Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-04-25
oLApsToNs.s TRIBUTE.
An Eloquent Tulogy Upon tho LILO oI
John bright.


day, from which we make the following
extracts:
"Mr Bright has been, to a very remark
able degree, happy in the moment of his
removal from among us He lived TO SEQ
the trismph of almost every great cause to
which he specially devoted his heart and
mind. He has established IA special clam
TO the admiration of those from whom he
differed through his long political life, by
marked concurrence with them upon the
prominent and dominant question OF the
hour. While he has in that way opened
the minds and hearts of those with whom
he differed 10 an appreciation of his merits.
he has lost nothing by that concord with
them Oh the particular sub ect we so mucn
represent. Though Mr. Bright came TO DO
separated from the great bulk of the Liber-
ais on the Irish question on no single occa-
sion has there been any word OF disparage-
ment / acknowledge that | have not
through my who political life fully en-
braced the Character or Mr.. Bright, and
the value OF that character to the country.
| say this because 1t was az the particular
epoch Of the Crimean war that | came
more to understand than before the posi-
ton held by him and some OF his friends,
and the hold they hvd laid upon tho conf
dence or the people. ! was one OF thoSe
who did not agree with the particular views
he took of tAe Crimean contest, but felt
profoundly and never ceased to think what
must have been the moral elevation of men
who, nurturcd all their lives in tho temple
OF popular approval, could at moments
notice consent to part with the whole OF
that favor they enjoyed, which opponents
mightthink the very breath OF their nostrils.
They accepted uudoubted unpopularity, for
that war commanded the enormous approx
al OF the people 1t Was at that time that,
although we had known much OF Mr..
Bright we learned more. We had known
OF his great mental gifts, his courage, his
consistency and his splendid eloquenCe. We
had not known how high was the moral tone
of those popular headers and what splendid
examples they could set their contempor-
aries. Amongst other gifts, Mr.. Bright
was delighted 10 be one of the chief guard
.ans of the purity Of the English tongue.
He knew how the character OF u nation is
associated with its lanTlage. He was en-
abied, as an Englishmun profoundly at
iached to his country, the tongue OF the
people being to him almost an object OF
worship, to preserve the purity OF the Ian
guege of Shakespeare and Milton.
Another circumstance in his ca
reer is better known 10 me than any
other person present. Everybody is aware
that Office had no attractions for him. But
few can be aware what extra efforts were
required to induce him to become a servant
of the crown. When the crisis OF ls6S,
when the fate of the Irish church hung in
balance, 1t was my duty to propose TO Mr..
Bright that he become minister, never
UNDERTOOK SO QlnlCulJ = TASK. IL
O'clock at night until one o'clock IL the
morning we steadily debated the subject.
But at the last moment he found it possible
to set aside the rcpugoance that he felt at
doing anything that might, in the eyes OF
anyone, even of the more ignorant class OF
his countrymcn, appear u detract in the
slightest degree from that lofty independ-
ence of character which / have mentioned,
end which never, throughout his career,
was he in doubt.
~ have a happy lot to unite so many at
tractive qualit es. If l had TO dwell UPON
them alone, / should present. a dazzling
! picture to the world. 1t was o happier 10,
to teach moral lessons by simplicity, con.
! sistency, unfailing courage and constancy
Of life, thus presenting "A combination Of
qualities that carried us 10 higher atmos-
pierre
His sympathies were not strong only,
but active; not sympathies awaiting calls
10 be made upon them, but sympathies OF a
man seeking objects upon which TO bestow
| the inestimable advantages of eloquenco
and courage. In ireland, when support
of the native cause was rarer still; in
America, at the time when Mr.. Bright,
| foreseoing the ultimate issue of the great
| struggle of 1861, stood as the representative
of an exceeding small portion OF the educat-
ed community OF the country, although UNI
doubtedly representing large portion OF
! the national sentiment In all these cases
! Mr. Bright went far outside the necessities
of his calling. Whatever touched him as a
! man of the great Anglo-Saxon race, what
! ever touched him as a sui iect, obtained, IN
| asked his sincere, earnest and enthuAstic
aid.
'All causes having his powerful advocacy
made distinct advance in the estimation
of the world and distinct progress toward
| triumphant success. Thus IT mas come
! about that he is entitled to higher eulogy
! thar is due TO success. OF mere success,
! indeed, he was a conspicuous example. In
| intellect he might claim the most distin-
| guished place. But his character lies deep
er than intellect, deeper than anything that
cen be described or that can be seen upon
| IRE surface. Tue supreme eulogy that is
| ,ds due is that he elevated political life to
the highest point-to loftier standard
than it had ever reached. He has bequeath-
| ed TO his country character that cannot
only be made subject for admiration and
gratitude, but-and l do not exaggerate
when | say it-that can become an object OF
rcverentiul contemplation. In the eucomi
ums that come from every quarter there is
not a note Of dissonance. i do not know OF
any statesman of my time who had the hap
piness of receiving, on removal from this
passing world, the honor OF approval at
once so enthusiastic, so universal aud so un-
broken. Yet none could better dispense
with the tributes of the moment because
the triumphs of his life were triumphs re-
corded in the advance of his country and
Its people. His name 10 indelibly written
in the annals of time and on the hearts OF
the great and over-spreading race to which
he belonged, whose wide extension he re-
joiced to see and whose power and promi-
nence he believed to be full OF promises and
| glory for the best interests of mankind"