The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-11-06

benevolently as Mr.. Pickwick, recog-
nized, from its likeness to the pictures
had seen, the open, handsome counte-
nance of John Bright. Not far from
him was man who matched the great
Liberalist in genius and devotion to the
cause of reform, the sturdy and indefa-
tigable Golden, and a few seats below,
rivaling in placidity the expression of
the philosophers of the Birmingham
school, his arms folded, his feet crossed
and his eyes partially closed, as if in
revery. half reclined the peoples
William. He had no occasion to speak
that evening, and unlike many of the
members of our own House of Commons,
signalized this absence of any reason
to open his mouth by keeping pro-
foundly silent.
Two nights afterward I beheld him
under very different circumstances.
An animated debate had brought him
to his feet To hear and see Gladstone
had been one of the dreams of my boy
hood, one of those dreams that | never
expected to realize. Macaulay had
dashed him into my affections. His
criticisms inclined me to think that the
same prejudice and Imagination which
make the History of England from the
Accession of James IL" a warning to
students who prefer accuracy of state
ment to rhetorical finish and splendor
of diction, might have distorted the
views of the esSayist on Church and
State" Macaulay was his enemy and
l loved him ''for the enemies he had
made" Uuder the influence of this
sentiment | first listened to the prince
of English debaters and my opinion
was then, and is still, that the man who
forms any conception of Mr.. Glad
stones power as an orator, either from
reading the reports of his speeches or
from descriptions of the effect which
his spoken words have upon those who
hear them, forms q conception which
the test of experience will prove to be
wholly superficial and inadequate.
Upon the occasion to which | refer he
held the attention of his auditors with
out break in speech lasting over an
hour. Three things fix themselves
intellectually upon the memory-his
noble presence, his wonderful voice
and the astonishing range of his vocab-
ulary. 1 had heard Webster, Clay,
Everett, Winthrop, Phillips, Douglass,
Cass, Sumner, Chase and nearly all the
prominent members of the succeeding
school of American orators, but l never
heard voice the tones of which so
affected me as Mr.. Gladstone's did.
1t is as impossible to describe them as
it is to analyze the spell they throw
over you. You are conscious of the
fascination, you listen entranced, you
feel that the orators power spans the
whole gamut of human emotions, but
when the voice ceases, when the lights
of the great hall are out and you have
turned away again to dull earth and
commonplace, the mystery of the con-
quest battles your every effort to eX-
plain or account for it, IfIwere asked
for possible key to the charm | should
say it would be found in that element
of his oratory which comes nea7est to
what we call responsiveness. There
are various kinds of persuasiSeness,
and that which is Gladstone's kind
differs from every other kind with
which YOU are familiar He would not
be Gladstone if it didn't. His manner
in the House is almost always that of a
man who is conversing with you. He
never declaims. His gestures are easy
and natural. Often with his foot raised
upon the round of chair, his left ell
bow resting on his knee, and his body
inclined slightly forward, he delivers
those speeches which seem to the
reader the utterances of one whose ac-
ton at times must have been vigorous,
if not dramatic But Mr.. Gladstone is
above the need of dramatic auxiliaries
They would interfere with the effect he
produces and mar the harmony which
exists between his manner and his
thoughts. After hearing him in debate
on perhaps thirty or forty occasions,
there was nothing to alter the impress
sion derived on the first occasion. His
high standard of excellence is never
lowered. The evenness of his style is
faithfully maintained. Under pressure
of great excitement his large, luminous
eyes glow in their cavernous sockets
like embers in a coal pit. His mobile
face reflects his emotions as the screen
reflects the figures of magic lantern.
He emphasizes his oratory with his
looks rather than with any articles of
speech. Hence it is that no report can
do him justice, that no reading can
arouse the feelings which hearing him
excites.
My attention was called during dis
cussion of the budget to a fact which
the admirers of the late Lord Beacons-
field will not be disposed to admit, and
yet of the truth of which l had ocular
proof. l refer to Mr.. Disraeli's habit
when financial questions were under
discussion of postponing his remarks
until after Mr.. Gladstone had sat down.
Whether he dreaded to expose himself
to the risk of criticism from the man
who is conceded to be, upon these sub
jects, the best equipped debater since
the days of Peel. or whether he pre-
ferred to recruit his own information
, from the copious knowledge which
Gladstone invariably brings to such
discussions, | do not know, but it is
certain that during the entire debate,
which lasted several days, and during
which both these great parliament
arians frequently had the floor, the
author of "Vivian Grey" invariably
managed to follow the author OF
'Juventus Mundi" If Gladstone did
not enjoy then primacy which could
challenge such a tribute he assuredly
| NAV claim IL now Ratwean him and