CURRENT TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6072, 8 January 1898, Page 7

CURRENT TOPICS.

-.-> — The universal character struggle of the struggle for sea for power is illustrated by the sea power. petition which the >Ger- ■■•• *-• ' mans resident in . South Australia intend to forward for presen- ■' tatioirto the Reichstag; The/ petitioners point' to t^e. necessity for., a formidable. • 'fleet, especially of cruisers, .for the protection of: Germans and- German interests abroad.-and urge the Reichstag to pass a Bill for increasing the German navy. This enthusiasm is obviously a reflex of that which prevails in the Fatherland, but it will very likely strengthen and increase the national desire for sea power. In 1895-96 Germany. and Italy spent very nearly the same sum upon their fleets, the former .£4,372,068, the latter a quarter of a million less. But Germany is forging ahead of Italy, slowly but surely. Indeed, Germany may alread/ be reckoned the stronger naval Power of the two, which shows how steadily she has kept moving ahead during the last ten years. Still she is far behind the great sea Powers of the world, and will, perhaps, never overtake them.- Yet much maybe done in a few yeara, as we see in the cases of Japan and the United States of America. Fifteen or twenty years ago Japan had no navy at all worthy the name, and- -theUnited States had 'scarcely a .single modern vessel afloat. Yet, in 1895-96 both: . of these Powers spent more money upon their navies than did Russia, and they have not relaxed their efforts in the ' interval. ' Russia may continue to hold her place as the third naVal. Power of Europe, but there are many indications that both Japan and America will out-distance her bofore many more years have elapsed. • Japan has embarked upon a big programme. She is already a naval Power to be reckoned with in the Far East. Amongst European countries, however, Russia holds third place a3 a naval Power, France the second, and-England the first. In 1895-96, England spent on her navy £621,264,377, or more than France, Russia and Germany altogether ; . yet, as . it has been pointed out, we must not be guided solely by a consideration of aggregate expenditure in connection with international naval expansion. For instance, the personnel of the French navy consists of only forty thousand men, and our accive list is more than double that strength, and thus involves heavy expenditure upon wages. Our pension votes ate also muoh heavier than those of Continental countries ; but, at the same time, there is no doubt that we can build more cheaply, as well as with greater rapidity, and we are not likely to be distanced for some time by any of the stragglers for sea power, which we have held in a paramount degree for many generations, and will probably continue to hold to the end-of the chapter.

The remarks we made the revolt the other day on the subof the ject of New Year honours baronets, may not have appealed to everyone. But the fact remains that men of spirit simply refused to be decorated, and from the recently published memoirs of Lord Tennyson we learn that the late Poet Laxireate thrice refused a baronetcy. In 1873 he wrote to Mr Gladstone that he and his wife would prefer to remain plain Mr and Mrs Tennyson. Just ten years later, however, he accepted a barony, and it is mentioned that Mr Gladstone himself remarked at the time that, in his opinion, a baronetcy was not the same honour as it was in Sir Walter Scott's day. The depreciation is due partly to innovations by the Crown and partly to the very free use that successive Prime Ministers have made of the honour to reward partisans. Moreover, people cannot forget that in early days the baronetcy was bought, and not conferred for public services. A large number of baronets are now forming themselves into a league to assert and maintain their ancient privileges. They wish to revive a Royal warrant of 1783 which requires certain facts of pedigree to be registered, so as to eliminate the pretenders, for there are said to be at least fifty individuals using the style and dignity without due authority. So the genuine, gentlemen decided to combine in order to protect their dignity. Baronets practically form a caste already — they are (always a little superior to the common people — and now they are going to_ impress" the position upon the ordinary mind,' ., because, like Beaumarchais's typical nobleman, "they did us the honour to be born." They desire, further, to have a distinctive habit and insignia, including star, collar and badge. They were urged to this step, because in August last the children of life-peers were given the title of "Honourable," and were allowed to supersede the baronets, which, it must be admitted, was a grievous , insult, because these children were not I born; at least not in the purple. Hinc 1 ilia lacrymse.

Popular- opinion seems an english once more to have turned l academy, against the proposal to establish a British Academy - corresponding to the celebrated French | institution founded in the time of Louis XIV. Several lists have been sug- > gesccd from time to time, containing the names' of probable members, and some * journals have gone so far as to hold a. | plebiscite among then? feaders'^olliscdver'. .■" what .names were most aceeptableic;., Butt in these; cases- the'-. yvoters -voted for E" the most popular authors; and the 5 most popular authors are not invariably the greatest. The difficulty that confronts one at the outset is the fact E that the writers who will be read a geneb ration hence are for the most part little 3 known, at present. For instance, Mr R. D. ' Blackmore, a writer of very high merit, was suggested, but his novels are confined j to English readers, and are certainly uot , all in the actual first rank. On the other ' hand, no mention has been made of Dr J Caird, a profound philosopher, whose works are known to students in every land, a or of Mr Bradley and Dr Martineau, ■r whose writings will be valuable a cene tury hence. The tendency would certainly V be to cry out for the election of popular ' novelists and verse writers, and the fame i of these writers is merely transient. In the ;- case of the French Academy, a few authors c were at the head of the literary world * when it was founded. Some half-dozen J" men were recognised as the supreme _\ judges of literature, some of them because

m^ mllmmml ammmmmm.mmmmmVmmmiVk*,A'-,. iaiUWSI ■ their personal popularity, and these men dominated and guided French taste. It was therefore easy to institute. an Academy, because those writers who did not swim with the stream were .simply ignored. But there is - another aspect of the question. French literature has always been guided by a kind of rationalism; it is intellectual, and aims more at perfection of -form and polish of style than at originality or power. - There are certain definite rules of composition that. one cannot transgress. There might easily be a Frenoh Macaulay ; there could not be a French Carlyle. Under these conditions an Academy could be made a great factor foi* good ; if could pronounce against a. cer tain form of expression^ or in . favour; pf,a newly-imputed wordj ? i*^inight recognise one-drama as- classical, and condemn another as inartistic.' - -' '•'■-'■'■--

-^ ; '.;:.: .-*. But -there are certain characteristic characteristics of English features of literature that render a engiilsh National Academy a pracliterattjre. tioal impossibility. From earliest times it has been marked by an intense individualism, a constant effort to' escape from bounds, a daring in both moral and ethical aims, and an unlimited possibility of expression. English taste has always favoured originality, and indeed a prominent Frenchman declared that an. English writer might say and do everything that a man in his cups would say or do, j-rovided he was not brutally vulgar. Moreover, except for a space of one hundred years, say from 1675 to 1775, British writers have always been prepared to sacrifice form to power. Shakspere, no doubt, was a master of form, but. his magnificent passages give one the impression 'that the thought proceeds and compels, the form to follow; During the •age of .Pope, .Addison and Steele an Academy could easily have been set up, because "our* literature- became intellectual and polished in style, rather than philosophical. This .was the age of the coffee-houses, imitations of the salons of Paris ; and from the salons grew the French Academy; so that England may be said to have had a narrow escape. It is hard to imagine what, might have been the result had an Academy been instituted in those days, and one trembles for future Shelleys, Keatses, Wordsworths. It is said, of course, that the writers of the early part of this century would have been superior to ; the dicta of any Academy, because they had their centuries'of tradition to back them up. But the fact is .that the very existence of these traditions rendered an Academy impossible. Matthew Arnold pointed out a quarter of a century ago that an incorporated body with a certain supreme power might do an untold amount of good in the way of improving our literary style, and of rendering some of our minor writers more intelligible to foreigners; but it would crush the quality of audacity that dares the world, it would reduce to a monotone the individual varieties of shade and colour, and, in a word, rob our literature of that charm which it draws from a complex origin. So many elements have gone in the course of ages to make. up the sum of English literature, that no definite code of traditional rules could possibly be constructed. The result is that its distinctive feature is absolute liberty of thought and expression, perfect freedom from convention and from rule.

The re-election of "Mr south Kruger as President of the Africa. Transvaal, is, we are told in our cable messages this morning, assured. Some may think that this means another period of shrewd and resolute resistance to the great process of political assimilation which is going on in South Africa under the impulsion of Mr Cecil Rhodes's genius. But no serious apprehension need now be felt in this connection. Mr Kruger's re-election may, in fact, be taken as a guarantee for a certain amount of moderation on the part of the Boers. The President knows by experience that politically "the Queen is a difficult woman to manage," and he will not be a party to too much aggression or resistance. It has been well said that South Africa is physically one country. The political divisions are not geographical divisions. The physical conditions, and therefore the economic interests, are the same throughout, with' the exception only of Kimberley and the Rand ; and these exceptions are but temporary, for the extraction of payable minerals is a passing phase ; the agricultural and pastoral conditions are per- | manent. Sir George Grey, Sir Bartle Frere, Mr Rhodes, and whoever else may have conceived the idea of a United South Africa have nature on their side. What has foiled nature hitherto is the shortsightedness of politicians. The Orange. River , Sovereignty was - deliberately thrown away; and Parliament actually voted money by way of compensation, in order to .be rid. of a great number of attached subjects, The Transvaal was alternately left alone and annexed, and always." at the wrong time and in the wrong way. Delagoa Bay might at one time have been had for .£12,000. The presence of Germany on the South African continent is due only to the lukewarmness of the late Lord Derby. But in spite of .every blunder, most of the essential points which ' make for the ultimate unity of South Africa under the protection of Great Britain have been secured, and while Mr Rhodes lives or his policy is maintained— and it has now been carried so far that it cannot be dropped— the process of assimilation . must and will go on until South Africa becomes at least a confederation of homogeneous states. -****************** I ''™'**** l ***************** l Amateur Sport. — Among the many i reasons given for reinstatement as amateurs at the Council meeting of thei New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association last night were the .■following.-:-'--'' For J pastime " ; **" for the love, pf sport " ; ; "from- a wish to belong- to. a higher branch of! sport'"; and, last but not leasti was the J reason that . ; several ,gentlemen who.', .had ! resolved to have, a day's sports, had collected a sweepstakes, and ran for. the amount of capitation they had in hand. Ashburton Hospital Committee. — A meeting of this committee was held yesterday morning, when the Mayor, Mr C. Reid, was elected chairman for the year. The Clerk reported the collection of ,£ls, arrears of fees. An application for an increase of salary • by the caretaker was held over for reference to the doctor. Accounts to the amount of .£9l 13s 6d were passed for payment. The credit to the building fund was reported to be .£SB 17s. Tenders for the building of tha convalescent ward were opened, and that of Mr George Hoskin, for .£455 10s, was accepted. Messrs Harper, Williamson and the Mayor were appointed a committee to supervise the work. A letter was received from Mr Herring, requesting a refund of the subscriptions towards a convalescent ward made by himself and the employes on his station, on the ground that the money was not being applied to the purpose for which it was given. Mi* Williamson said that the Hospital Committee had not received money from private individuals, but from the Jubilee Committee, and it resolved that fl,, had no