New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-22

aware of it than he but long practice has made him
an adept IN department, and nobody is better
versed than he in the art Of seeming natural. He
carried his apparent abstraction 30 far to adjust
his necktie and pull down his Wristbands; with
quite the simplicity of gesture that might become
o man in the privacy of his own room. His pro-
longed contemplation of his legs led one to expect
some man@uvres with the garments that covered
them, but in this the anxious spectator
was disappointed. He talked unconstrainedly
with his neighbors with Lord Cranbrook
on one side and the Duke Of Marlborough
on the other; vouchsafng now and then o word of
recognition to his proteGe, Lord Lytton, whom he
made Viceroy of India and an Earl of the United
Kingdom, but whom greater than Lord Beacons-
field had omitted to make by nature ruler Of men.
Looking at the ex-PrIme Minister from distance
little or no change in his appearance was observa-
BILE; he seemed as good q man as he was year ago
when he governed this Empire, and was pushing its
boundaries out to the heart of Central Asia.
But when Lord Beaconsfeld rose to speak GER
tam change. not great but perceptible became evil
dent. People who heard him for the first
time might we'll ask !. whether this was
the great member Of Parliament who for
forty years had been power in England. As to
that 1 may repeat what l have said before that
Lord Beaconsfed is not and never can have been an
orator. He is hardly even good speaker. but he
has been and still is one of the most effective de-
baters of his time-adroit, ready. full of surprises
and seldom failing to search out the crevces of his
enemy's srmor. l know q friend of Lord Beacons-
fields, who declares with all sincerity that the
public is quite wrong about the secrets Of his inhu-
ence. " He never could speak," says this candid
admirer He is not clever, but he is good" which
may be commended for lapidary purposes to the
epitaph-maker of the future to Dean Stanley, for
example. if he should think of giving him a monu-
ment in the place once assigned to Prince Louis
Napoleon. He began last night in husky voice, l
which we in the gallery heard at first with difficulty.
Ee leaned forward on the table with both hands.
In his manner was neither energy nor animation;
on his countenance there was no play of emotion;
of gesture he was so sparing as to. suggest
the notion that he did hot like to let go
of the table which held him uD. Yet
before he had uttered sentences he had secured
not the attention of his auditory which from the
first word hung upon his lips, but an entrance into
the minds of friends and foes alike for the idea
which his speech was founded, and of which he
never lost his hold.
The idea was very simple one, yet an idea OF
which only an extremely clever and extremely un-
scrupulous man would have made the use be did. 1t
was merely that Mr.. Gladstone ever since he came
into Office had been undOinR whatever Lord
Beaconsfied had done; for the sake Of undOng it,
-irrespcctivey of the merits or demerts of the old
policy, and because it was Lord BeacOns-
fields policy. Upon this he rung every
change. "You have made havoc of the treaty
of Berlin because it was my treaty. You have re-
liRquished AfGhanistan because I conquered it ~
"scuttlin9 out was Lord Beacousfeld's phrase
"You threw over the Royal Commission in Ireland
because appointed it. You have treated Ireland
da1 ordar qaid
was in disorderly and perilous condition." That
is the substance of Lord Beaconsfeld's harangue.
Those are the propositans which he expOnnded with
his usual skill in putting things. aud illustrated
with copious incident which a man may always
command who does not allow his natural fertility of
mind to be checked by too close adherence TO nero
facts.
Now, that is plausible sort OF statement, pro-
vlded it be confined to generalities and provided
nobody is allowed to reply to IT. As to reply. in
deed, Lord Beaconsield rs presumably indifferent.
His known and often-stated theory to produce the
needed effect for the momeut; that it is more
difficult to root out of mans mind an erroneous
conception than 1t is to plant it there. Lord
Beaeonsed conceives il to be his business as leader
of party to strike the keynote. He is certain that
no matter how false the note may be, it will be
taken up by tho whole orchestra. and played upon,
aud echoed and reechoed until from sheer force of
repetition it becomes familiar TO the hearer and so
in the end is really received by q great num-
ber of people as a true and not false
note He is careful not to strike more than one at
time; not to confuse the ear of the multitude by
complication Of melodious sounds With all the vari
ations the air is the same throughout What lie
said last night is demonstrablv inaccurate-to use
no stronger word. Lord Granville instantly proved
part Of 1t to be uttely without foundation But
risking nothing to predict that Lord Granvle's
confutation will pass with little attention. aud that
Lord Beaconsfeld's speech will be made over again
by scores Of Conservative orators in the coming de-
bates. l don't say so by way Of criti-
cism or remonstrance. / say 1t by way
Of deserved panegyric on Lord BeaconbtePs
extraordinary and almost unequaled power Of
impressing upon other men, upon the men who fol-
low him especially, the views OF things he himself
adopt against the common enemy.
This vas also the sincere element Of his speech;
and was effective IN proportion to Its sincerity.
Lord Beaconsield had probably to believe that
Imperialism really meant something; that it was
policy which the country bad taken up, and, what
ever might be the yicissitudes of party, would
QuTe successive TO follow and carry
cut. He thought even last summer after the cleo
ton had gone against him by an immense majority,
He or his 1ieutenants kept taunting the Liberals
with following IN JingO footsteps AB Lord Gran
Vile well pointed out last night, the cry OF the
Conservatives all summer was to the new Govern
ment: You are following servieiy our policy, you
accept the treaty of Berlin. and so on. Now that
IL appears that Mr.. Gladstone has views of his own
about foreign affairs, and has shown a capacity for
enforcing them and has. while respectinR treaties,
thrown the weight of England's influence against
the ideas and powers which Lord Beaconsheld en-
forced and protected the exMinster takes no pains
to conceal his bitterness. This 1T Is which has
rankled in his breast for months past; this It is
which inspires his outburst OF anger now. And
this it is. as Lord Granville coolly told him last
night the country meant should be the result when
the constituencies turned Lord Beaconseld out and
nF-<M M 1ladgf IN draam al IN lIaT0 Ia
seen to be dream: what we heard last night was
but the noise OF the resentment of the sleeper no