NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE Eighty Club,—purged from what it once was,—enter- tained Mr. Parnell on Tuesday, and strove to do him the utmost honour. Mr. Haldane, M.P., took the chair, and repented on behalf of the Club for not having performed this act of homage towards Mr. Parnell long ago. It was not any fault of theirs, said Mr. Haldane, nor any reluctance of Mr. Parnell's, that had prevented it from taking place two years ago. It was, we suppose, the presence in the Club of the non-Parnellite element, since removed. Mr. Haldane held that the Liberal Patty was now entering on the most honour- able part of its history in this straggle for Irish Home-rule. whey had lost "great rank, much wealth, and some intelli- gence,"—the Liberal Unionist. intelligence, evidently, Mr. Hal- dane heartily despised,--but they were better without Liberals *Ito would not join in the. cry of Ireland for the Irish. Those who would, were proud of Mr. Parnell as the leader of the allied army. Mr. Parnell had succeeded in "substituting for the revolutionary spirit of the old Irish Nationalism a consti- tutional and moderate attitude in which they could all com- pletely join,"—Mr. Haldane, then, approves of boycotting,—and he maintained this stoutly, though he (Mr. Haldane) would have voted with the bitterest Unionist against Home-rule, if he had supposed for a moment that Home-rule implied in- justice to any class in Ireland. He was on the side of Mr. Parnell because he believed that Mr. Parnell "would wield his power with justice to every class, peer and peasant alike,—to the landlord entitled to justice, and to the tenant desiring it." Mr. Haldane deserves to become famous for holding a belief more completely founded on evidence which proves its oppo- site, than any other of which modern history could produce an example.
