THE TABLET.

A Weekly Newspaper and Review.

DÜM VOBIS GRATULAMUK, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMÜS ÜT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEAT.S.

From, the B r ie f of H is Holiness P iu s IX . to T he T ablet, June 4, i í f o .

V ol. 92. No. 3058. London, D e c e m b e r 17, 1898.

Price 5d.,bypost

[R e g i s t e r e d a t t h e G e n e r a l P o st O f f i c e a s a N ew spaper.

C hronicle of t h e W e e k :

Page

The Liberal Leadership: Letter from Sir W. Harcourt — Mr. Morley’s Reply--What the Liberal Papers Say— Sir Edward Grey Counsels Patience—The Clayton* Bulwer Treaty—'Triumph__of the German Catholics— Half-time Labour and Education—The London County Council— Sir John Gorst on Agricultural Education—The Position of Germany in Europe — The Dreyfus C a se : Another Row in the Chamber— Trial of C o lo n e l P i c q u a r t — Unusual Weather—A Remedy for French Anarchy — The Non-Ratification o f the Niger Convention— Famine in Russia . . . . . . . . 957 L eaders : Who Will Lead? . . . . . .9 6 1

Side-Lights on Foreign Politics.. 962 Fra Girolamo Savonarola . . 963

CON 7 .

Page

Society o f St. Vincent de Paul . . 965 N o t e s 966 R ev iew s :

'NTS

L e t t e r s to t h e E d it or (Con­

tinued) : The Sovereign’s Coronation Oath

Page and Declaratiou Against Popery 975 Father Bampfield’s Christmas

The Elizabethan Clergy and the

Settlement of Religion, 1564-; ......................... _ 968 A Belgian Professor on Socialism 970 The Structure o f Life . . . . 971 Christmas B o o k s ......................... 971 C orrespondence :

Rome:—(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) . .

News from Ireland _

«.

News from France.. . . . . 975 L e t t e r s t o t h e E d it o r :

English Vocations for Egyptian

Education . . . . . . . . 975 The Title of “ Our Lord God the

Pope” .................................... 975

Appeal . . . . . . . . 976 The Dreyfus C a se : A “ Tu

Quoque ” . . . . . . . . 976 Palm Sunday Processions . . 976 An Old Mission Without Schools 976 St. Odilo ^ . . . . . . . . 977 The Sodality of the Immaculate

_ 973

_ 974

Conception . . . . . . . . 978 The Principles o f English Church

Union . . . . . . . . 979 The Race Problem in America . . 979 The Archbishop of Dublin and

“ The Daily Nation ” . . . . 980 The Tsar’s Peace Proposals . . 981 The Leighton Buzzard Burial

Board .. . . . . . . 981 New York Diocesan Synod.. . . 981 The Word “ Protestant ” . . . . 982 A Call to Welsh Methodism . . 982

Page

Books of the Week . . . . . . 982 F rom E veryw h ere . . . . 983 So c ia l a n d P o l it ic a l ^ . . 984

SU PPLEM EN T . N ew s from t h e S chools

The Irish University Question . . 989 Secondary Education in Ireland.. 989 Bristol School Board and a Catholic School . . . . . . . . 990 A Bishop and Board Schools .. 991 St. Bede’s College, Manchester.. 991 Ratcliflfe College . . . . . . 991 Prior Park College . . . . 992 Denominational Education for the Soudan ........................... 992 N ew s from t h e D io ceses : Westminster 992

S o u th w a rk ....................................... 992 Liverpool . . . . . . . . 993 Plymouth . . 993 Portsmouth . . . . . . . . 993 Salford . . . . ... ... 993 Newport _.. . . . . . . 994 Protestant Missions in Mexico . . 994

Rejected MS. cannot be returned unless accoynpanied with address and postage.

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

FROM SIR W. HARCOURT. G ‘

THE LIBERAL LEADERSHIP : LETTER

O S S IP was set agog in political circles on Wednesday by the publication of a correspondence which had passed between Sir W illiam Harcourt and Mr. John Morley bearing on the question of the leadership of the L iberal Party. From the opening o f Sir W illiam ’s letter it would appear that he had been impelled to speak out by the discussions that have been going on as to the Party’s future leader, and he therefore hastens to say that he will undertake no responsibility and occupy no position the duties o f which it is made im possible for him to fulfil. So far the part he had played in public life had been governed by a plain sense o f obligation. W ith the concurrence o f his colleagues and at Mr. G ladstone’s own request he had rendered Mr. G ladstone what assistance he could in the H ouse o f Commons and e lsew h ere; and on Mr. G lad stone’s retirem ent had remained in office to establish the public finances on a ju st and adequate basis. A fte r the great defeat o f 1895 he and Mr. Morley had rallied the broken ranks and taken their places in the van o f the L ib eral fight, and with the help o f a loyal and united Party had defeated the overwhelming majority o f the Government on the Education B ill o f 1896. After this it would seem that the loyalty and unity which Sir W illiam is at pains to emphasize was broken up by “ sectional disputes and personal interests ” which had persisted and rent the Party in spite o f all his attempts to compose differences, and to secure unity o f action. B ickerings had given rise to false and unworthy insinuations that he had allow ed personal considerations to influence public action. H e scouted the idea o f such pretensions and refused to be a candidate for any contested position, for that would be a degradation of the tone o f public life in the country, concluding with these words : “ I f I have arrived at the conclusion that I can best discharge that duty in an independent position in the H ouse o f Commons you will, I feel sure, agree that a d isputed leadership, beset by distracted sections and conflicting interests, is an impossible situation, and that a release from vain and onerous obligations will come to me as a welcome relief.”

N e w S e r i e s . V o l . LX., No. 2,367.

Such a letter from the Leader o f the

— m r . m o r l r y ’ s Opposition in the H ouse o f Commons r e p l y .

could not but cause Mr. Morley the most serious concern, though he tells us that he could not feel the smallest surprise that at last Sir W illiam had found it impossible to keep silence in a situation that was so intolerable. A l l would recognize that the present situation in which the leadership o f a great Party was being treated in so demoralizing a manner must be brought to an end. It was odious that a man who had manfully stuck to the ship instead o f keeping snug in the harbour when the seas were rough and the skies dark should be told that his position in his party was to be unceasingly made the matter for formal contest and personal challenge. A ttem p ts at proscription o f persons in the Party had certainly not come from Sir William , who, on the contrary, had done all he could to reconcile differences o f opinion and promote unity o f action. Mr. M orley concludes with evident anger against those who would set Sir W illiam aside merely because he had been unable “ to work political miracles and to achieve party im possibilities.”

The D a i ly News, which treats the resig-

— w h a t t h e n a t i o n as only hypothetical, is inclined to p a p e r s s a y . blam e Sir W illiam Harcourt for making accu­

sations which he cannot sustain. So far from being able to detect any disinclination to follow on the part o f the L iberal rank and file, it contends that the only discontent arises from the fact that on so many occasions there was nobody to follow. The D a i ly News, referring to the phrase “ personal proscriptions,” will not listen to a word against Lord Rosebery. H e has loyally kept to the course of conduct which he marked out for him self in O ctober, 1896. Except for a few speeches at the tim e o f a national crisis, when there was no room for party differences, he has resolutely abstained from all political action or speech. So far as he is concerned, Sir W illiam H arcourt has had a free hand and a fair field. I f there has been occasional grumbling and criticism in the party, that is chiefly due to the fact that Sir W illiam “ puzzled and bewildered ” his followers b y his action on the South A frica Committee. F inally The D a i ly News thinks that there is no use mumbling on about the F inance A c t : that was excellent, but it is a thing o f the past. F inally, what question is there on which Sir W illiam and Mr. Morley cannot count upon the support o f a united party ? The D a ily Chronicle takes a far more tragic tone. In the first p lace it believes that Sir William Harcourt has really resigned his p lace as