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828 THE LEADER. [Saturday,
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¦; . " :¦- : . ; •¦ JNTHA. . ¦ . • ¦ . (...
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ALISON'S HISTORY. (To>the Editor of'the ...
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KUSKIN AND THE CRYSTAL PALACE. QTo the E...
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THE NAY AX SERVICE. (TotJie EditorqfiheL...
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Duties Of The Clt2rgy. (To The Editor Of...
* f { To the Editor of the Leader . ) SfB , —Tour correspondent , " -Archer Gurney , " says , " , that not to believe in the inspiration of the Old Testament , openly sets at nought one of the Articles fcg which a Clergyman has sworn a true allegiance . " jGshould like to know which of the thirty-nine armies affirms the inspiration of the Old Testament ? Supposing inspiration is mentioned , who will say what is meant by it ? If all were to leave the Church , pr not enter it , wlio might object to the vulgar
nofcions of orthodoxy "belonging to the day , a monopoly would be given to the stupid , who never had any conscience , or the unprincipled , who could not afford it ; and there neveT would have been a reformation ¦ which proceeded from the sworn members of the Church of Rome . Inspiration being left an open question by the Church , the 6 th Article gives you leave to prove or infer any doctrine you lite from the Bible . Your obedient servant ,
W- J . Birch , M . A . New Inn Hall , Oxford . P . S . —On referring to the " Clergyman ' s experience of society , " I find that his words are , " almost unconscioxisly I had shown that I did not believe in what is called the verhal inspiration of the Old Testament . " I submit that they convey a very different meaning to vrhat is put upon them by the curate , and do ; not justify his opinion , of their effect upon
the clergyman ' s epngregatioii .- The curate says the clergyman coinmenced Ms serrnon by denying the i 7 ispiration of tjie Old Testament . There ate yery few who will not admit in some sense the inspira--tion ; it is about the quality of the inspiration orthodox : and heterodox alike disagree . The Jews alonei iisveTt verbaii inspiration . I shall therefore refer your reader ^ to the 7 th Article , which I think disowns the verbal inspiration of the Old Testament , Mrid exonerates the clergyman .
828 The Leader. [Saturday,
828 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
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¦; . " : ¦ - : . ; •¦ JNTHA . . ¦ . ¦ . ( ToIhe "Editor ojFthe Leader . ) Sir , — -Among the notable panacea of the present day , none is more universally prescribed than ; a railway from somewhere to . nb where . Accordingly , we are told that the crying want of India is a railway , which' — - in popular phraseology' — shall annihilate time anA space , tlie two great agents of man . If there were any conceivable analogy between the things of Europe aud those of Asia , it would be impossible to deny that immense national benefit must arise from the construction . ofat least central lines of railroad . But no one who is practically acquainted with the habits of oriental people , and who know anything of the systems of agriculture arid
trade , pursued by the native inhabitants of our Indian Empire , will anticipate much good from railway enterprise . What is really wanted are good roads , and canals for the joint purpose of irrigation and navigation . To illustrate this point would occupy more space than you would be willing to afford ; but your Anglo-Indian readers will bear out my assertion , that pne half of the money required to complete the line from Calcutta to Delhi , Would have been doubly beneficial jf expended on trunk-roads , and such canals as the one recently opened at Rooshee . Supply the native with easy means of communication , and he will draw from the land as much as it can be made to produce , and will convey that
produce at an insignificant cost to the nearest port . Time is no object to him , but he has no money to part 'with . He would rather be a month on the river , or the road , having nothing to pay for transit , than pass over the same distance in a couple of days , if he has to obtain that advantage by the outlay of a few rupees . Spare no expense then in constructing firm loads , in deepening the channels of the rivers , arid in making canals . Such an employment of public money ia certain to add enormously to the yearly revenue , while it increases the wealth and prosperity of the people . Tl > e system , of education must be entirely remoddled . Some means must be found of imparting ideas , and , a habit of reflection . It may be even necessary to prepare a set of clnas-bboks expressly for the native sohools . But I am inclined to think that oral instruction is best adapted for beginners .
Of course the teachers must bo men of superior attainments , and ondowed with the gift of imparting their information in a striking and graphic manner . To secure the services of such men no money should be spared ; but here , alas ! we encounter the first great ; obstacle . The Honourable Company , so lavish to their favoured servants in the- civil and military departments , aro chary of rewards to their sorvunts engaged in tuition . In the educational service the highest salary is 600 rupees a month , without furlough or pension ; and this is reserved to some four or five principals of colleges—I am speaking of the Bengal Presidency . The junior teachers are paid very inadequately for the worlc they aro supposed to perform ; and I ftjar they are not generally the beet tnon that might be found . The service is unpopular , necauae ) the covenanted servants pretend to look down -upon it . You shall see an imbocllo young
ensign , only capable of cheroots and bottled bee 1 " , sneer at a man old enough to be his father , and whose mind is stored with all the learning of ancien t and modern times . But then lie is not " one of us , '* —lie may riot have a single relative in any one of the presidencies , —he is therefore merely tolerated , and seldom considered as a member of the local society . If we ever succeed in imparting a higher moral tone to our native fellow-subjects , it will then become our duty to admit them impartially to every office under government , reserving those of a military character . At present , it is certainly premature and
impolitic to do so , except iu a few rare instances . Bvt whenever the experiment is tried , it should be fairly tried . Our own countrymen were formerly unable to resist the temptation to accept bribes , when their pay was insufficient to maintain them . This evil was discovered by Lord Clive , who applied the natural remedy . He increased their salaries , and placed them , in a position to think about honour . We must not , therefore , -urge against the underpaid native officials that they cannot close their eyes against a gift . At least we are bound first to try the means that has alone been found successful with the Christian gentlemen of England—we must increase their salaries , and so teach them self-respect .
There is , however , another matter on which , I would fain say a few words , but I may not further trespass upon your patience this week . ¦¦ ¦ ¦
;; ¦;¦;¦ ,., ; ,, ; . '¦ - .. ::- ¦ . "^ \; ¦ ¦ ,. . - : 7 ;' :- / ¦ . \ J . H . P . S < Since writing the above , I have received a letter from India that partially confirms my Opinion of the unsuitableness of railways and telegraphs for that country . ; ^ ' The telegraph " ( I qubte my correspondent's words ) " does ri . pt work so well as it ought , and I don'tthink it is of so : much use or importance iit this country as people believed it wpuld be ; and rioiv the novelty of . the toy has passed away , they
began , tp crjr out against its incompleteness , —for it took several days ^ -I think four>—to bring the news f tpm Bombay to within 300 miles ef Delhi ; The press cares very little about it , for they get such a mere taritalisingoutlinej generally with all the names of the places at the seat of war miserably spelt . The oilier day it was announced that the Tight was wrecked off Odessa i instead of the Tiger . But ¦ what can be expected from" the wretched , half-educated Eurasians who are in Charge of the different offices ?"
Alison's History. (To>The Editor Of'the ...
ALISON'S HISTORY . ( To > the Editor of ' the Leader . ) Sir , —Ten minutes ago ! began to cut open Alison s " History of Europe since 1815 , " never having . seen tlie book before . Already I have lighted on this jewel of a passage . Speaking of the Grand Duke Constaritine ( vol . ii . p . 117 ) he says : " The second son of the Emperor Paul I , and the c « l « hrated Empress Catherine , lie was born on the 8 th May , 1779 , and christened Constantine , from the design of that aspiring potentate to place him on the throne of Constantinople , and restore the Byzantine empire as an appanage of tlie imperial house of Russia . " There ' s a neatly constructed sentence ! But the matter is still better than the style . Catherine was bad enough for almost anything , but we have only Alison ' s authority for believing—though she has been called the Semiramis of the North—that she committed incest with her son Paul , and that she was the mother of her grandson . Put this fact in some way ox other before the readers of the Leader . Yours faithfully , Walter K . Kelx , y .
Kuskin And The Crystal Palace. Qto The E...
KUSKIN AND THE CRYSTAL PALACE . QTo the Editor of the Leader . ') Sib , — -I would say a word or two on the passage of Ituskin ' s , recently quoted in your paper , which ends " in the centre pf the nineteenth century we suppose ourselves to have invented a new style of architecture , when wo have magnified a conservatory . " How , the architecture of any ago is tlie expression of the religious condition of that age—the deeper the religious sentiment the more vivid and vigorous its architectural expression ; hence a knowledge of Clio architecture of an age affords n , pretty correct knowledge of its worship ; how could wo know the Greek ideal of beauty but by their statues ? This principle is too evident to need further illustration : not
may wo , then , apply it inversely , and , given the nation , find the architecture it is capable of producing , frthink , if wo proceed thus , we may satisfy ourselves how far the Crystal Palace is a now stylo of architecture , and what chance wo have of obtaining a now style . Wo have one peculiar difficulty to contend with in this investigation—namely , the want of uniformity in the rcligioun sentiment ; yet , for tho present , setting this n » ide—What » 8 this nation ' s worship ? Ib it not a business , monoy-gottinfj worship ? All ita powers and energies are brought to wear in this direction ; the worship of an aristocracy is , in foot , dying out —popular Christianity—wo Iiad best leave that matter untouched . Wo need not enter into the question how far this worship is bettor or worse than the worship of past nations , of
durability , power , physical beauty , moral beauty , aristocracy , or any other ideal of a nation ; all I say is , that the present ideal of this nation at large is the business , money-getting ideal , and that the Crystal Palace is a fair expression of this ideal ; it is the expression of what the monied business man is capable of—what he can do with the simple materials of iron and glass , on the simplest mechanical principles , in the shortest conceivable time ; the rapidity with which it is built , the skill with which it is drained and Tentilated , the mathematical multiple of its parts , the number of square feet of its glass , the miles of its extended iron , and , above all , the immensity of its size ; these are its points of originality ; it does not make any pretension to originality , either in its form or colouring ; whether Mir . Ruskin ia willing to admit a building of these pretensions into his catalogue of styles is another matter .
And now to recur to the difficulty to which I alluded , namely , that although the ideal of this nation at large is a business money-getting idea ] , yet there are small sections of the nation of which this cannot be so truly said ; there are a few whose religious aspirations are not of this kind , who in sorrow and reverence worship the past , and find the medeasval religion most to their mind , they love and venerate the monastic Christianity , and doubtless of these pur new and restored , churches are a true exposition ; but , after all , it is an artificial state , and hayingVlittle life , it will soon d | e out , it is not a living
principle but a struggle to call up thfe spirit of the past . There are also those wihose hearts are strongly stirred with the spirit of universal love and charity , wlip wpuld gather in all the beautiful and true of past times , adding it on to all that is laipwn of beautiful and true in the present , to be continued through the future , who would realise the true spirit of Christianity , that all as brethren inay : be united with , one universal bond ; of love ; but these are as yet Tout vague aspirations , but - faint glimpses into a possible future—a future , when realised , which ¦ will speak put in an architecture of its ^ yn ; perhaps , more to Mr . liuskin ' s taste . C . A .
The Nay Ax Service. (Totjie Editorqfihel...
THE NAY AX SERVICE . ( TotJie EditorqfiheLeader ) Sir , —r-A youngster on entering the service at the age of thirteen finds himself placed in a gunroom ariipng youths , of his , own ; age , and under the immediate superintendence of senior midshipmen and mates , aged from 1 $ to 25 . The society around him . consists essentially of polished blackguards . Making theinselves monitors and schoolmasters , these seniors omit to set a good example , to the youths they keep in order . A mate gets drunk , swears , and commits other excesses , but he does not forget to thrasli any youngster who does the same . In many ships there are certain rules framed and hung up in conspicuous places , that parents and
visitors from the shore may admire the regularity and gentlemanly conduct of the midshipmen . , One of these rules is , "Any member uttering an oath shall be fined five shillings , " and I have heard people on shore refer to this very regulation as a proof of the capital state of things that exist afloat- When either oldsters or youngsters therefore give vent to oaths , a fine of five shillings is immediately entered again st them , a youngster moreover being thrashed at once into the bargain . But when the time comes for payment the oldsters refuse to pay , and evade the rule with ease , while , if the youngster follows their example again , he is thrashed once moxe , and learns practically the privilege of being one of , the Governing Classes in a man-of-war .
But then youngsters are not flogged in the Navy . True , they are not flogged , but they are punished more severely . A flogging at school is frequently a trifle ; at Eton , for example , it is a positive farce . Tho boy kneels down , receives four strokes pf a birch , and goes away in high delight , sometimes oven laughing , never crying ; but when a youngster in the JTavy misbehaves himself so as to be punished by the senior midshipmen , the punishment he receives is by no means trifling , It is called " cobbing :, " and is a procop of extreme disagreoa'blonesB , Thq youngster is tied hand and foot to a gun , and receives som « twelve or twenty-four blows frrtm a rone ' s ojmJ .
wioMcd with all the severity possible . I have scon old mates rise from a protracted discussion in which evory other word was an oath , to " coV a youngster who had adopted only one of their words . I remember one of tho hardiest of youths I over know being almost cobbed to death , till tho seat of his trousers was dabbled in blood , for getting drunk , which was the favourite paBtimoof tlu > so who cobbed him . One 1 ms frequently heard quoted a piecu of advice running after this fashion , - Don't swear , youngster , it ' s a d—d bail habit 1 " but in tho Nuvy tho common exclamation would bo , * ' !)—n your eyes , sir , what do you mean by such cursed Wasplierny ?"
When youngsters meet with auch treatment can any one wonder at their general hatred , of tho eervico that has so disappointed their hopee . Youra , & c , Latjb a Mi » r > r .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 2, 1854, page 12, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_02091854/page/12/
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