Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-08-12
"REMINISCENCES or BEaCOMsFIELD

A contributor sends the following
to the Cincinnati Commercial:
"reminiscences Of great men re-
mind US that accidents make heroes
and destroy men Of equal mental
calibre. Napoleon | would never
have been emperor of France if he
had not been able to borrow 100,-
600 francs from a jeweler in the
| Rue Viyienne, in Paris. Napoleon
| III would never have been emperor
of France il he had not had an
obliging mistress in London, Mrs
| Howard, who loaned him 100000
to assist him in capturing the
throne Of France. Pitt would
never have been premier Of Eng
land if he had not Eeen the son Of
the Earl of Chatham. Fox, the
intellectual giant, owed his position
to Lord Holland. Disraeli and
Gladstone, like Peel, owed their po-
sitions to fortuitous circumstances.
But Disraeli, or Beaconsfield, as he
| is now recognized, owes his position |
more to his great intellect than any
other man on the European conti-
! nent, not excepting Bismarck. In
the house of commons he had no
e peer, and in the house of lords he
8 has no equal.
l remember him well when | was
c a young man, full of the same am
e bition as had animated himself
twenty years before | met him. !
= was member cf the Literary and
g Scientific Institution in Aldersgate
II street, London (nearly opposite the
II postofice), in 1874, which had a
y membership of 800, and it was GUS
|. tomary to hold semi-annual meet,
ings, that were presided over by
rising prominent men. At these
meetings some of the best elocu-
e. tionists OF their class delivered reci-
ty tations, and short debates took
l. place on the most stirring questions
le of the day. l happened to be ap-
as pointed a member Of the committee
ar deputed to wait on Mr.. Disraeli, at
his house in Park Lane, Piccadilly,
t. to ask him to preside at our semi
il annual meeting. Associated with
me was Mr.. John Humphreys Parry
ve (now Mr.. Sergeant Parry, one of
ID the most eloquent members of the
as English bar), Mr.. Thomas Hill,
be whom ! afterward met in Aurtralia,
an elocutionist who has no equal in
at our institute, and two other gen tie
men who have risen to fame in
IL England. We waited on Mr..
e. Disraeli, by appointment, and were
received by him and Mrs. Disraeli
= the late Countess of Beaconsfeld
whom he had recently married ;
20 Mrs. Disraeli having been the widow
nd of Mr.. Wyndham Lewis when
Ie- Disraeli married her, and brought
of him the snug little sum of 100000,
Dis which, in reality, was a God-send
". to him, for at that time he was in
the hands Of the money-lenders in
a. | Chancery Lane, and living in high
lss style, he could scarcely have extri-
a. Gated himself from his pecuniary
ne diAicultieS if the handsome widow
ICE had not taken compGssion on the
| litterateur and would-be statesman
at with his handsome cnrls and
le- heaven sent eyes, Of course we
"a were received elegantly, and ny
bis friend Parry being considered the
best looking and the best qualified
TO- to address the rising statesman, h(
nt. requested Disraeli to preside ovel
in the semi-annual mseting Of the in
eb stitute, and stated that the mem
or. bers would feel greatly indebted tC
Ne him fox any suggestions for its ad
Idy yancemeat
ler, l shall never forget the extraor
md dinary look Disraeli gave Parry
~. With an eye that looked from oU
he the soul, With q Mephlstophellsn
psb that has marked his subsequen
Me-. career, he said to Mr.. Parry, ~ vii
me have the honor to preside over you
meeting, and Mrs. Disraeli will b
present; but, by the by, hGppene,
70 be in the Court Of Common
Pleas yesterday and heard your elc
i76, quent defense. If should eve
ind have any influence you can com
k a mand mo-" He afterward mad
our Parry a sergeant Of law, Mr.. an
of Mrs. Disraeli attended our meeting
ian and he made an eloquent addres
to The most extraordinary expires
,om sion he made was, "Man can /
the what he pleases; every one Of 70
llu- can be exactly what you design
rk- be. / have resolved to hold a ce
had tain position, and, if live, / will
in Three years after this l was {
out Black Gang Chine, in the Isle {
ing Wight, riding with my wife in on