The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-07-06

THE GRAND OLD MAN. .
How Gladstone Looks, Acts and
Speaks.

THE GRAND OLD MAN.
How Gladstone Looks, Acts and
Speaks.
London Letter of Margaret F. Sullivan in the
New York Sun.
Mr.. Gladstone i, not an au.tere man
in a pearsnce or in demeanor On the
contrary. the CLEAN Of bumor may al
ways he caught. furtive hu, keen, in his
ipe old eyes and around the corners of
his mouth plays that variable expression
which perfectly intimsies his moods
now gay and almost hoyisb, now serene
and genial, now engaged in suppressing
too hilarious impulse abhorrent to the
pervsding dignity OF the place, now de-
nure and somhrc a, if clouded by pass
ing regret or shadowed by apprehension
IF treachery, now solemn, giim, resolute,
now angry and ready for 6ght. No mans
face could mirror more truly the 'ieeps
,nd shslloxs OF consciousness He has
shown during all these trying days and
exhausting nights splendid spirit, its
tendency uniformly upward, its temper
singulsrly sanguine and courteous until
within these days when the intrigue of
Mr.. Chamberlain among his own follow
ing was clearly splitting the radical tim
Yer; and although in the end Mr. Cham
Ierlain will be wedged therein to do no
good for himself. the split in the timber
has been felt in the old Ministers heart.
He has entered the House for several
nights past with IN effort toward blitbs-
ness. His dress has been lfautless A
rock coat Of tlne black cloth discloses
N ample front Of linen expanding with
q = low. cut, rather old-fashioned style
Il vest. Brown trousers end in snuff.
olored silk hose and neat low !shoes.
lie takes his seat in the middle OF the
Treasury bench with apparent self-un
consciousness and proceeds to fold his
,rms, cross bis legs and think with sp-
narently, no more sense OF attitude or
audience than hoy alone in q school
room. His contemplation has the sym.
toms OF disturbed sleep, for be ..is res
i've and troubled. His mouth is drawn
down and IN unit! the lips seem thin,
Irregular, uncertain line. The face is
broad. noble, all but msiestic in .its firm
lines Of vigorous old age. The scanty
fringe OF scattered gray around chin and
cheeks meets the sparse silver locks
upon his bald, great head. It is greet
head. 1t is a great head physically
massive, square, broad, angIed sharply
st the cheek bones and ears; head
which would be chosen By psinter for
o ststesman's model, but not for that of
sn actor or artisan or merchant.
1t is such head as great thinker
would have in any domain OF pure study.
1t recalls no other great head unless,
atonnd the mouth. Daniel Webster's,
across the eyebrows Beethoven's. 1
have seen him sit absorbed in mere con-
t. mplation for half hour at time,
moving no muscle but the ends Of the
fingers Of both hands, and these move
Unnecessarily. When the thinking fit is
closed and an action resolved upon. he
proceeds to its effectuation with alert
ps.s. He is quick in all his movements.
4 letter is handed him. He tears the
cover open rudeIv, adjusts bis glasses,
squares the manuscript, sits upright with
his legs crossed, aud wags one foot in
steady rhythm while he reads quickly
down the page, turns to the next, and,
after following the lines to the eud, re-
fleets a moment, lays the sheet across
bis lap, reflects again, twirls his fingers,
reads the whole letter 10 the end once
more, and then carefully folding it, puts
1t on the table before him With the
eagerness of boy he takes folding
portfolio OF the table, adjusts it upon
his knees, dips long goose quill into
the ink at the edge OF the table aud
writes with rapidity eight or ten lines,
then pauses, rejecting over some artful
phrase to entice, TO reproach, to conceal
a thought, TO tease, or to entrap. The
feather end OF the quill is meanwhile
sometimes between his lips and some
times between his teeth. When the
shaping Of some specific thought is thus
lsbored upon to completion, the pen
runs over the paper again speedily, and
the finish is made with little gesture of
self satisfaction, as il. after all, the task
we're trifs wearisome, but the effort
rot without reward.
1t was said that Disraeli never descen-
ded TO The use OF mucilage when be
could avoid il, preferring aromatic seal
ing wax, which be pressed with an
Egyptian ring or, II the obnoxious gum
had to be used. he dipped his cambria
handkerchief into the tiny finger bowl
of eau de cologne or water with rose
leaves, and bathed the sticking place
with that. Mr. Gladstone, it is neces-
sary TO confess, runs The gummed edge
OF the envelope across bis tongue as if
he had relish for it, and then runs the
superscription across the back, and dries
| it with blotter in the most cleikly fash.
ion. He never supplies autographs to
collectors.