Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-09-15
D'ISraeli.

From sketch of DIsraeli, one of the
heads of the present British Cabinet, in an
English periodical, we take the following
interesting passages. After repeated fai!-
ures to obtain seat in Parliament, the wrl-
ter goes on to say
aHe certainly succeeded in reducing him
self to the lowest possible plight as a public
man. But he had genius in him, and res
luton and he worked his way upwards a.
gain, as we shall see. He began to recov-
er himself through means of the press-al-
ways his great power.
1At length, Mr.. D'Israeli succeeded in
obtaining admission to Parliament, as one
of the members for the Borough of Maid
stone. This was at the general election Of
1897. No great expectations were formed
of him, and yet there was some curiosity
excited respecting his debut as an orator.
He had delivered some blazing phillpplcs,
agains! the Wings out of doors, and uttered
sundry mystic speeches crammed with clas.
sizes. The gentlemen of the House OF
Commons expected that he would make
fool of himself; and he did not disappoint
them. His first effort was ludicrous fail
ure-his maiden speech was received with
cloud bursts of laughter" The newspapers
said of him that he went up like rocket,
and came down like its stick. You may
conceive the chagrin of the young legisla-
tor-whose speech had been composed in
the grandest and most ambitious strain oil
cloquence, but was received as If every pc
riod concluded pun or flash OF wit. 1t
was as if Hamlet had been played as com
edy. BIT towards the conclusion, he threw
in sentence worthy of being quoted, tor
it was true prophecy. Writhing under
the shouts of laughter which had drowned
so much Of his studied eloquence, he ex-
claimed in an almost savage voice: Il nave
began several times many things, and have
often succeeded at last. shall sit down
row, but the time will come when you Will
hear me p' The time did come-tor Dis
raei now stands there in his place the
greatest orator within the walls OF the Brit
ish Parliament.
1.-The subsequent career of Disraeli, fur
nishes an admirable lesson to all men; 1t
shows what determination and energy Will
do. For he has owed all his success to
hard work and patient industry. He began
carefully to unlearn his faults, to study the
character of his audience, to cultivate the
arts of parliamentary knowledge. He soon
felt that success in oratory was not to be
obtained in bound, but had to be worked
patiently for. His triumph did come, but
it came slow, and by degrees.
"With the features and general portrait
ure of Disreali the reader of Punch is al
ready familiar; indeed that useful periodi-
cal may be regarded as gallery of the por-
traits of living men of mark. His external
appearance is very characteristic. A face
of ashy paleness, large dark eyes, curling
black hair, STOPPING gait,an absorbed look,
a shutting walk-these are his external
marks and once seen, you will remember
Disraeli again. There is something unusu-
al, something quite foreign, in his appear
ance and you could not by any possibility
mistake him for Saxon. Notwithstanding
his position, he is an exceedingly isolated
being. He makes no intimates-has few
or no personal friends-he seems to be lone
ly and self-absorbed. He has no confiden-
tial acquaintances; living IN his own world,
and feeding upon his own thoughts"