The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-09-01
THE GLADSTONE FAMILY
How the Great Premier W..
Taught to Debate.

Taught to Debate.
John Gladstone liked That !.
children should exercise their ;,d aAs
ment by stating the why and Why
fore of every opinion thew otfs FIRE,
and a college friend of WHEY
who went on a visit to Fasnna;l
Kincardinshire during the su,nmna
Of 1929, furnishes amusing nict"nar
Of the family customs in that honee
''where the children and p,rsntl,
argued on evening"" "They wou's
debate as to whether the trout shnu1u,
be boiled or broiled, whether a wi"
dow should be opened and whetho.
it was likely to be fine or wet nsvt
day. It was always good humorad
but curious to a stranger becansso y.
the evident care which all the disnU
tants took to advance no propositirn
even to the prospect at a rain. rashIu
One day Thomas Gladstone knoct:d
down a wasp with his handkerchio.
and was about to crush it on tba
table when the father started the
question as to whether he had ths
right to kill the Insect; and th;s
point was discussed with such ser"
BUSINESS as if human life had been a,
stake. When at last it was adiudosS
that death was deserved because il
was a trespasser in the drawing room
a common enemy and a danger there
it was found That the insect had
crawled from under the handker.
chief and Was flying away with
staggering sort OF buzz, as if to mock
them ALL"
On another occasion William
Gladstone and his sister Mary disput.
ed as to where a certain picture ought
to be hung. An old scotch servant
entered with a ladder and stood irres.
olute while the argument progressed.
but as Miss Mary would not yield:
William calamity ceased from
speech, though unconvinced, of
course The servant then hung the
picture where the young lady order.
ed; but when be had done this he
crossed the room and hammered a
nail in the opposite wall. He was
asked why he did this: "Aweel,
Miss, that'u do to hang the picture
on W en- Yell have come roond to
Master Willie's opeenion." The
generally did come round to
Williams opinion, for the resources
of his tongue fencing were wonder.
full, and his father who admired a
feint as much as a straight
thrust, never failed to ncourapp
him by saying: Hear, hear, well
said. we'll put, Willie!" if the young
DICTATOR bore himself we'll in an en-.
counter.
Another thing which John Glad
stone taught his children was to ac-
to the end whatever they
begin and no matter how in
the undertaking might
be. Assuming that the enterprise
had been commenced with a deliber-
ate thoughtful purpose, it would o.
viously he weakness to abandon it,
whereas, if it had been entered upon
without thought, it would be useful
to carry it through as a lesson against
without reflection. The ten
acity with which William Gladstone
adhered to this principle exercised,
no doubt, a beneficial moral disci-
pline upon himself, but Was frequent
~ very trying to his companions.
AT Fasque," says his friend already
quoted, 1--WE often had archer prac-
tice and the arrows that went wide
of the target would get lost in the
long grass. Most of us would have
10 collect the arrow that We
could find without trouble. and tnen
begin shooting again; but this was
not Williams way. He would in
sist that all the arrows should be
before we shot u second vol
leys and he would tramp about in
the grass till every culver bad been
relied
Once we were so long in hunting
for a particular arrow that du>k
came on and we had to r%eiiLquiSh
the search. The next morning, as /
was dressing, l saw through my win.
dow William ranging the field and
into .very tuft Of grass
a stick. He had been tu>y in
Way tor two hours and at length
be found the arrow just before br, ak.
fast. I remarked that he had spent
good deal OF time. Yes or no. he
said. Il was certain the arrow could
re found it [ looked for it in Il GER
ain way, but it was tie longest way,
md [ failed several times from try
Ing shorter Methods We'll Gone,
. lllie,' concurred his always appre-
ather."
1t was the same at Oxford. Glad
stone would start for a walk to some
place eight miles distant, and make
Up his mind to 20 at least more than
lalf way.' Rain might fail i'll tor
'ents "a serious matter in those days,
when no undergraduate ever carried
IN umbr-lla), but this would not
'hake him from his purpose; so long
IS he had not passed his fourth mile
post nothing would make HIM turn
pack. Directed toward higher OBJ
this stubborness could be dIgnl-
led with the name of perseverance,
md it was a master quality that kept
III Gladstone's friends in su'jectlon
him more or less. Those who
would not give in to him from reascn
would do so to avoid contest-thls
'eing a world in which there are
more eartnern pots than iron ones,
md the e:.rthern pots try to escape
collisions when they can.-7ehlpH