The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-04-12
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

SAo ApN1uFe hmPlolm0hI VI uoaeFn Eng
land's GFsRtsst stRtesmRp-A View OF Hi
MSuy.sidsdnsss.
In view Of the universal public interest
that now attaches to the name and fame
OF ERgland'sgreatest statesman-the Right
Honorable William E. Gladstoue,-her
present prime miuister-the following OK,
tract from an essay by Mr., r, O. Campbell,
OF this city, now in attendance at Dart.
mouth College, that some months ego
took the first prize in the Junior class Of
that institution, will be read with interest.
The subject assigned to the class was
"Modern English Statesmen as Men Of
Letters" and under this head Gladstone
was discussed as follows;
Whatever may bs our doubts as to Dis
raeli's place and ability in literature, we
are at no loss as to Gladstonss. 1.-THE
grand old man, as his admirers love to
call him, Is puzzle to no one, The great
est tinanCier that England has ever had
over her ExChequer, the foremost parlis.
mentary orator Of his day, the wise, clear.
headed statesman, has not failed to i'm
press every one with the sterling worth OF
his writings. Conscientious, always con.
8istent In the great duty OF preCept and
example, profoundly learned, is il any
wonder that he Is universally respected, or
that when out Of Parliament no influenced
England more by his pen than hia rival
could from his place in Parliament?
With all his marvellous versatility OF
talent We find him STOPPING to no mere
display Of genius, but daeming unworthy
Of him the slightest exhibition OF foppish-
ness or show he Is ever to BIZ found piung.
ing boldly into the depth OF any Contro-
versy, extracting the very kernel OF dis.
pute and dispoSing Of 1t by single bon.
derous stroke. We wander with him into
fields Of exploration where the deepest re.
search becomes pleasure, and the knot
test problems Of classical lore yield be.
fore us so easily that We are not aware OF
their magnitude until safely past them.
AS We follow his leadership the light
shines clearly on each step in advance.
From point to point We pass until in the
end We are confident Of q position invul.
nerable to the logic Of the present age.
Why should not such . man make 1t part
Of his ambition to take a place among the
literary men Of his times, and to guide the
thoughts Of his Countrymen to worthy in.
telleGtual as well as to practical results
Surely 1t Is difficult to find one more it.
There Is not word in all his works with.
out It's meaning; not sentence but what
Is weighty with purpose, and not chap
ter but could be made almost conclusive
argument on It's subject.
When we think Of Gladstone as an au.
thor we are apt 10 be obliyious to his other
requirements, and yet we must remember
that his claims to authorship have been
made good and maintained only In the in.
teiyals Of one Of the busiest political lives
on record. ASthe London Times joCularly
observes ,"0ur miraculous premier has
just given us another opportunity 10 ad-
mire his many Bldedness and versatility.
To-day begins momentous session Of
Parliament, and yet this Is the occasion
WhiCh he selects for issuing letter to a
Welsh bishop on the subject OF disesta5.
lishment oil the church. There Waa also q
preface to write to new edition OF Ham.
ilton's Catechism; there was the question
OF the Hittite empire aud It's possible alli-
anCe with Troy to be taken In hand" and
so on through an enumeration that Ia pos.
itiyely startling in It's extent.
Yet the Times has given but q few
phases Of his many sidednesS. II We 20
deeper we shall find that he 10 ian essay.
ist, critic, an Homeric scholar, q ::dilet.
tamil in art, and music and old China
He Is theological cotroversialist, a po.
litiCal economist, a AnanCier, a practical
administrator whose gift Of managing de.
tails has never been equallodl He ia q
statesman and an orator.
But returning 10 striCter consideration
Of Mr.. Gladstone sauthorship, hispublica.
tons naturally enough group themselves
under three heads, viz: his theological
discussions, including those relating both
10 church and State, and those OF a purely
political, biographical and historical
Characte, rand his classical works. OF these
the first named may bs ranked "a the
most important Of the three for, though
1t must BIO conceded that each ofthe others
is the work OF master, 1t Is nevertheless
true that the political pamphlets were in.
tended by him to be hardly more
than supplement Of his prac.
teal life In politics, and his
classical studies as incidents Of a
useful leisure; while, on the other hand,
his whole character being OF decidedly
religious cast, and the number OF compe.
tent championship the OF the church,
when he began to write, being few, he
considered II not only a pursuit OF his
own inClimations but duty to throw all
OF his energies into the conflict and never
afterwards to entirely withdraw from the
lists. This estimate OF bis authorship is
easilyto be confirmed by bis remarks in
the chapter Of autobiography relating to
the Irish church question. But we would
not on that account in the slightest detract
from the praise due bis other works. As
the productions Of q busy man, az the
productions Of great man, as productions
intrinsiCally great, they are altogether
worthy Of the highest praise-more even
than they have feCeived-as much as they
will eventually receive.
The key TO MIR. Gladstone's whole
character ls loyalty to conscience and as
long as he lives he must make the
claims Of that conscience paramount In hia
LIES work.
He had already achieved some little
notoriety as 0 member OF Parliament
when In the year following the Queens
accession he gave 10 the public his FIRST
book, 1.-THE State in its Relations to the
Church" Sir Robert Peel had been quick
10 note the ability Of the young statesman,
and had early taken him Under his wing
In Parliament, but he considered this
book as the death blow Of all Gladatone'H
political aspirations. "Conioundtlat young
fellow" said Peel, after looking over the
book. III he goes on writing stuff Of this
sort he will ruin his fortunes" II was
certainly not q book which at the time
did much 10 increase the reputation Of lie
author. The reason Of this Is plain. He
had deliberately chosen the unpopular
side Of the controversy then at its height,
The great cry In and out Of Parliament
was Tor 4 reduction Of church influence,
and the makingoi the church but branch
OF the State. In the numerous debates
and fierce rectiminations which passed
between the opposing parties the whole
subject had acquired so much Of a seCulAl
complexion, had In fact been handled %