New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-10
LONDON SOCIETY.
IT'S ATTITUDE TOWARD MIR GrAI SToNE-ITS
POLITICAL DIVISIONS


London The boycotting Of Mr. Gladstone the
singular animositv shcwn to Earl Spencer, the
steadily growing disposition to make politics the
test of social intercourse; then the acceptance
ms il were. of the challenge by the Gladstonlans'
the Home Rule party at Spencer House, the meet
inc OF Mr. Gladstone and Mr.. Parnell of dinner,
privately: the public announcement OF TINS
private dinner then the dinner gwen TO Mr.
Parpel by the Eighty Club: finally. the altogether
astonishing act of the Duke of Westminster III
rcvoking his invitation TO Mr.. Robert Spencer pc
oo,so NJ his presence at this hospitablc homage
TO the Irish lcader-these are some ana only
some of the social events which have here Dceh
most discussed But it is not until one begins 10
think them over and collect them together, ana
make an inventory of them, and see how they Dear
ON one another, that it is possible to have true
notion OF the gravity of the state OF things octuay
existing in London society. No doubt there arc
persons 70 whom social phenomena seem Of no
importance, and all discussion OF them mere vanity
and vcxation of spirit. For them these facts have
no meaning. but even for them, if they would but
relax their moroseness for moment, the ouopies
ON the surface might suffice TO show how inc
stream is moving, and whittier and Mt what pace.
For others for those who know the eNuent anu
potency of social influences in London, tney may
mean good deal more. -,
What have called the boycotting OF MT. uIhu
stone is rs remarkable as any single iact tnat can
be selected. II is loose use OF the wofo ooy
cotting, but the use has somehow got possession
of the public mind. and is employed 10 denote
every dc rce Of neglect as well as of that hatred
which in its organized form passes easily INTO con-
spracy and intoerable persecution lou Know
all America knows what Mr.. Gladstone Is IN puolc
life. Perhaps il is less commonly known 'ha' nc
&I. oct nflf
takers indeed. man with much Of that charm
and fascination for other men which the Dest
women have. Yet, for purely political reasons he
is now avoided and detested; the greatest bore
in society could not be so hateful to his fellow
creatures as Mr. Gladstone is to the more extreme
section of society. 1t is literally true that to
arrange dinner party Of desirable people to meet
him is an effort which tasks the resources OF the
most accomplished hostess in London. The llst OF
Cladstonian Liberals who arc also persons OF
great social position is not long one, nor wouid
anything be gained by advertising the TACT that ia
order TO compose n suitable company inc same
people had TO be asked again and again NOR IN
the crowded life of London, are the same people
always available.
But will take two recent examples which
do without scruple, because the names Oh the
guests at each of these two dinner partles were
published at the time in the usual way lhcre
is no better hostess than Lady llaytcr Her dinner
included Countess Spencer Lord Vernon inc hon
Philip Stanhope, NJ p, and Countess Tolstoy this
wife, Sir Robert Peel. Lady Mackenzie Of Gair
loch Sir c. Russell, NJ. F.. Mr. and Mrs Henry
White, Mr.. and Mrs. H. Oppenhem, Mr.. and Mrs
s. Hamburg, Mr. Asquith. NJ. p, Mr. Herbert
Gardner NJ F., and Mr.. George Russell. With
the exception of Mr.. and Mrs Henry White, who'
as diplomatists, have no politics, there IS not a
single person in that list not belonging to the
Home Rule party. One name is Of the very highest
distinction; two three others there are winch
the world would agree to call smart inc rest
call for no particular comment. a lew DAYS
later came q dinner given by Mr.. and the Hon MIS-.
Magniac. There were present the Duke OF GRAFTON,
the Countess Of Aberdeen, the Earl of Cork, LORD
and Lady Kensngton, Lady Sophia Mcnamara
Lady Dorothy Nevill Lord Leigh, MIR. ana MIS-
Eylsyn, Mr.. and Mrs. Hugh Smith, Captain the
Hon. E. Dawson, Miss Broughton and Mr.. +. Glyn
Here an effort had been made TO bring together
guests Of opposite parties, and the names recog-
nizable as Unionist names are Lord Cork and Lady
Dorothy Nevill; the latter one OF the lights OIL
the Primrose League. Anybody who was there
will tell YOU that the experiment did not answer.
There was q shadow over the board people hardly
talked, Mr. Gladstone himself sat almost silent.
If these details not in print, they are, at any
rate, or were at the time, matters OF common con-
.yersation among friend and foe. sentence which
Gladstonian let fall not long since throws Hood
of light on the situation When there Is
dinner to Mr.. Gladstone, we are always asked
we meaning himself and his wife 1t would have
been but q little while ago, impossible for anybody
20 say that Observe, too, that Lady Hayter
herself convinced and ardent Gladstonlan Home
Rule Liberal, never meant to make her house
pfv
her dinner was mixed party. Home Rulers
were in the majority but Unionists were there
in considerable numbers. Why none were at the
dinner is a question leave somebody else to ask.
This anirnosty this bitterness toward Mr.
Gladstone. this hatred of hm-no word can be
too strong-ls of old date. 1t has broken out
more than once before. 1t was almost as vehe-
ment in 1878 as now That was the year In
which the star of Lord BeaCOnsield was in the as
cendant, or rather at the zenith, and every other
star for while paled its Intellectual fire. Mr
Gladstone had made himself an object OF suspicion
and dislike to TIE Conservatives in 1876 by his
crusade against the Bulgarian atrocities. The
lingo tempest swelied and swelled, and on MS
head was hurled / was talking the other day with
Tory-not of the elder or more h:,rd-hearted gen.
Grafton, but Of the younger-about this present
social detestation of the Liberal leader
If" said he, you mean that it was never so
strong as during last year and tins, you are wrong
Mr. Gladstone in 1873 was simply execrated."
"Yes but he was not boycotted."
lie was not boycotted because boycotung had
not then been invented. But there were plenty OF
people who would not meet him; much less Sit
down to dinner with. him.
He maintained, in short, that the re-
lations between Mr. Gladstone and society were
almost as severely strained then as now. There
was at any rate, this difference. There had been
no split in the Liberal party. The great wing
Dukes were still Of Mr.. Gladstone's followng-the
Duke Of Bedford and the Duke Of Devonshire, the
Duke of Westminster, and many another Wing
magnate of lesser rank who now is divided from
him as by a CALF The Wing aristocracy was
body hardly less numerous, hardly less powerful
IL Ia nnrinS