TOPICS OF THE DAY

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 453, 12 March 1890, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY

(From our Special Correspondent.) London*, January 3. THE PARNELL-O’SIIEA CASE. Two years ago, when I was away on a short holiday in Devonshire, the gentleman whom I le;t to. write this letter for me, and who happens to be a rabid Tory, disclosed to you at length the current scandal concerning Mrs O’Shea and Mr CharlesJStuarb Parnell. 1 Had known tiie story some little time, but .for various reasons (the most- important being that Captain 0 Shea appeared to have conuoned his injuries, if ho had suffered any) I thought it undesirable to refer to the matter just then. My friend (fortunately or unfortunately as things have turned out was far too much of a political partisan to be capable of holding His tongue on such a matter, and when I returned i found to my dismay tiie mischief was dum*. Two years have passed, and now, as you know, 1 chi give chapter and verse for my friend’s allegation. Capiain O’Shea charges his wife with having committed adultery with Mr Purnell during a period ranging from 1886 to the present time, and at numerous specified places; most of them teing the country and seaside resorts to which the Irish chief has repaired secretly from time to time for repose and restoration. Captain O’Shea, it seems to be thought, will find some difficulty in explaining why he ha a postponed action so long, and more particularly why he chooses the, present crisis (when Mr Parnell s name stands higher, perhaps, ihan it ever did before) to try and degrade him. There are those who see political motives in the move and point dgnificantiy to the “ Times ” proprietary, if anything, more bitter than over. Capt. O’Shea (says the man in the streets) does not claim damages, but he is a friend of Air Walter and Mr Walter is rich. Should the award of the Parnell Commission bo as many anticipate, an acquittal for the Irish leader, the greatness of the triumph would bo (to put it very mildly) much dimmed by a dirty divorce case. Capt in O'Sheas highminded ness in not claiming damages from Air Parnell is certainly quite one of the curious features of the a (fair.

AIR PARNELL TALKS. Air Parnell openly accuses Mr Edward Houston (the well-known character in connection with the Pigott episode, and perhaps Air Walter’s most ardent disciple) of having instigated O’Shea s proceedings. The gallant captain, he says,has been threatening him ever since they quarrelled years back with this scandal, which, plea-e remember, hestrenuously denies. Air Houston lias, however, absolutely denied that he had anything to do with the instigation of the case. Too line the Tories intend taking up is shown by the morning “ Advertiser,’’ from whose leader columns I extract these significant lines :

“Mr Parnell is the leader of the Iri-h Nationalist party and the embodiment of the Home Ride agnation. As such he is not only m e of ihe chief figures in current politics, but he is Hie direct repre-entative, the principal ally and agent of.the prelates and pi teats who are the custodians of the religion and morals of the Urge majori'y o! the Irish people. The Irish Roman Catholics, wliate er be their other faults, entertain a particular respect for the obligation of marriage, which is in their regard a sacra men cal tio, and ihe\ hold in perhaps more abhorrence than any- other people any outrage agnin.-t the'sanctity of the matrimonial union. This is, no doubt, an ellect of the teaching of their spiritual pastors ami mas'e'rs ; and if it were at all permissible to assume that ihe petition now tiled were a ell founded, it would be interesting to see how the Irish Archbishops and Bishops and their flocks would regard t e man who had flagrantly oilended aguin-t their most rigorous principles and their tealere.-t guscep'ibilities by treating in such fashion le» bieus U'autrni. We do not of course assume anything in rtspeet. of a chnr-.e which h.s yet to be investigated, but it is hardly venturing too far to .say that if the case turn's out unfavourably to i-he co respondent the constitution of the Nationalist party and the Iri-ih aspect of the Home Rule question may probably undergo'.a very decided change.” AIR STEAD'S LAST LEADER. The last leader which the estimable Mr Stead wrote for the “ Pall Mall Gazette ” ■was a highly virtue,u < one, affirming profound belief in Mr Parnell’s innocence, but declaring him politically dead if guilty. Fortunately, Air Stead will not bo a great newspaper power when the case comes on for trial, and should Mr Parnell be unable to clear himself, Air G’has. Alorley is not likely to persecute him as his predecessor did poor Diike. AIRS O'SHEA. Airs Katherine O'Shea, the heroine of this quaint cause cetebre, is a tall, comely woman of forty-two, with a fine figure and abundance of dark hair. She come 3of an old and respected county family. Her father, Sir Matthew Wood (now chad), was in his day almost as popular as her brother, Sir Evelyn, the famous soldier and hero of the Zulu war, is now. Airs O’Shea was married twenty-two years ago, and. has live children, several of them girls. Her eldest son is nearly as tall as his sire, who stands 6ft lm in his socks, or over when in the ISth Hussars some years ago. Captain O’Shea looks every inch the military plunger. In manner he is gay, dashing, insouciant, his hair close cropped, his moustache heavy and drooping. Whilst in the House he gained the reputation of beingadecent speaker without justifying it.. Airs O’Shea’s family, children and friends are said to be standing by her in the present trouble. It has threatened so long that they, fortunately, scarcely feel it as much as they otherwise might have done.

THE GRAND OLD JOKER’S NEW WHEEZE. It was doubtless with mischievous glee that our Grand buc grotesque Old Man read of the dismay in Low Church and ultra-Protestant circles which his remarks on the virtue of a' Confession have caused. They were not intended for publication. (Ko, or coztr.se nob.) • Still Mr G. does nob see his way to .withdraw them. (Again, of course not.) Analysed, however, and the context explained, Mr Gladstone’s alarming statements crystallise into nothing worse than a favourable criticism of Lady Georgian a Fullerton’s old-fashioned and stilted novel, “Ellen Middleton.” ..The moral of this somewhat depressing work is rather the mischief of concealment: than the virtue’"! of confession. Miss Middleton, after the manner of other heioiues ■ one: has.,, known. (notably,- Mrs Olit'hant’s . “Carita” and Mrs Lynn Sinton’s.; “ Seam Dundas ”), commits what I should call an inadvertent murder when a child. She is tortured by remorse and the fear,of discovery and exposure when abe grows up) Her.secret

i i causes a lot of unnecessary misery. Had she on several occasions parted with .tit, many lives would have been changed and much unhappiness avoided. Lady Ueorgiania preaches this moral vigorously—in f ict, the whole story is an eloquent protest against concealment. Confession (with a capital C), you may seek for in vain. “ Ellen Middleton ” is printed in Bentley’s Green Favourite series at six shillings. It appears always to have had a fair sale, and now, of course, is in brisk demand. LITERARY NOTES. The “ Daily Graphic ” people profess themselves quite satisfied with their success so far. Their first day sale was 240,000, and the paper has since averaged a circulation of 150,000. Yet the book-stall boys tell me it only goes oil very moderately. Under the title of “Misery Junction,” the two dramatists who prefer to be known as “ Richard Henry ” have published a series of realistic sketches of the seamy side of theatrical life. These papers are not exactly fact, nor are they fiction, but something between the two. Many of the characters (introduced under thin pseunonyms) will bo easily recognised; others are, no doubt, purposely mere types, “ Writing for the Stage” and “ Extras, et Cetera” should on no account be missed.