New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-09-21
MIR. GLADSTONE.
u1s AUDIENCES AND HIS ORATORY IN MID
LOTHIAN.
Ill

''"'" ''' pAIMrNY PARK. Scptcmhcr 3.
Descending from his carriage. amid the shouts oi
The friendly mob in the Grassmarkot. Mr.. Gladstone
Walked rapidly i hardly ever saw him walk SLOWLY
no the passage and into the Corn Exchange. Tho
lorg waiting audience inside had heard the roars
without aud scot answered unto scot WITH that
stonly mechanical cheer which expresses 10 well the
busincss.likc determination OF tbs people To make
their approval understood. The whole party passed
into largo antcroom whore half the notahuitoH OF
Scotland were waiting 10 receive their leader An
address or two was presented IN dumb show II /"
not possible Tor the Prime Minister to STIR anywhere
out of doors without having an address uio' Oh ~
him. His present collection of these interesting h"t
perhaps monotonous tributes numbers. he!'eV''
over four hundred. Then at last the Member Tor
Midlothian passed into the presence oil ms cos''u
ents. ,
his constituents-not all. but about half-had
gathered themselves together in building devoted
on ordinary days to transactions in cereals They
had speut the afternoon in this cheerful spot, ana
nrepared their minds for the coming speech by
season of patient aud. for augnt know, prayerlui
me litation. No doubt in the DAYS OF Johu Knox
some minister would have improved this interval
bv some exercise of religious kind; but whether
ang such function was performed on TINS occaS'"l
forgot to ask. There are plenty OF poltIcal re'h'
niscences in connection with TINS market-pla'e
Lord Beaconsield made one of his best-known
speeches here. Lord Salisburys voice has been
heard from the same platform On winch MT. VIal-
stone is to stand in a moment, and MIR. Gladstone
himself delivered here in 1879 speech OF an hour
and half on finance 1t not fine building; no
degree of patriotism would enable Scotsmen OF taste
70 describe 1t as otherwise than contemplate II con-
sdered as pu bic hall. 1t was not built Tor
oratorcal purposes 1t has dignity of proportion
nor any structural features or scheme OF oruam'ula
ton which can possibly be called Architectural" An
oblong low gass-roofed shed whose one merit j. us
capacitv of holding 5000 peope-that Is the Corn
Exchange of Edinburgh. The energetic committee
VINO have these meetings in charge, ana VINO nave
wrought miracles. have done their best to hlde the
baroness of walls and roof aud to coax ther guest
iuto the conviction that this is not a railway sta
ton nor warehouse. Draperles. flowers ever
green's shields of strange device ami every variety
of legend and a liberal use of color are the cnlei
decorative features high broad platform runs
across the whole of end there are galleries on
the other three sides which may or not have been
mprovsed for the occasion, and all the disposition
OF aisles. entrance, and exit, j, Convenient
None of all this does any human being observe as
we enter The only thing 1t is possible TO be aware
OF is the multitude of other human beings on their
feet on the benches, waving hats and handkercheiS
and sticks and umbrellas, and cheering steadily.
The occupants of the platform, hundreds IN number
half of them ladies. stand up to receive Mt "l'd-
stone. The whole audience cheers HIN before ne ~
seen. cheers him more loudly still as they get their
first glimpse of INN, and the cheers grow IN volume
and Intensity as he and his party make their way
along a well-guarded passage, up flight of steps,
aon, the front of the platform. and 10 the seats
they are 10 occupy Nh Gladstone is not made oil
stone and this greeting touches hlm-tor one instant
even shakes his nerve. and there is "a tIemulous
movement of the lines of his mouth to he seen II you
look for IT, Lord Roscbcry is chccred trench
douslv and Lady Rosebcry is chcercd. and Mrs
Gladstone may have heard her name proposed III
hoarse tones from the centre of the hrong us an IN
ccutive to fresh outbursts. The stupdest Tory
could not be so stupid rs not to feel the genuine
ness of all this enthusiasm. The loyalty of Mid
lothian 10 Mr. Gladstone 80 often questioned in re-
cent wears is not likely to he doubted again So far
n 1t depends ON the purely popular voice. say
nothing of electoral prospectst is too soon 20 DIS
cl,s them and foolish To prophesy. 1t would not be
easy To believe that any chill of observation-disclosures
issatstactl0n there probably Is with parts oil MT.
Gadstoucs pollcy-w0uld not dissolve IN TINS Ter
vent heat But 10 is to the probability OF stormy
popular reception that the frequent Tory taunts
have been addressed and those must come TO an end
in presence of the events of tins week.
Silence obtained. Mr. Gladstone after word or
two from Mr. COwan, of Beeslack began ms Specch.
The subject matter and substance of tins ana hIS
other addresses / Will Try TO deal with IN maj
letter. For present purposes think may As Wei
drop az tins point the historical method ana uisre-
gard the order of time, with view 10 saying once
for all what | want To say about Mr. Gladstone
oratorv as whole during this present visit. The
first note of hls voice was listened for with some
thing like anxiety Is IT possible that after hve
wears that marvellous organ should be still III ITS
full perfection of flexible strength The curious IN
such details may note that bottle OF yellow MUD
from which tumblcr has been hallhIIed stands On
the table. The yellow fund is egg-iilp beverage
which on this occasion may be described rs purely
medicinal in character and purpose, ana Is COM
pounded of the yOlk of two or three eggs ana TWO
glasses of sherry This s to keep throat ana voice
in order and before the orator has made an ehd ne
has sipped lumber full. But the first note of the
voice and the first half dozen sentences of the irst
day were reassurng. There no longer any fear
that Nj Gladstone may be oyertaxng hls energies.
heard one Of bis friends say that he himself could
take an accurate measure of his capacities and Of
the precise demands particular hall and audience
would make upon them. lie feels as the rest OF Us
feel that the voice Is all right. Yet he does not
once Try its full compass This speech is dldactc,
expository argumentatve, anything You like but
passionate or pathetic, and you never know the iuI
resources of this all but uuequalled voice TIL you
have heard 1t used IN ang'r, in pity IN rIdicule
flor which he keeps one or two very subtle SEMI
notes., above all in Of those appeals to principle
and TO what l must call religious conviction which
go often and so nObly close some OF his greatest
speeches.
| can well imagine that stranger hearing Mr..
Gladstone on Saturday for the first and only time
should 20 away with certain sense Of incomplete
ness in his experience. He would have heard
speech which nobody else could have made but he
would by no means have heard the orator at his
best. What have said about the little call he made
IN hs voice may be applied 70 the speech itself lie