Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-03-27
Some Points A bout Disraeli,

Mr. Dlsraell prepared with some
ingenuity couple of surprises in
the queens speech, the one to daz-
zle the Philistines, on whose active
sympathy he confidently calculates,
the other to get him and his admin
istration out Of a serious difficulty.
The solemn announcement that the
queen deemed the present a fitting
opportunity for making formal
addition to her style and titles, in
respect that the direct government
of India had been transferred to
the crown some twenty years ago,
has been received with acclamation
by all the retired shopkeepers and
villa-occupiers in England, and
with regret by everybody else. Any
trife regarding royalty, even an un-
veracious scrap Of news picked up
by fashionable prints through the
servants hall is read with interest
0y many well-to-do Englishmen
and Englishwomen. A morsel of
gossip about the precedency of the
Duchess of Edinburgh, or the do
mestic doings of the Marquis of
LOrne and the Princess Louise, is
greedily devoured by these people.
This sort of thing delights them
and engrosses them more than the
gravest piece of political intelli-
gence. No one knows this better
than Mr.. Disraeli. Whether it be
due to the insight of genius, Or to
some obscurer cause, | do not
know, but it is an undoubted fact
that the creator of Mr.. and Mrs.
Putney Giles has keener apprecia-
ton than most people of what will
take with that numerically not in
significant class of Britons to which
Mr. Thackeray has assigned the
name of Snob, Years ago, when
the present prime minister of Eng
land was a clerk in a solicitors office,
he displayed the popularity of his
genius. He used to come down to
his Office, the story goes, day by
day, and sit there listlessly reading
Spenser'S "Faery Queen" He had
no turn for parchment deeds and
musty documents, and, but for re-
gard for his family, the head of the
firm would have parted with him
before his apprenticeship was over.
But there came a turn in the tide
of his fortunes. The firm was
called upon to draw up prospect
uses for companies, and by good
luck it fell to the listless student
Of the "Faery Queen" to try his
hand on these. BE acquitted him
self to perfection. He turned the
sentences and threw out the bait
to catch the British Philistine Of
the day with an adrOitness that
charmed and amazed the head
of the firm, who, no doubt,
good man, was caught himself.
| And, from that day to this, during
a full half century Of time, Mr..
DiSraeli has been drawing prospect
uses with an experienced hand, and
dazzling Philistines with increased
success. Just consider the various
incidents with which Mr.. Disraeli's
name has been prominently associ-
lated during the last FIVE or six
years--the coinage of the phrase,
1Sanitas sanitatum omnia sanitas;'
Che Bath letter; the, reference to
the aStraits of Malacca" in his ad-
dress to the Buckinghamshire elec.
tors; the support Of a"bill to put
down ritualism;" the telegram an,
nouncing that the Messrs, ROths-
child had bought the "road to
India" and now the formal ad,
dition to the styles and titles" Of
the queen. What are these but SC
many paragraphs or marks Of ex-
clamations in; Mr.. Disraelis pros
pectuses? oa .a aoa "a
Analyze these emotional interiec
tons, or analyze the whole Of Mr.
: Disraeli's political life, and you vii
find it all Of a piece---all tinSelanC
! spangles, and. theatrical effects
Analyze his novels, and you vii
. find the same ingredients, lie j
|, well aware that this artificial glit
: ter when applied 10 politics, act