New-York tribune., 1880-01-12
MIR. GLADSTONE'S BIRTHDAY.
PUBLIC ESTEEM MANIFESTED

IUBLlC ESTEEM MANJfESIED
CoNGBA1uLATORY KILOGRAMS AND LETTERS SENT
IlIM IN PROFUsION-A PRESENT FROM LEEDS
MR.. GLADsToNE's RESPoNsE-BITTER ATTACKS
BY IHE IIMEs-THE LIBrRAL LEADERSHIP.
FROM THE REGULAE CORRESPONDENT OF The TRIBUNE.l
LoNnON, Dee. 3O.-A grave and solemn day is
mans seventeen birthday, says Nj. Gladstone. IIls
own was. at any rate made memorable to Inn by
many greetings from nls friends from Liberal asso-
Citations and from the public. / hear that letters
and tcleg8ms OF cOngatUlaton poured in all Mon
day December 90 atHawardcn Castle. to such An
extent that he becomes indirectly a considerable
contributor to the revenue thus doing lItte TO
help the ChancellOro Of the Exchequer over the fnan
clal stie ut winch he is stumbling There wasa
strong desire among Nh GladstOuGS Liver
pool friends TO give him public dinner
but the delicate questions connected with theoader
ship OF the Liberal party obliged him to refuse Not
TO he baked altogether. the Liberal Association Of
Liverpool persuaded him to receive address, in
closed in "A silver box and this was so much matter
of public interest and ceremOnIOus observance that
all efforts to keep ii private broke down. There
were speeches. the Omnpresent reporter was there,
and the proceedings altogether fill three columns IN
tO-day's papers, of which two are occupied with Mr.
GladstOne's DISCOURSE AS the English laugh AT
us Americans sometimes for using big words where
little might serve shall stop to observe that the
silver box becomes in the English accounts, "A mag
nifcent silver caskct | may quote also from the
leading journal much Of its description relates
TO the front panel" winch contains laurel
enwrcathed medallion portrait of the right honor
able gentleman, together with the hctors, fasces,
legal scrolls and broken fctters embematic of exec
utive power legislation and liberty, while the wood
mans axe the volume Of Homer and the porcelain
vase represent the well-luOwn means of recreation
he employs" The leading idea. are told, of
the decoration was TO devote the various
panels INTO which the work is divided to IL
ustratiug some period in the life of Nj. Glad
stone and some OF his Characteristic occupations"
There is much more of the same sort. but that may
serve as a specimen of the characterization ot
the English press still less need quote the terms
of the various addresses, Compositions of that sort
are pretty much all run IN one mould whether they
come from Manchester from Midlothian, from
Wakefield, from the Labor League, or from Mr. Glad
stones cousti;uent m Greenwich To these lasi hc
repic. Lv letter. begging his many friends IN differ
ent parts Of the country, who have sent him these
conpratuiations in different forms, 10 allow him 20
thank them wItl and through his Greenwich CORE
spond,u,, "iu0smuch as their numbers place It
wholly beyond NY power to offer item particular
Acknowledgements
1t seems to have been expected that Nr. Gladstone
would make speech ON tins occasion of purely
personal kind; pcrhap. autobioriaphica devoid,
AT a. events Of lur lv ro teal matter. Bot hc dd
rot and he is sharply taken 90 task by friends %!
the more candid sort, because be did NOT He Talked
politics again. a. speech was critical, cpnToycI-
eiaI. be.ligersrt y Touched on the Eastern qucs-
HON. on Cyprus on South Africa. on tie coming
election. ou fhe prospects OF the Liberal party. and
So on. ilc referred, as Of the Liverpool commit
Tee had referred. 81 thc disposition existing i'm
,hat town among many who do not agree
with him I'D politics to feel a friendly
interest in the arrival Of his scvcrtc,h birthday;
Liverpool being tlc town in which Le was born,
though his paIca.a-e and uccsly oro exclusively
scotch. II was truy painful 90 HIM, hc said to
find tim-oif obliged TO entertain amy thought on
such q dar IS hich would end g. separate hu from
those Wio entertained that kindly inclination. But
ho could not or woIll uot keep clear of the sub
jcct- which IL lis laili A.ye an oyermaa,erng Iu-
p.ltaAcc.
agree with those who regret that for tins one
day. Nj Gladstone could not divert his thoughts
l4ou the distressed political condition of tne conn
try. lie IS capable of talking about himself IN
delightful way. and everybody would have
been grateful for bit OF autobiography. Bat
thi.I.sclrcciy reason Tor abusing him, or forGrng
oil yoicy of tauuts and suocI, uldeT the guisc If
comsimants II, is attacked lu The Time, with ih.
Oh thai journal on Mr. Gladstone. What he says Is
Ingeniously and claboratey ulsIcpresrutcd. /
quote, though unwi,lingiy, q sentence or two: Mr
Gladstone" SAYS that journal, can persuade him
se that the whole explanation OF the present state
of affairs i'm tins country u.s. that ho j, himself the
centre Of a region OF moral and political hight, and
his opponents are all Inhabitiug realm of dark
mes !" ." lie yect7 his opponents, cr one of hcu
at all events b be "a kind Of mcarnoion OF the
principle OF evil" "Such is Nj Gladstone
view Of he political world on las seventeen birth
davp His uttDaHccs are the characteristics Of
am unhealthy febule ezcitemcnt' r. Is " cxcted,t
be is uucAaltl,ic,' and 30 on for % column of
calculated y,tuperauoh. There is nothing IN M
GladstonGs speech to provoke such AN outour,t
What purpor,- o. be- para phrase of d. is simply ds-
Ingenious Tie StdAdqrd the accredited leader Of
Tory journalism. wutes in tone 20 different, 80
much more manly. will venture 20 say so much
more English, tl.. one IS driven g., sock
for some cx.la jon OF Che auimu..ty ol
JIe 1im,y outside of political Hostility.
don't caro- TO follow MP any such c,cw.
A. Journalist. regret to see al important journal
dlscrediinp Itself and the profession OF journalism
Mr Cladst, nc, the midst Of his most vigorous in
vectiyc has ALWAYS taken care TO say that he IN
puted no base motives to h.s opponents. Will Try
to follow his example. If some of MS opponents
did as much. the tone Of political discussion IN
England would be much improved. There was
time when the Journal now TOO often referred 10 as
MI Walters paper" would have dsdaned to
describe Mr. Giadstonc's OratOry as "a water-
spout of Words or TO adopt and make IT'S
own Lord Beaconsfeld's remark about the
sopbstical rhetorican intoxicated with oxn-
berance Of his own veTbosIty." In those days 1t
WAS. 10 doubt, in one sense, Mr.. Walters paper
He was its chief proprietor then As now. But at
that tine it had an editor who thought 1t his
hnAi inNas 10 edit.