Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-04-17
NJ A c. A Z L A Y,

1HoMAG BABINGTON MACACLAY was born
at Rothley Temple, Lecestershre, England,
in the year 1900. els, as his name implies,
of genuine Highland (and therefore Celtic
breed. Still, it is evident from his appear
ance that the Saxon blood. probably through
his maternal ancestry, outweighs the Celtic
element. His father was Zachary Macaulay
who took prominent part in the successful
movement against West India slavery. Some
difficulty that Zachary had with the Society
of Friends, is said to be at the bottom OF
Thomass disposition to traduce the leaders Of
that exemplary people.
Macaulay received his education at Cam
bridge. and distinguished himself from early
youth by the brilliancy of his parts. He won
the Craven Scholarship, and in 1922 became
a fellow, of Trinity-both great distinctions.
He also became conspicuous at tho "Union'
as debater, and thus exhibited very early the
various talents which have made his success
and his reputation. We believe that the
Whg potentates were not long in seeing his
promise or encouraging it, and that he wanted
from the first none Of that kind notice which
cannot indeed create genius, but which assu-
redly helps TO develope it.
His first success of decided character in
public, was the essay on Milton; in the Edin-
burg Review for August, 1925. This cxhb-
tied all his peculiar powers-the picturesque
force, the pungent antithesis, which are his
chief characteristics. He is scarcely man
of great Imagination, but he has great acute
ness and some imagination; in fact just the
amount of brilliancy necessary to adorn sharp
common sense. He eagerly joined in the re-
form movement; and as his bent towards poll
tics has always been as strong as his bent to-
wards literature, as his abilities were early
ripe, and the period was stirring and tumul-
tuous, he got into parliament at thirty years
Of age.
After the Reform Bill he was elected for
Leeds, which he represented from 1882 to
1884. His Indian mission marks an epoch in
his life. He went to India as one of the Com
mssioners for "Digesting and Reforming the
Laws of India" his last speech in Parliament
before leaving was on Indian Affairs, and was
delivered July 10th, 1888.
His salary as Commissioner, was, we be-
lieve, $4,000 a-year. Sir James Mackin-
tosh had held an Indian appointment, and
meant to make money, but did not. Macaul-
oy meant to make money, and did. We have
heard that he lived modestIy, and went little
into society there, like prudent man. To
his Indian absence we owe several essays -
the Bacon the 'Clive,' the Warren Hastings
three of the most striking which he ever wrote.
In all three the style is equally remarkable,
pungent and exciting; but in all three are
whole passages of doctrine or characteriza-
tions of persons and things, open 20 grave crit
icism and endless controversy. Macaulay
suppressed his Dryden essay, feeling perhaps
that he had Ito use one of his own expressions }
'wantoned in paradox We fear the tenden-
cy is visible in some essays not suppressed.
We do MT attribute it to, any worse cause
than the charm which bis own style exerci-
ses over him, is it exercises over everybody
else. We think that he is passionately fond
of making an impression, and that lie some
times unconsciously considers, rather which
view is the most impressive, than which view
is the most just.
He returned from India in 1898. The next
place for which he sat was Edinburg, for which
he was returned in 1889. In June of that
wear he spoke in favor of the Ballot on Mr..
Grote's motion. He is in favor of the Ballot
on the one ground, that he holds it to be Sc
curity against intimidation He considers
that intimidation has strengthened since the
Reform Bill. His support of the Ballot ranks
him among the more 'liberaP Wings. But
he is opposed to triennial parliaments: and,
though he has once or twice, or oftener, insis-
ted that monarchy and aristocracy are means,
not ends and so on, 1S4S seems to have sharp
ened his perceptions of tine dangers of Dem
ocracy; and he is no more (for practical pur-
poses) democrat than Lord Derby. Indeed,
he is consistent, steady Wing, of the old
school of Holland: and if he spoke violently
in his early days. it was only because those
were days of great public excitement.
Macaulay now obtained Office, and served
as Secretary at war from 1889 to 1S4l.-
When the Wings came in again on the fall
of Peel, he was appointed Paymaster-Gene-
raj, which he held from 1876 to ls4s. In
this last year he was chosen Lord Rector of
Glasgow, post which many eminent men
have held, and delivered an admirable his
torical address on the occasion. His rejec-
ton at Edinburgh (lS4D excited universal
disgust, and he was reelected in 1862, in a
way which showed that Edinburgh was ash
i amed Of itself.