New-York tribune., 1879-12-08
GLADSTONE AGAIN A LELDER.

A great change has come over the relations
of the English people to Mr. Gladstone. III
is little more than year and half since
huge pro-Turkish mob hootcd and groaned in
front of his house in London. and was only
restrained by a strong force of police from
assanlting it. IL is shorter time since
Lord Beaconsfeld contemptuously referred
10 his rival at a great public gathering
as "a sophistcal rhetoTician inebuated with
"the exuberance of his own verboslty and
"cgotistica imagination y; and in the state OF
public feeling at that time there was more
disgust with the vulgarity of the attack than
resentment in behalf of the man attacked
1t is not long since the Queen Intentionally
and conspicuously excluded Mr.. Gladstone,
the only ex-Premier now living. from the list
of invitations to a royal wedding. 1t was a
wedding in her family, and she proposed to in
vite only her " friends s'-this was the royal die
tum which society whispered about These
things by no means prove that Mr.. Gladstone was
at any time without his hundreds OF thou
sands of friends, personal and political. but
they show what things the enemies even of
most distinguished man dare to do when they
know that his influence is eclipsed by the
has been unpopular while the British Nation
has been passing through the several stages
of the Bcaconsfield delirium there is
overwhelming proof. Probably other causes
have been at work also. Popular ca
price is beyond all other caprices, and great
usefulness will not count, sometimes,
against the fact that II man has been
a long time in the public eye, and newspaper
readers have had the chance TO grow tired OF
him. Some of Mr.. Gladstono's peculiarities
have helped in this direction. BY great men
tai fertility and almost too great fluency,
whether in writing or speaking. he has
left upon the public mind something of the
same impression which the man who talks
too much makes in the drawing-ioom. This
may be uugencrOuS but il is human. a
statesman from whom may he elected postal
card opinion on any known subject by return
mani must expect to be regarded, now and
then, as amusing.
But the remark BILE letter and cable dispatch
from our London correspondent which we
printed yesterday, show that there has been
something like revolution in the public sen
tin.ont Of Great Britain. The outburst of
popular enthusiasm that has greeted every
\ Sltb vi biit tA-l Pi'Si''S '"'O"-" VIZ
north of England and in Scotland, aud hailed
his powerful speeches with delight. was
all the more significant because it was
wholly unorganzed. All through Eng
land there has been quick response,
and by one of the electric changes OF
politics Mr.. Gladstone seems now virtually re-
stored 20 his old place as the leader of the
Liberal party, from which lie voluntarily re-
tired several years ago. His willingness to
| lead an active canvass against the government
of Lord BeacOnsfeld is based patriotic
grounds and there can be little dOnbt of his
readiness to take his post again, even II the task
carries with it the duty of resuming the cares
OF Office at three and-ten. The dlssOlu-
ton of Parliament cannot be postponed very
long It must come next year, at the latest
in order to allow an election to be had before
the present Parliament expires. Ii may come
in few months. Aud if the extraordi-
nary demonstrations which our cOrrespOn-
dent described IN yesterdays TRIBUNE
represent the drift oi the general SEN
timent. we may soon see again as
Premier of England the great statesman who
has been for close on half century conspicu-
Gus in public life. and who has never sought
to glorify himself at the expense of his coun-
| try's honor and prosperity.
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