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


arrive by long aud intense meditAtions
at knowledge OF great general laws, were
much more fashionable than We at all exc
pect It TO become"
: "ChurCh Principles Considered in their
Results, "of two years later, was continue
alton OF this view. He labored TO show
part Of EnglRnd's position at the time.
This work is as full Of cogent reasoning as
the former, but the tide OF opposition was
still too strong for Its just appreciation.
But nevertheless, for the next twenty-five
years his activity on the side Of the church
was ceaseless Newspaper and magazine
articles and pamphlets on various ques.
tons Of religious thought appeared from
his pen. In none OF them does his zeal or
ability Dag. From the present Aspects
OF the Church, inlSi3, down through con.
sideration Of different churches in
different countries Scotland, Con-
tinental Europe, the Far East,-doWn to
the beautiful essay on "EcCs Homo" OF
1869, aud the "Courss oil Religious
thought" OF thu present time, he ia the
same whole-souled worker. Nor was he
any longer in the position OF radical oppo-
sition which had formerly been his lot,
The exhibitions Of his fairness which he
had given his Gountrymen in the "Dissen-
ter's Chapels Bill" and the "Maynooth
College Grant, had even caused the tide
TO set in his favor, so that upon the publt-
cation OF his correspondence with the
Chevalier Bunsen many OF his stronges!
opponents before became among the num-
Der OF his warmest admirers, aud It was at
length said that The, simple layman, has
demonstrated that he 10 among the great
theoloGians Of his age"
Such indeed he is, and the consistent adj
voCaCy Of religion by man Of his inhu-
enCe In tho world is worth even more than
he will ever get credit for
Gladstone's frat political essay Of any
prominence was "Remarka on recent
Commercial Legislation" in 1915. He
subject. Palmerston and Peel opened |
their eyes In ama2ement at tho depth and |
aCuteness Of the writer, There had been
nothing before on the theme to compare
to this, Nothing that he could have
written at the time would have advanced
Ills political prospects nearly 80 far. But
he made no preteItlous claims for his
political writings. II We look for the
above mentioned article, as well as any OF
those that succeeded II, we shall find
them in simple pamphlet form or
hidden in the depths Of periodicals, This
is especially noticeable in tho case OF the
Letters to the Earl Of Aberdeen" on the
state prosecutions OF the NeapolitRn Gov
ernment-the essay that shook the bonds
of every petty tyranny in Europe and
which the British Government deemed
OF SO much Importance ~ to officially
send II to every European court. There
was no need OF the Examination Of
the Official Reply OF the NeapOlitQn Gov,
ernment" year later to confirm tho
reputation OF the aberdeen Lstterg,"
but II 1t had been necessary the former
would have fully done so, These pamph-
lets passed through eleven editions In
one year and were translated into the
principal European tongues.
From this time to our own GlQdstone's
political articles have beena National safe.
guard no leSs than his oratory and hisCoun-
sells have been National law and now,
when circumstances are 30 Borely trying
to the Premier's every resource, We may
believe that the principles 50 often sub.
sCrlbed 10 by him will not DO deViated
from.
His historical essays, those upon "NIon.
tenegro," 1.-THE Hellenic Factor in the
Eastern Question" and 1.-THE 10th Cen.
fury Arraigned betorethe l0tl" aremodels
OF condolences and power. OF his bio
graphical essays those upon Macaulay,
rennyson and Bishop Patterson have been
the most admired. In these we are almost
surprised at the heights OF idealiam to
which the unbending theolOgian Of for
mer days can ascend. There Is shown US
grandeur OF thought hardly falling short
OF the poetlcal and an appreciation OF his
subjects such as 10 given to few living
men. This is especially true in the case
OF his essay on MaCaulay, in whom all |
virtues were magniAed to him and all
faults hidden.
1.-THE GlOanings OF Past Years, 1880"
In which many OF the above mentioned
articles arc contained, is a nobler tesLi.
mony to Gladstone's worth than Bea.
consheld's "Twice Prime Minister OF Eng.
land" can ever BIO Of DisraellB. SHOULD
nothing relating to Gladstone survive but
these volumes the verdict must needs be
"a life well spent"
That man whose early training had
been almost entirely classical should show
an aptitude for the classics is not at all
wonderful; but that he should cultivate
that aptitude In the midst Of the most en-.
crossing pursuits until he becomes an
authority among those who have made
the classics their lives study, is to be won.
dered at somewhat. Mr.. Gladstone had
never suffered the reputation which he
had acquired by double first" at Oxford
TO wholly lapse. His Latin verse had
always been esteemed by critics as on
level with BuChanan's and hardly inferior
to Mllton'sj but with only the addition OF
periodical or two on Greek and Roman
notwithstanding the frsttwenty.llye years
after his college course, he was regarded,
as was Derby, merely in the light OF
promising amateur writing for his own
amusement,
In 1868 appeared "studies on Homer
and the Homeric age" The doubts as to
its authors ability In that line were imme.
mediately dispelled. So far from any stl.
per6ciality being apparent the book
evinced a familiarity with and a complete
knowledge Of the veriest minutiae required
for such an undertaking, the thoroughness
Of which none were reader 10 aCEnowl.
edge than the HomeriC scholars them.
selves. ut Is full Of scholarship, philos.
ophy, and subtle criticism"
Ten years later he supplemented this
by "Juyentus Mundi," to some extent a
condensation u the former, but In much
implying later research. II Is 90 well
known as text book that II needs no OK.
tended comment here. These two works
have firmly established Mr.. Gladstone as
| the foremoat living dpiander nj the uhitv |
Of the HomeriC poems, belief which has
had few ADLER advocates. As these books
have been the envy Of all present authors,
80 they will be the models Of all works on
such subjects for many years TO come.
So much has already been said Of Glad.
stones style that II will not be necessary
TO add much here. He not only deals III
all bis essays with worthy subjects, but he
deals with them in q worthy manner. The
faculty Of adapting his style 10 different