Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-10-21
The Key 10 Gladstone's Character and
Career


e.. Gladstone i, the subject Of 8 no.sbls ar
t;cls in Scribner for November by writer
wtoss name, for political and personal reasons.
is Withheld. The esssyist. while critic:ing the
HCsish premier with fairness, freedom. and
even scvtrity. sill speaks OF him IS "perhsps,
taking him in all the most remarkable man that
the gsh speaking rae, bss produced in this
century" The key Of Mr.. Gladstone's career
is given in the statement: he is Scotchman
who has been called to deal with and govern
E1glsamen." We quote as follows:
"Gr. Gladstone is q Scotchman on both his
fathers ard mothers side, and half q Highland
Chat is to say, Celtic) Scotchman. Hois with
the Insignificant exception of Lord Butte. who
was mere royal fsVorite) the first Prime Min
lister Of England who has come from the north.
ern half of the island. he is. inGesd, the frs
Scotchmap, except Brougham. who has ever
play ed leading part in English politics. Bo,
lin gbrok. Walpo.e, Pultney. Chatham, Lord
North, Charles James Fcx, William Pitt, Lord
Liverpool, Canning, Lord Grey, Lord Athorp,
Lord Melbourne, Sir Robert Peel, Lord Derby,
we're sll o! them Rnglishmen by blood. The
luke Of Wellington and Lord Pslmerstoa,
though nominslly Irish, were really English.
men. Burko Was an 1lishmsn. and Burke's ca
reer (unlike e., in many respect, he Is to Mr..
Gladsione) strikingy illustrates some of the
leabuICS Va I.0 SelLiC LCsoIs 4ula SSotiisA
strain in Dir. Gladstone hsr had two remarkable
effects. It his kept BIN from ever quite I'm.
| Outstanding and beingi in full sympathy with the
| ordinary Ergsh character, and it has prevent
| cd the English from ever quita understanding
| him. It is net merely because Scotandi is liber.
oil that no is welcomed there with such trans
ro-!s of cnthusissr. It is because, ia spite Of
| the contrast between his High Churchism and
their Presby terisnisnl. the Scotch enter into and
enjoy his modes of thinking and feeling in q
way which Englishmen, and especially English
| men of the upper ce:s, do not and cannot. He
| is not typical Scotchman; tu. ia his intellect
belongs 60 murch more 10 tho Scottish than to
tho English type that the aversgs educated En-.
| 2lishmsn is perplexed, even frightened, BIZ fsa-
lures he cannot account for, because he tods
| nothing in them like himself. le. US SEQ how
! this comes out.
THE distinguishing noto Of Mr. Glads!one's
nature is tho combination in it of extraordinary
| intellectual activity with extraordinary emotion
| 81 warmth. For fifty years he has given him.
| self no reEt. When he is not studying. no is
talking or writing, and that not merely upon
public affairs. but upon theology. history. scho.
| srship. art, OF social topics. His apprehension
| is wonderfully quick. Long training enables
| him 10 seZ3 lii q moment the salient points Of q
question; his mind falls 20 WORK upon them,
| spins web of argument clothes the argument
| with words-wofds that come fast as the snow
| fakes driven before q storm While he is pieic
| ing 10 tho heart of subject he is also working
! nll around it, discovering multitude of reasons
| for and against each CT the views which in sue.
c,s:lon presents i!sclf-s string oflimitaLons and
qualifications under which each Of tho PROPOSE.
| tons he accepts n ust be stated. This ingenuity
or fertility OF mind gives his speeches and writ.
| irgs an air OF conpe1ity which many people
| dad bewilderirg They often call it subtety.
But he is not urduly subtle, is to cay, sd-
dic!cd 10 fine dstlD c!lons of though In one OF
| his pieces of sustained Argument esch sentence
,ob ftoin tlyvn 1o fha
! epGcive OF the whole which confdses the mind
| of listener who cannot recollecL the relation
which oil these windings and turIings anu by
PATHS besr TO the main direction oil the track
along which he is being led"
Together with this manil Jldness Of mind, he
has, llEe moa. men whose intellectual interests
sre keen, q IJndness fer abstract principles aud
q passion for working them logically out. Where
ether men SEQ only scattered facts he discerns q
| principle, enjoys it, follows it boldly. In per.
sen with less Wido experience OF the world and
o less complete mastery Of tscls, this tendency
would DO dangerous. Even he ia sometimes led by
it to discern principle where none discernibe
by other eyes exists, to lay upon minor princi-
plo moro than 1t will bear, to travel fsster and
farther toward some monentous practical con-
clusion than his audience or his party sre pre-
pared 10 follow. Still it is q splendid faculty,
| the sure index OF penetrating intellect O. wea-
Ion with which, when wisely used brilliant
| execution can bs done in deb,ts.
Now Let US SEQ how these powers of thought
arc WELDED by bis emotional nature. Active.
msrve!ously active, as his intelligence il, it is
not so remarkable rs is the intensity Of feeling
which he throws into everything he does. He
is all aglow, and always sglow. Any one meet
ing him in company, o: heslng him speak for
the frat time, would think that the sub;ec! no
Iaight hsppoa 10 be descanting on was ono
which had been uppermost in his Thoughts for
YEAR,, such is tho esrnestness Of his manner:
Wien tho same person heard him again and
egen equally f:rVent upon other subjects, he
would naturally take this fervor for mere ora
torcsl habit or device. At last our observer
| would perceive thai it is neither, tu. the sponta
neous expression Of nature which throws its
! whole weight upon whatever it touches, and
| which he's such reservoir Of f. cs behind as
never 10 suiIer from this continual drain. It is
this power Of concentration, of being wholly
absoIb bed By what ia tor The moment before him,
that s perhaps tho main source of his effective
ness"
Tao speech Of Hon. Il. T. MerIick. at Lees
burg yesterday, is said By those who had the