The Express.
London, England, 1868-03-28 00:00:00

BRITANNIA,

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LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 28.

MR. GLADSTONE.

EARNESTNESS is an unpopular virtue. Men
who amuse are everywhere preferred to men who
can teach. This tendency of the hour is conspi-
cuously manifested in that House wherein, as is
commonly supposed, the collective wisdom of the
nation is concentrated. A statesman who would
lead a docile party, and find favour in the sight
of cynical critics, must learn to make smell jokes
under the penalty of being charged with incapa-
city for holding high office. If he be an adept in
the art of bantering, be will be popular alike iu
Parliament and throughout the country. Sin-
cerity uf conviction anttloyalty of purpose will
profit him less than an elastic conscience and a
keen eye for the main chance. His admirers will
he numerous if he but consistently act on the
maxim 'that " there is nothing new and nothing
" time, and it does net much matter." This,
however, is what Mr. GLADSTONE could not do if
he would. He is earnest to the core. In his eyes
life is a airy serious problem, and the business of
statesmanship one of the most important and
responsible of the affairs vi life. Ilia intellectual
vision is ae acute, that he can discern obstaaes
which other men are unable to peroeire, yet
of which they do not saruple to deny the
existence.

To the thoroughly English system of govern-
ment by compromise he is opposed on principle. A
victory on a side issue he despises. Never acting
till he has made up his mind and steeled him-
self to brave the consequences of his conduct,
he has little sympathy with those who shirk a
decision which would compel them to exa-
mine the basis of their convictions, and
might irretrievably commit them to a
definite oonrse. This frame of mind is
not the best for preserving what is styled consis-
tency. The man who honestly investigates the
grounds of his belief is almost certain to discover
a good excuse for abandoning some cherished but
erroneous notion. Before we condemn him for
successively espousing contrary sides, we should de-
termine the validity of the reasons for which the
step was taken. In the case of Mr. CLADSTONN
every change has been an advance, and such an
advance as we should expect an earnest and con-
scientious man to make as his examination of the
political situation of England became more prac-
tical and more thorough. He was educated in the
Tory camp. CANNING and Brans were the
political idols to which his immature mind paid
homage. He stated in the House of Commons
that his youthful imagination was impressed
with " the same idle and futile fears" about the
predominance of the people which terrified CAN-
NING and Brame, and so bewildered and dis-
tracted the mature mind of Mr. DIIIKAILI as to
induce him to oppose with success the moderate
Reform BM of 1866. Mr. Gisneross's inconsis-
tency is that of the upright man who, having
grown wiser, i• neither ashamed to avow the fact,
nor to direct his future steps by the light of his
*Nuked knowledge.
It is not nnustial for politicians to change sides.
Seldom, however, dogs the New-00=r receive or
deserve implicit trust freci those he joins. The