Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-19
GLADSTONE WHILE spsAKrSo.
Picture Of tho "Grsnd Old Man, who
Fighting IreIand's hattie.

- ''e'"0 VI he "erand Old Man" who is
Fighting Ireiands Battle,
From a London Letter.
l haze watched him carefully through
many speeches, some obviously prepared in
part, some born wholly OF the moment of
their delivery. lie stands at ease, resting
one side against the edge Of the table, which
Is high enough to afford some sense Of
repose. The nervousness in his fingers
causes him to clutch something and toy with
it-papers, books, pens. lie never strikes
attitudes, never mouths or makes grimaces
or smirks, or by paltry devices Of throat or
eyes or hands distracts his hearer from his
poverty of matter by his levity. lie is simple
natural, and clear voiced, but the voice Is not
"a full and far-carrying as 1t used to be.
tie rarely gesticulates except with brief
waves of the hands One might almost
describe his physical characteristics when
speaking at the table as monotonous. There
Is a tempered and regulated variety In 1t
nevertheless There are impassoned pas
| sages in all his momentous speeches which
must have carried him away from himself (;
| and during this debate albeit wariness and
| tact have been controlling ideas on his side Of
| the combat, rather than vaior and a. ii ,urp
| he has sometimes permitted himself to DO.
come vehement
| OF course, there will be differences of criti.
clsm upon this. To many of her friends,
Kathleen O'Meara tells us, Mime. Mohl was
| that charming old LADY," to some she was
"that ugly old woman" The admirers OF
Mr.. Gladstone would describe his energy in
speak ing as vehemence his opponents be
little 1t into peevishness. But it is, upon the
| whole, manly, rugged, simple, composed
style, dignihed, elevated, sufficiently diversi
fled to be always absorbing and varied
enough In degrees OF power to be alway'
fascinating. He reminds one of Ruskin
! Jura rock, which, " balanced between
chalk and marble, weathers indeed int,
curious riffs and burrows, but rarel,
breaks loose, and has long ago clothed itsel
either with forest flowers or with sweet shor
grass and all blossoms that love sun
| shine.' The form in which Mr. Glad
stone vests his thoughts is precisely O
this sort He seeks genial tone in his voice, /
fond OF upward infection, is finely polite an,
I | guarded in personality, never il uncouth or ir
7 | rltating even when he holds the sword abov
r | his enemy's head and all along the path of IA
3 | speaking one finds kindness, urbanity, an,
| suave phrases" sweet short grass," In hi
| younger days he resorted, as the text of hi
| speeches shows, with alacrity and daring I
t feats of discussion, and freely employed il
| vective and vituperation. Now he deprecate
| Where formerly he seized the foil, now
| seeks to disarm. In youth he eagerly hu
3 rted into violent games and sports OF parli
: | mentary competition in age, he Is still con
| | bative, but he lets his adversary rush upo
I | him while he rests and defends.
! His speeches lose somewhat in esteem
, | read or heard apart from the contingencit
4 | which they were made to fit or overcom
: They are not even and pellucid, ik
silent brooks, or violently superb, liz
| glorious torrents. They are uneven. AZ
mirable sentiments worthily framed aboun
| in them. But they are in spots rough,
spots obscure, in spots involved. The
| are free from fustian and from turgidit,
I They are indeed of the nature of oratoric
Y | gymnastics, in which dexterity, skill and Il
o avoidance of danger, while always in DANCE
| are the most obvious elements There is n
a | a line OF brutality in them and considerr
4 | the length of his public life, the brutishne
: | of his enemies his own flexible temper ar
h | the stupidity and malicousness of Toryisr
: | this must be considered very remarkable ar
n asingular evidence OF what we may call int
lectual fine breeding.