The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-05-29 00:00:00

ti)e thtibat o:6serber.

SATURUAY, MAY 29, 1875.

THE PENALTY OF FAME.

THE puMi. l:fe ol onr eminent fllfj;
it the Inicht ,-f tirree and lurio ii. .t., 11),4
rendt curnspieious every blemish which it may
fall to their let. poasesa. Formerly, when there
W !,4 lin eheap Pies, si d the art of the pilule-
was unknown, the Prime Minister ot
linglhnd could pass through Oxford-street or
the Strand almost-,-if notentirelywithont recog-
nition. It is very different now when the news-
papers contain not only the sayings and doing:-
of our great men, but describe their 'personal
anpearance and characteristics, the height of
their shirt collars, the colour of their neckties,
and the texture of their waistcoats. The shop
windows, too, are alive with portraits of those
who have rendered their name famous in the
Senate, in divinity, in philosophy, and in art..
Let Mr. Disraeli walk frnei the Treasury, in
Downing Street, to the House of Commons, and
in that short distance he wiil be tecognised by
a hundred persons, the majerity et °whom raise
their hats to nitre Let Mr: Gladstone. be "seen
passing along 13411 Mall towards the Reform
Club, awl scores will know that statuesque
countenance, and will turn round and look after
him. Mr. Bright may often be seen in
.Picca-
dilly, the faVourite haunt of his inveterate op-
poneut, Lord Paimerstone, whosa. cheery face
was always so well known. There are very few
who could not point out the massive and the
familiar features of the member for;Birminghain,
even though they may have never seen the man
before. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the
Dean of Westminster are sure to attract atten-
tion as they pass through the streets of London.
Nor could Mr. Spurgeon ever be mistaken.
As the cheap press circulates more and more
amongst the neoele, they naturally increase
their knowledge of our public men, and the
peculiarities and the weaknesses of the chiefs of
parties became an interesting study. For in-
stance, those who delight in such gossip will
eagerly devour a moisel which tells them that
in the House of Commons the leader of the
Conservative Party invariably sits with his hat
off, while Mr. Gladstone always keeps his hat
On, except when iha is speaking. They will
glory in the revelation that although the speeches
of Mr. Lowe read so well, he has not in the
slightest degree the wanner of art orator; that
the speaker with the best dramatic power was
Mr. Roebuck when he wis in his more paray
days; that Mr. Bright has very little action in
debate; and that the favourite position of the
Prime Minister when he is addressing the Hout,e
is to fold hii arias, and when he is in repose
to seem as- though he were gazing into unfath-
omable vacancy. Again, what a treasure is a
line of writing from such men I Midas, accord-
ing to heathen mythology, turned into gold
everything which ho touched; our statesmen
apply the pen to a sheet of paper, and convert it
Into a document of great historical importance.
To get a letter from Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Bright,
or Mr. Gladstone, is quite an event in a man's
life. The handwriting itself may not differ
materially from that of another elderly man, and
the matter of the communication may be stiff'
and formal, but the very fact that it comes from
one eminent in the counsels of the State invests
it with an importance peculiarly its own. What
was probably intended only for the recipient
himself, is, unless otherwise specially requested,
published in the nearest local newspaper, and
the man to whom thOeissive has been audressed
is regarded for a long time afterwards with con-
siderably more interest by his neighbours. ;
There are, doubtless, many asperities
.in the
path of the statesman, and his career is not
always adaorned with roses- Yet upon the
whole, public life in this country is remarkably
free from that uncharitableness which we often
see manifested in other lands. Take, for ex-
ample, the National Assembly at Versailles,
where it is no uncommon occurrence for the
leader of the Republicans to call ithe
Imperial-
ists a set of wretches, or vice :versa. We have
lively scenes in our our ownlaouse of Commons,
but we never hear such language as this. Any
man who ventured to use it would be scouted
by his own party, and, indeed, by all honour-
able men. Hard knocks are given and taken,
and there is not much social intercourse between
rival leaders: but they never forget that they
are gentlemen. We do not exseet to see them
love each other, it is true, nor after a heated de-
bate which has led to a great party division it is
scarcely reasonable to anticipate that the van-
quished leader will walk home arm in-arm with
the victor. But after the smoke and the heat
of battle have cleared away, political affairs re-
sume their normal condition; and there are no
dark designs of stratagems, treasons, or spoils.
When Lord Palmerston was alive, Mr. Disraeli,
who was then, as he is now, the leader of the
Conservative party, was often a Saturday even-
ing guest at the noble Viscount's house; and
Some years ago, when Mr. Disraeli was Prime
Minister, he gave a grand reception at the Fo-
reign office, which was attended by Mr. Glad-
stone. To see these two distinguished men
standing together in quiet. friendly conversation
was a most unwonted spectacle. How frequent-
ly had Greek met Greek on the floor of the
House of Commons. Mr. Gladstone launching
his thunders at the Conservatives; and the Tory
leader, in return, flinging back sarcasm after
sarcasm amid the ringing cheers of his sup-
porters. Nor can we doubt that the public de-
light at witnessing such approaches towards an
amicable feeling. And,amid the many criticisms
which are passed upon the conduct of our pub-
lic men, we are glad to know that the majority
of them are free from gall and bitterness. The
most determined critic of Mr. Disraeli would
never dream of questioning his extraordinary
ability, and the force of his many and versatile
powers. Life is passing, however, with both
these illustrious men. It seems not like ten
rears ago that we lost Lord Palmerston; yet it
is true. Ten years hence will Disraeli and Glad-
stone still be members of the British House of
Commons? One is now seventy, and the other
sixty-six- We hope so, but it may be that by
1885, one at least will have passed away, and the
lines Mr. Gladstone quoted on the death of Sir
Robert Peel may again come true :
" Now is life's stately column broke;
• The beacon's light is quenched in smoke;
• The trumpet's silvery sound is still,
The warder silent on the hilL'