The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-10-05
cLApsroNs,s TALK.
The Greatest Master of Converse
ton Since Macauiay.

Macaulay never heard; he had carried
his talk elsewhither before [ first came &c
England. Mr.. Gladstone have heard often
ana IL Macaulay was at all like him, all the
Jealous criticism of his contemporaries who
survived him, and who say he would now be
thought bore. is sheer nonsense. But there
must have been points of contrast between
the methods of these two great takers not
less sharp than between the men themselves
Roughly speaking Macaulay passed his life
among books; Mr. Gladstone has passed his
in affairs. Man of the world in one sense he
is not, but prominently man of affairs of
English affairs all his life long engaged in
the transaction of the weightiest public bust
ness. His conversation reflects the habit OF
mind which all this continuing experience
has formed. No one ever lived who knew
the political history of his own time so well,
and no English statesman ever had so many
interests outside of craftsmanship; literary,
religious and the rest.
There is no subject ON which he will not
talk His memory is the marvel Of everybody
who has been his associate or acquaintance
Scarce topic can be started on Which he has
not store of facts. He takes little thought
of his audience or of what may be supposed
to interest them. His subjects interest him
interest others. And he is quite right; in his
hands, whatever 1t be, 1t is entertaining He
has been known to discourse to his neighbor
through the greater part of long dinner on
the doctrine OF copyright and of international
copyright. His neighbor was a beautiful
woman who cared no more for copyright
than for Cherokees. She listened 10. him
throughout with unfailing delight.
There was critical moment in the history
of Mr.. Gladstone's government from 1880 to
lSS6 when the fate of HE painictrsr a
likely to turn on the success or failure Of the
expedition for the rescue Of Gordon. He was
staying in house In Scotland-it was the
time oflthe third Midlothian campaign-and
grave news had just come from the Soudan.
Whoever listened to him at dinner would
have said that the prime minister had never
heard OF the Soudan. The red sunsets of
that summer were being discussed, and the
scientific guess that they were caused by the
Java earthquake of the year before. Off
went Mr.. Gladstone on earthquakes. The
Dutch government had sent out a commis-
sion Of inquiry, eighteen months had passed,
the commission had made no report, and Mr.,
Gladstone's lmpatlence to be in possession of
the report of the commission oil the Dutch
government on the Java earthquake was un-
comfortable. He wanted the facts The wanted
the theory of this convulsion of nature; he
wanted the statistics of the loss of life and
the destruction OF property; they had been
promised they had not been given, did any
body know when they We're likely to be given
or from what other source they could be OBJ
talned? The cares OF an empire sat SO lightly
on these Atlantean shoulders that for half an
hour this problem Of the Java earthquake en-
tirely possessed his mind that and that only
was of concern to hi ii or to the human race
in general What choice have you but to
give yourself up to the influence Of an intel
lect so commanding, with this amazing power
of being totally absorbed in the one subject
on which it is liked for the time being There
is but one word for such talk, the fascination
Of 1t is Irresistible.
You may hear all sorts of stories about Mr..
Gladstone and his talk: not all of them
good,natured, for society does its best to dis
like him. and succeeds when he is absent /
will repeat one which gives you another side
OF him. While prime minister, he appointed
certain well known man to certain diff
cult post abroad, requiring great deal of
special knowledge and personal acquaint-
ance with tile country and people, all of
which this Young man had acquired in the
course OF several labori0us years. Mr.. Glad
stone sent for his commissioner to come and
see him before he set out. He came and mex
day friend congratulated him on the i'm
he never met any one who knew so much
about the Caucasus" Lord.X. laughed: II
was with him two hours and never opened
my mouth
II you doubt that ] could tell you another
which is the exact duplicate of It save that
the person and the Office to which he was ap-
pointed were wholly different. But the same
thing happened. Mr.. Gladstone talked all the
time, and to the next friend he met remarked
that he had never known anybody whose
knowledge Of mathematics was so Complete
as Mr.: Gs. Wherever he is, he takes the
lead, If he does not always monopolize the
talk, which of course he does not No doubt
ne Is sometimes oratorical in private. 1t
would be a fault in lesser orator, but you
are only too happy to hear those stately
sentences roll out and roll on the eve flash
ing, the voice:varying with every emotion !;
greater beauty than on the platform.