Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-30
G1ADsroNEIN SOCIETY.

Has aspirations and tie Obstacles TTcey
Enco,Gnter--Nrs. GJadstOne's Grievances.
Rev. Robert Laird Collier writes from
London to the Chicago Tribune as follows:
1t is well known that Mr.. Gladstone is
socially ambitious and has been quite ready
for peerage. Mr.. Gladstone's fortune is
not greats fortunes go in England, though
it has been boarded fortune. His name
seldom appears in the list of subscribers
to the public charities. He is known to
be very careful in money matters, and by
many is accused of almost misery econo-
my. He has always deemed his fortune
too limited to found fam
lily. Moreover, his eldest son,
Mr.. W. H. Gladstone, has inherited nothing
of his fathers genius, and only those traits
which, were they not conspicuously over
Swallowed by genius in his father, would
be prime factors of defeat, not success.
This eldest son is member of parliament
simply and wholly on the name of his
father. It is known in the circle of the
initiated that Mr.. Gladstone's ambition is
as overweening as his conscience is in
violable and his methods blameless.
Therefore, he has never meant that his
mantle should fall upon the incapable
shoulders of his eldest son in the house of
lords. The mother has launched out
upon the political sea the young
est son. Mr.. Herbert Gladstone, who is
now member of parliament for Leeds. And
this is the story of bit of snobbery of
which, with all its political faults, America
is creditably free. Leeds wanted candi-
date Young Gladstone was just out of
Oxford And the Gladstone family, es-
pecially ''the Missus," foisted young Glad
stone upon the constituency. The writer
heard young Mr.. Gladstone's first speech
his maiden speech-before Leeds mass
meeting. It was certainly the most veal
ish, immature, and unpromising address
the writer ever heard from other than
schoolgirl. Had John Smith made the adj
dress he would have been
hooted and ridiculed into 81
lence; but it was MI. Gladstone, and his
mamma" sat by his side at this open air
meeting, and in two instances went up to
him and whispered in his ear, of course,
telling him what to say. His father has
since made this youth third lord of the
treasury.
Recently Mrs. Gladstone has felt a lit
tie ''out in the cold' socially. Great &C.
casions, with their pomp and circumstance,
are not society in England. No more is
being the wife of the prime minister the
key to social recognition. Of course Mrs.
Gladstone goes to court and dimes with the
queen, but this is as the wife of the pre-
mier. The cabinet itself has
been very dull, from the aristo-
cratic point of view. Lord Harrington,
the bluest blood of the present ministry,
is bachelor. He is not a society man.
He is dull, heavy, solid man of excellent
political principles and convictions, His
social morals we hear very little about. He
is horse-racer as an Englishman under
stands horse-racing. He likes the society
of his set better than the society of Mrs.
Gladstone and her set. Earl Granville is
old and equity. The countess of Derbey
is the very tip-top, and withal, worthy III
every way. She has birth and brilliance.
She is one of the most phenomenal express
sions Of aristocratic birth and breeding in
this generation. Mrs. Gladstone has looked
toward the countess with wistful eyes.
The Salisburys hate the Derbys and the
Gladstones hate the Salisburys. Is not this
heavenly-simp heavenly? The Count
ess of Derby and Mrs. Gladstone! This Is
high sounding, and Mrs. Gladstone, we'll
nigh having fulfilled her allotted time of
three-score years and ten on the earth, is
yet happier when she says her prayers at
bedtime that the dear countess" is her
social friend! Why say human nature is
weak? It is neither weak nor strong
it is simply human nature.