h )ped to do by importing home Parnelht s into the directorate, wbnse presence and baomtas capacity might inspire confidonco. To this Mr Hoaly responded vntb a vituperative negative. 'Notwithstanding bin opposition, one Parm.Uitv, alderman Kcraan, was co-opted a mumber of tho board, Then came a flood of correspondence in the Dublin press, Mr Hoaly and hia faction rt-pu luied Archbishop U'aLh and the new director, and attacked Masers Dillon and 3:xton in the m .at violent language. ArchT.ishop Walsh retorted by saving that Mr Healy’a attack was ‘a grossly oalumnloua one, and that tiie letters published against thorn contain both imputations and positive etatei raents which at least two of the writers have every reaeon to know to be wholly devoid of truth.’ When the annua! meeting of the company took place In March a battle royal arose between the factions on the board. The result was tho appointment of a committee to enriuire into tho affaire of the company, and to report to an adjourned meeting in May. The Independent naturally took care to let drive at its rival, and, with groat candour, thus commented on the annual meeting :

■ We do not wish to nay a harsh word, but it is our duty to state the plain truth There is no sympathy tor any of the partim connected with the shame and the scandal of Princes street. Their dissensions, their Billingsgate, their blackguardism, are a bar and an argument against the consummation of tho nation’s hopes. There ia no stronger argument at the present moment against Home- Rule than the incapacity, tho bicker' ings, and the absence of all sense of public decorum characterising the several recent hoards of tho fa'lon journal.' The chairman of the committee of inquiry was a young Roman Catholic prelate—Dr O'Donnell, Bishop of Raphoo. When tho adjourned meeting took place, the committee recommended a reconstruction of the board, Involving the retirement of all the firebrands, including Mr Mealy and Mr Dillon. The mooting of shareholders was a stormy ono, and was so equally divided that Mr Sexton was forced to carry bis policy for tho second time by his own casting vote. Again the Independent countered h-avily on its rival. In an article next day it said : -

In tils olden times many disgraceful scenes disgraced tho ohamber of death in this country. So much so that the faco of civilized society and religion has been set against wakes. But no more disgraceful shindy ever disgraord tho lowest section of the moot demoralized of any people than the scene witnessed yesterday in the Imperial Hotel, whoa tho excited chairmen, standing on the tanlo, passed rcaolution after resolution, amongst a hundred howlers, evenly divided, apparently on the merits of tho motions before them, and beset undoubtedly at bott-. m by the one main idea that tho end had come, and that tho Freeman’s Journal was no more, was committed to earth, to an unknown, an unlionou'-od grave a f.te regarded without commiseration or regret. What has happened einoe the May meet* log thus drsoiihed has not yot been made known ; hut tho rest of the dirty linen will no doubt bo promptly washed in (public. Tho central fact in tho situation is that Mr Sexton cannot stand Mr Healy. It is commonly said that Mr Healy represents tho clerical section, and Mr Sexton the more liberal section, of tho Anti Parnollite party. The skein Is a very tangled one to unravel; bat this statement is not altogether correct, No doubt Mr Healy is hacked by tho mott violent eeotiou of tho clerical party in Ireland, bat then every Iri-b party has at least throe wings. It is noticeable that Arch-bi-hop Walsh is now opposed to Mr Healy, and doubtless tho Archbishop has a followiog. Again, tho Bishop of Raphoe has been tho moving spirit of the recent committee of iuvoitigatlon, aad ha appears to have also been against Mr Healy,

THE SENIOR WRANGLER.

The feature of the examination for this year's Cambridge mathematical tripos is that no fewer than ten ladies appear amongst tho successful students. Two are wranglers, aud one—Miss Johnson, of Newnbam—elands between five and six on tho list. Her companion, Mils Stoncy, stands equal to 17. All tho otheis, with two exceptions, hold rank with senior optimes. It is a great achievement and recalls that year of wonders, 1890, when Philippa Fawoott beat the senior wrangler himself. As usual the younger Ladies’ College (Newnbam) defeated its elder sister, Girton, decisively, seven out of the ton feminine mathematical celebrities coming from the former abode of the graces. The senior wrangler for 1593 would, it wasantioipntad, be either the Speaker’s son, Mr Thomas Peel, of Magdalene, or Lord Russell's younger brother, tho Hon B. A. W. Russell, of Trinity. Both, however, wore beaten by a comparatively dark horse In Mr G. T. Manley, of Christ’s College, who belongs to Hull and was educated at tho Wakefield Grammar School, to which he naturally affords a g and advertisement. Mr Manley’s people are not well off, and he has supported himsalf at college entirely on exhibitions and scholarships, of, which be held three, worth together £l6O per annum

THE MARRIAGE MUG.

Cue of the most amtzing advertisements in connection with tho Royal wedding emanates from the Universal Provider at Westbonrue Grove. ‘lt ia my intention,’ Mr Whiteley cries with an effervescent loyalty which transcends the cold rules of grammar, 'and with the gracious psrmiasion of Their Highnesses, to mark this auspicious occasion by the introduction of a China mug as a Royal wedding memento, following olosely upon the lines of that designed by ms and so universally in demand at the time tf Her Majesty’s jubilee. I am encouraged in this direction by the indications which already exist of a doslro to regard the occasion ns a public festival, and for which such an article would be specially appro* priftto. 1 , . , It seems incredible that fustian ruboish of this sort should take with anybody, but I am assured by a shop - walker that it does, and that many thousands of those ‘ fourpenny ’arpenny’ mugs, representing tho Duke with a preternaturally curled”moustache aud Princess May with a swelled face, are sold daily, , The mugs, of course, children buy chiefly, but 'for adults a cup, cancer and email plate (Hil tho eeb) has been similarly dosi.'ued,’ and they gooff equally well.

VIVISECTION.

Tho thorny vivisection controversy has caused a vast amount of ilbfoaliog in many oiiolea during tho past year or so, and it is quite on the ojrds that it will be responsible fo- a eerioas secession from tbe memherehip of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. A short time age-a few weeks at the outsido-the society published beoka by Professor Fraakland of Manohea ter in which vivisection is spoken of ap* nrovingly. Remembering the toniflo storm which arose in the Church Congress last year on this question vary little surprise can be expressed that Professor Frankland's work bos given dire offence in some quarters. But, though one may sympathise with the emo’tions animating antiivivisootionists, it Booms going a little too far to make on ex* presslon in favour cf viviarotion contained in a work published by the soeiety the ground for withdrawing support. The oom* mittee responsible for the society’s publics* tiona must to a oeitain extent be guided by commercial considerations, and, must be allotted considerable latitude in its disere* tionary power. If no books were to bo published of wbioh all parties in tbe society did net approve, the kind of knowledge promoted would resemble the frabrlo of the • albinoluaive ’ churob, consisting entirely of doors and windows. If the absolute truth was known this vivisection affair Is perhaps only to ho made a stalking horse, under cover of whjob many persons dissatisfied With tho society will sever their Connection therewith. Tho society ia too big for com* plots harmony. Thsre ia a numerical limit to tho oohesiveoess of mankind, nnd when that point is reached disruption mnstfollow, be the body the S.P.C K. cr tho Fieemasons, which last grand corporation affords an excellent illustration of my meaning.

MAGNEII3M IjT ANIMAL LIFE,

The chief amusement of the doctors and scientists of England and America soeme at present to run chiefly in the duaction of try' log to discredit the discoveries and to com troverting the theories of their German confreres. For original research the Eog> glish medioo seems to have no stomach, but let any Continental protestor start a theory or announoe a discovery, and the English' speaking fraternity are on the track like hounds after a hare. It they ohanoe in tho o hase to pull down a halfdormed theory or hill a ' discovery,* all the worll knows of their work in a few days, bat if they ran to earth something new and true they are silent —that is, silent eo far as <ars of the laity are concerned. German theorists claimed recently that magnetism increased the resistance to o induction iu motor nerves and caused paralysis. To test this theory, Mr A. O. Kennedy, of tho Edison laboratory, and Dr Frederick Peterson, of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, made some very interesting experim nls, and their report to the American EleotrorThorapeutis Assooiai tion, embodying the results of fteir ext cerlments, which seem to have beau very exhaustive, ia against tho Gorman scientists. According to the Americans electro-magnet-ism has no influence upon tho human body, nor upon oata, dogs or frogs. Io tho case of live frogs no Influence of tho magnet on blood cells, or the movement of tho blood, oculd be found, and when a socall dog was placed iu a cylinder between largo field magnet-, and kept there for five home under tho influence of a strong magnetic current, the animal when released betrayed none of the symptoms bo should bays exhibited accord.

Ilia to tbo German tat .;y. fit turns cat in fact jact as lively as lie want in. 'J hen s boy was placed between the rnugneU, and a magnetic current turned on. The current war. strong enough to balance a heavy bole in the air, and to contract wires of iron, and to hold chains so firmly that it required the efforts of several men to detach them. Yet, it had no visible effect on the lad. En pareuthere : lie mast have bean a boy of high courage. Finally the experimenters tliemfolvss took turns in lying down upon a hoard placed between the poles of a huge magnet, with the current alternately turned on and t-lf. One observer held the w r ist of each subject and took Ephymographio tracing of the /.ulsc. Another observer noted the rsrpiration, and a third turned the current on and off. The renult of a long relies of te.ta oauaol tiro exporimen tern, t ■ conclude that the human organise, lion la iu no way affected by the moat powerful magnets known, and that the brain and nerves get no sensations or impulses (rem the magnets. They deem it possible, however, that some day magnets may be invented where tiro number of reversals to tho s iCoOd are high enough, and the forco strong enough to produce effects on ths nerrous system.

LORD SALISBURY'S GREAT SPEECH,

I need scarcely say the Conservative lendorn have not failed to make the utmost of the dissension amongst the Anti-Pur* nellites. 1 Can any eane being imagine that such a gang could ever govern Ireland?’ asks the St James' Gazette, and Cord Salis* bury made this the text of a most powerful or —as the Liherala eay iolent speech to a mass raeetleg at tho Surrey Theatre on Tuesday evening. The report thereof runs to four columns of the Times, hut the following telling and typical passage will probi ably suffice for colonial readers, • What is there,’ enquired the Marquis, to lead us to think that the Irish Government of tbo future, the Irish Government which will no doubt be driven by Arohbi hop Walsh-(groans)- and Mr Timothy Healy—(renewed groans)-—and other men like unto thorn, will ho angolio, free from all tho ordinary failings of humanity? Mr Gladstone talks of out imputing to tho Irish a double dose of original tin. He talks of our representing then, us being not human beings in anything except the form, but he entirely ignores the teaching of every page of history which he will bo°willicg to turn baok. From the first totholasttherehave been quarrels, and those quarrels have been the rteult of tbo passion and the unreasoning of man ; and if pure considerations of self ■ interest, and if a perfect union of hearts and gratitude for tho tergiversation cf a past statesman should have Influenced men, there never would have born any quarrfls in the world at all. (Cheers.) But a stop further. This is not the oaso of a nation whom we meet for the Brat time. If they bad dropped from another planet wa might possibly try ti> assume that thoro was something so perfect iu their human nature that any future differences were impossible ; but those are people who have been qnai rolling with us for something like 700 .years. (Hoar, hoar.) Ido not say who was in the wrong. In quarrels generally both cidee are a little in the wrong, but setting that matter aside—it is wholly immaterial—it is the fact that all the traditions of the Nationalist party in Ireland, all their recollections, all their passions, all their teachings have tended to the hatred of England, and above all to the hatred of tho men lu their own midst who have sustained the cause of England. (Cheers ) And you tell mo that these feelings, bred Into the race, by generation after generation, that they will bo swept away by tho soft word —words whoso sincerity is nob believed —the soft words of a few yesrs. It is treating ns like children—(bear, hear) —to ask us to tako that view of human conduct, and to subject, not only our own interests, not only tho things which wo hold dear, but something which is mu h more precious, the interests of men to whom our faith is pledged—to subject them to the truth of au imbecile view of humanity like this.