Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-10-25
GladStOne's SchOOl.slays,

MIR Gladstone entered the famous Eton
| school in 1921, and is described as a "mo,iel
| boy, That is 10 say, while he was especial
| ly interested in the study of oratory, and 10
| editing the school magazine. he never neg
| lected his studies. He was one of the best
| and most industrious scholars in the school,
and, at the same time came to be the ac-
| knowledged leader in literature and oratory.
Even at that early age, he displayed the as.
| tonishing capacity for work which has dis.
| tnguished his latter life. He had unusual
| ability in this line, tuch as few boys are
possessed of.
Tagging was in vogue at Eton. and Glad
| stone had the good luck TO fag for his brother
Thomas. When it came his turn TO be fag-
| master, he had for servitors some boys who
| have since become distinguished. Among
these was George Mellish, to whom, when he
became Prime Minister, he had the pleasure
of giving Lord. d.Justiceship
Another of Mr.. Gladstone's fags, now a
police judge in London, says of his former
school mate ''lle was not exacting, and
had an easy time of it. cannot remember
of doing anything more than laying out his
baeakfast and tea table, and occasionally do
ing an errand."
At that time, Gladstone was, in appearance
delicate youth, with pale face, and brown,
| curling hair-always tidy and well dressed,
and not much given to athletics. He, how
| ever, PLAYED cridket and hockey. and pos
| sessed not a little of the vigor for which he
is distinguished in his old age. This is illus
trated by a little incident.
A barbarous custom was in vogue Rt that
time among the boys-nothing less than cut.
ting the tails from the pigs which came in
droves to the annual fair. Ii was considered
a great triumph to outwit the drovers and
obfain M N fhasa pnreiuo tr,thia.
On one occasion, Gladstone gave great Of
fence TO his comrades by daring the heroes Of
this sort of butchery to sport their plunder in
their hats If they were prond of them. In re-
taliation for this attack, some Of the boys
hung a bunch of three freshly amputated pig
tails to Gladstone's door, with a paper bear.
ing an inscription in Latin, the purport Of
which was, that the pigs loved those who loved
them, and begged to send the tails AZ n tribute.
Beneath this paper Gladstone scored a chal.
lenge to the robbers of the pigs to come and
take receipt for their gift, which he prom
ised TO make ''in good, round hand upon your
faces" But the heroes of the pigtails did not
venture to claim the promised receipt.
On one occasion, young Gladstone was act
ing as monitor, when he accidentally or pur-
posely neglected to mark tardy school fell
low The master looked upon this omission
as a wilful misdemeanor, and sent for IA fresh
switch, remarkng that the oiense was grave
breach of trust. The delinquent monitor
quickly replied, somewhat as he might have
done after he became a politician: ''If you
please, sir, my membership would have been
an Office of trust if | had sought it Of my own
accord; but it was forced upon me-"
The record of Mr.. Gladstone's school-days
indicates that, both as n defender of the OPP
pressed, as a hard worker, and as a states
man, the boy was 'father 20 the man