Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-05-22
Mr.. Gladstone.

Mr.. Gladstone. at the age of 78. Prime
Minister of England, and the chief of
English statesmen-no less eminent for
weight of personal character and ae-
complished scholarship than for his ex-
traordinary mastery Of public affairs
and his Parliamentary eloQuence-is a
fine illustration of the English genius
in its most characteristic form. There
is certain sturdiness in Mr.. GIadstone's
nature showing itself in every way, eX
cept his reputed sensitiveness to personal
criticism, which is in singular contrast
with the Oriental character of Lord
Beaconsfeld, so long his chief opponent.
1t was the want of this quality quite as
much as an alien genius which made the
late minister so apparently IN English.
No one, indeed, cultivated English ways
more assiduously, or celebrated with
more gusto the distinctive English life,
than Lord Bsaconsfeld, and be identified
himself with the bucolic party-the
squire, the country geBtleman-and he
seemed in every manner resolved, if res
olution would accomplish it, to be an
Englishman.
But the contrast between him and
Mr.. Gladstone was as apparent in every
aspect as it is in the remarkable carica
lures in Punch, in which, if Gladstone
has sometimes the air of pig. Disraeli
has always the air of Cagliostro. When
Disraeli was at the head of the ministry,
the feeling was unavoidable that it was
an accomplished foreign talent that was
governing England. But with Gladstone
it is Eng and governing herself. Much
! more than in any chief minister the En-
glish cunscience is felt in Gladstone. In
I.urd Sidmuuth and NJ. Percival, the
Two most ordinary and common place of
Prime Ministers, there was the conven-
ioHal English responsibility and MOI al
Iity. But III Gladstone il is the power nf
rectiLude which is remarkable. He te-
lieves III honest dealing, and IN sunoIdi-
mating public policy 10 the mUrai iaw-
| He may not like TO be pei S"ndliY ciI l.
clsed but he is not ashamed tu be called
Sentimental In his regard tor The m"raI
honor as we'll as for Il Il "iutereSt" ul
| England.
Nothing could be m re distastefu T."
! Mr.. Gladstone than The EgN ptian com
plicaIiun. Nulhins could have been
more delightful to Lord Be 'c"nsti' J..
| The vagutnrss nf The ohjrc To be attal -
rd 10y warlIk- operations. the dillicu Y
IF pusSible prOtecLOraJe uf the country.
the desire 10 respect the rights Of a peu-
pie so remote from English sympathy
and habits, naturally Cypress Mr.. Glad
stone. thus necessarily engaged in trans
actions in which his country should
never have been Involved. But they
would hava been exciting chapters of
romance TO Lord Beacuns6eld, and he
would have endeavored To turn the sil IL
alton to the most dazzling account.
/ Coping at once with the elusive sItua-
tion in Egypt, with the franchise In
England, and with the discomfort of
Ireland, and goaded by tory party not
greatly led, but Officered by brilliant
cynic, a worthy squire, and nendescIipt
madcap, only a chief of the sturdiest
moral and mental quality could hold at
seventy-three position which nobody
else could fill. 1t is, as we said, his char
acter no less than his genius which will
give him a great place in English his
tory. With the conquering Chatham
and the accomplished Canning, with
William Pitt and Sir Robert Peel, Glad
stvne must always be mentioned as an
| English statesman and minister who
showed in his public and private life, in
his mastery grasp of affairs, in his as
cendancy over great, intelligent, and
progressive party, in his high moral
tone and his immense accomplishment,
the power which any intelligent country
would wish to see conducting its affairs.
This is the year in which the other
great English speaking nation calls one
of its citizens. to the Chief Executive
Magistracy. Happy that country if it
summon to that Office statesman so
commanding, conscient' Gus, and coura-
geous, and a man SO spotless as the En-
glish Prime MiRisterl Looking at Glad
stone, and then across the sea at our
Presidential contest, the Englishman
may be pardoned if he is not quite ready
to abahden a political system which
briHgs so great man AS Gladstone into
the direction of government, and even
the American may wonder whether his
system Of selecting the Chief Magistrate
IS surer than the English method to
bring the real chief of a party to the ex-
aontiva chair GaOrUn William Gurtis