DE OMNIBUS REBUS.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 618, 12 June 1876, Page 3

DE OMNIBUS REBUS.

The approaching debut at the Grand Opera, Paris, is announced of a new singer, Mdlle Fechtcr, daughter of the well-known actor, as Mathilde, in “William Tell.” The Chinese Government authorities at Pekin have made an important advance in the matter of diplomatic etiquette, Prince Rung, the acting regent, having on New Year’s Day (January 2«5 h) received the whole of the diplomatic body in presence of thirty of the highest officials in the empire. The Andrassy Note appears as yet to have been rather a futile diplomatic effort. The insurgents in the Herzegovina hare absolutely refused to yield, telling the Austrian Governor of Dalmatia, General Uodich, that the Turkish promises were worthless, and consenting with difficulty to an armisticef >.* ten days required by Mukhtar Pasha, who has been unable to revictual Nicsica. They are further encouraged in their resistance by the demoralisation of the Turkish troops, who fight very badly ; by the outrages of the Mussulmans, who, it is asserted, impale returning refugees ; by the warlike tone of the Servian Parliament which has decreed a forced loan of £s'0 J OOO ; and by the language of part of the Russian Press, which affirms that Austria is\“ Turkophile," and ■ that if the South Slavonians are ready to emancipate themselves, Russia will not prevent them, The diplomatic "tension" between Austria and Russia, alluded to elsewhere, also strengthens their hands, as they cannot bo seriously coerced while the two Powers are at variance. Altogether, they intend to go on, and Mukhtar Pnsha mu-t defeat them, if he can, by foicc of arms. The Democratic majority in the American House of Representatives has not forgiven the army yet. On March 30th they passed by a vote of 141 to 01, a Bit reducing the pay of officers in the army by about one-third. The new rates are fair enough, judged by English standards, Major Generals receiving £1200; brigadiers, £1000; co’onels, £700; Lieutenant-Colonels, £6OO ; majors, £*oo ; captains, £350 ; and first lieutenants, £3O 1 ; but they are considered low in America, where the officers are practically always on service, and usually on very disagreeable service, in the Indian districts and on the frontiers. It is passible that the reduction'will please the masses, whodis'ike the inert trained at West Point as gentlemen, but it is sure to injure the army itself, which is wanted as a nucleus for the rra' force of the union, the tmlilia. It was formally proposed to call the Bill a Bill for Punishing the Army for Preserving the Union, and though this satirical motion was rejected by 151 to 62, it expressed very nearly the truth. The Senate will, of course, strike out the reductions, but the tone of the House is making the Democrats unpopular. It smacks too much of secessionist feeling. Lord Salisbury has given the names of the Oxford Commission, which consists of seven members. Lord Selborne is to be its president. The other six are to be Sir Henry Maine, the Right Hon Mountagu Bernard, Mr Justice Grove, Lord RedesdaV, Dr Burgon (Dean of Chichester), and Mr Matthew White Ridley (M.P. for North Northumberland). Wc have commented on the constitution of this Commission elsewhere, and shown how unlikely it is that, acting, as it must, in connection with three delegates from any college to be affected by any statute, it will pass any statute to which such college would seriously object. But we may add here, that Lord Salisbury has conceded to the criticism of the Oxford authorities an appeal to the Queen in Council not only on the validity of a statute, but on the policy of it. The effect of that will be, we take it, to render resistance to change even more effective, for an appeal on the policy of au enac'ment against the decision of the Commission D, of course, not the sort of machinery that can be used for the purpose of making a reform more thorough, but only for the purpose of attenuating it. On the whole, the Oxford Commission bids fair to be a machinery for effecting only the minimum of change, which would be supposed likely to prevent further change. Also the Commission is to be allowed only four year« for its operations, instead of seven. Dr Appleton wrote an interesting letter to the Times, pointing out that, at least as regards those who pursue “original research,” non-residents in the University, so far from being non-workers, may be the hardest workers. If a philologist is studying —as a philologist happens to be now studying—the various Low German dialects, he would be doing the very work for which, if original research were endowed, he would be receiving the endowment. That is very true and of course the same might be said of a student of volcanoes, or of the natural history of the tropics. Here *• original research” could only be conducted at a distance from the University. At the same time, it would be essential to require from persons receiving such endowments, that terms of residence and of systematic communication of the knowledge gained, should alternate with the terms of distant study, otherwise there would be no guarantee either that the research itself was going on, or that even if it was, the University would derive any profit from it. If the aims of University life are to be raised by “ original research,” it is obvious that its results must be brought directly under the notice of the University. The Chinese, like the Japanese, have adopted the plan of sending youths to America to be educated. There are at present 120 Chinese boys in the United States being educated for positions in the army and diplomatic service. These boys are under the especial care of three Chinese Commissioners, two of whom have themselves been educated in American Colleges. The scholars are to remain in America for fifteen years, and are to be trained not only in science and letters, but are to devote much of their time to technical study. It is, moreover, arranged that they are to retain their knowledge of the Chinese language, literature, and customs, so that on their return they will be able to fill successfully the positions for which they are being prepared. This important provision appears to have been overlooked by the Japanese authorities, for some of the Japanese young women who are now being educated in America are, it is stated, forgetting their native language and customs and one of them can no longer either speak or understand the Japanese tongue. The wisdom of the course pursued by the Chinese and Japanese Governments is beyond s doubt, and there is probably no country in the world which at the present moment offers such an instructive spectacle of what may be done in the way of municipal, diplomatic, political, and social training as the United States.