New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-08
ENGLISH TAKERS.
MR. RUssELLS vIEwS-LoRD RoShbhki =
LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHlLL-oih
WILLIAM HARCOURT
London, August %.

s.rou, ord Talkers of To-day" are full OF
interest of a detached kind. Their fault Is 700
ambitious title They contain acute connenV'
on certain takers: they are not and CANNOT oe
complete account of the takers OF To-Day He0
Ne loci, at his list Mr. Charles Villiers, Mr. Glad
stone Lord Granville Sir George lrevelyah' W.
.Jobn Morley Lord Salisbury, Mr.. Balfour. MI
cosohen Mr. Iabouchere Sir Robert Peel LORD
Acton Lord Coleridge, Mr.. Justice Bowen MI
Rro,xning Mr.. Lowell Mr.. Henry James, ana Or
Fra,ericl, Leighton Mr.. Russelrs personal prefer
ences his likes and dslikes. have had something "
do all unconscously 10 himself. with the cohpoS''
ton of that catalogue His dlslikes appear o"O Wv
frequently and he expresses them III TERMS Wv
nee Of which by others he has justly cehsur'"'
The snappsh impertinence of the present Ni"e''i
Of RaloI" is phrase that sounds rs il "V,
70 nay Off an old grudge. Lord SALISBURY uis'
rifcd courtesy in private is brought in, but as
foil 10 what Mr. Russell chooses to describe aS Ie
inartistic insolences and unmannerly perscnal'ie'
49,. -, bis rrblic utterauces Mr. Balfour Is
crndcly told that his cynicsm is mere anec'a'ioh'
NJ prsselrs estimate of Mr. Lowell amounts 10 an
elaborate lampoon: on the teXt-if Iampooh
car have n teXt-that he is an inaccurate n""
with an accurate manner. For an image VI OF
Frederick Leighton manner he goes 10 'I'e s'o0,'
shop: Smooth unctuous flowing unDroi>eh sun
WOO, the eloouence of Sir Frederick Leighton mas
all the characteristics of the best mol'oses -
Some Of this is only cudgel play, but MI husseli
is capable of more cunning Tricks uo''' ~.
the other day, but too family, the Jury NV
which his eulocy on Mr.. Gladstone hau UNIV"
Mr.. GladStoue's friends. dld nOO q"o''
worst There is a rhetorical method OF deuacuoH
which consists in LAYING down a general pfolo-
e;,;or With no narticular allusion 10 anybody
% be followed presently at safe o's'r''v
NV sucb an account of some individual as s"'i'
hiring him within the range Of the general p'oPo
.i+ion Thus. on one page Mr. RuSSel 'eI'S 10
that a talker who monopOlzs inc col
is by common consent inSuiieraDle' al" "''
man who regulates his choice OF topics ny
- =. hot interests not his hearers, but MINI
self has vet TO learn the alphaDet OIL IiiS "'
o. ro,bor no tells us that Mr.. Gladstone aus
courses. lectures and hapngues, ana 'n"O
subject j. started which does not interest," INN "
falls fat or still more expressly 'h'' Nv "
consumed NV zeal for the subjects which interest,"
hin, that he leaves ont of account the IoSSD''"F
,hat they NAV not interest other people Ne""
,.oh,. as tho LAWYERS say. that MIR. Gladstone
ioe,rcr,bje talkcr MIR. Russell Wouiu cer-
,oinl,, ,loed that he did not mean ms o"V
-, r,osn,nr can only be inferred Hom '''
,,.o.as bc uses and the innucndo IS clear WI
Pusselrs wisdom expresses Itself re'"'N ~
form NJ ophori,mS The aphoriNmS are lI'q"'
noot and sometimes true but he torSetS o"r II
memorable than any of his; that the o'"' ms
49, obsor,,ation laws in the application on IT,. YET
dorc say. nobody would be more surP'S'" ''r''l
Mr. George Russell that anything ID theSe
sbould have given offence to anybody -
IIouever nv object, so far as h'Ne any =,
MT % c,iticise but to supplement Mr. huS''ii.
nov hen many Of his examples well some OF
-, ioss VOL and one or two more might nave
Ion omitted without mparing the value OF HIS
contribution to the literature of suoJect ul"'
!; incvboustible IL is eISy to take conspicuous
6gurcs on the two front benches oil the TWO noo9'
80 parliament and explain to the public their VIZ
,nes and vices as takers The process NAV NC
made IN extend from end to the other OIL '"Uii
If those four long sofas SO OF announcer oei'"'
rerbaps a more dignifcd one; ana so u I"i'o''
whose names are forever in the puDhc eye Nol
-. 90 tho r,blic Inconvenience. a writer VINO
should wish 10 continue the subject might Wel '0
content n CLEAN where Mr.. George RuSseH mas
oaood Ue has said nothing of Lord RoSebeV
- ono house or of Lord Randolph ChurchIl III
tho other vet el,lcr Of these two still youthlui
,ocislotors-earh of them just in the fortles-s aS
odr,iroble in private discourse as IN puoIc'
do not mention them by way of comparison noun
inc is easier or less profitable than comparisons
plutarch has drawn one set OF par'eS ""u
Jobpson another and the rest may well wall ulii "
successor TO one or the other OF those great HAS
tiers appears.
r. might. indeed he possible 10 CONSTRUCT r
Est as long as Mr. RuSselS, and not lhleHo' ~
H. Excluding the two Americans whom stfc'N
he has no right to annex, his takers n'ihoer
eftcen. and it, as l said, the claim OF ulree OF
four 10 be there might be disputed TWO WIN
must be included in any catalogue are lH,ntu ~
Ar Russell only to be ridculed, like Sir Fred
nrad
Seldom does he hold the balance quite even Inc
rordict 70 be given in such case must he Il
o6rora1 verdict Individual prepossesSions ana
nreiudces ught TO be put aside ana ne HIS hoo
mt them aside. If praise or blame be a""rueu
on purely PERSONAL grounds. the personal motives
ought to be set out; or, if Mr.. Russell has one
opinion and the world another, tins divergence
also ought TO be admitted. Society Is an eLsuio
,rord and for such purposes talk and takers
must be held 10 include not only those VINO are
always TO be seen but those also who are some
limos N be seen There are names on Mr. Rus
soils list that would not be recognized by the
butterflies: so there will be on mine, but under
take TO mention one who does nov a1 tlheS
enter some one of the magic circles within whose
outer circumference included SO many various
sets and chques and coterles
The two most marked omissions from Russells
catalogue are perhaps the two l named above,
Lord Randolph Churchill and Lord Roscbery.
Neither of them is often TO be met in those social
entertainments known as drums or parties or balls
nor does any one of these functions oher on oc-
casion for creating reputation for good talk.
The dinner-table the drawing-room, the smoking
room. the country house, sometimes the club,
sop,et;mes the covert-sde-this is where talk is TO
he heard and it must be remembered that no talk
Is good unless it is good for the particular place
or occasion when it is heard. Lard RoseDery has
manner of his own, and more manners than
one but he always has urbanty. and always
Hohtncss of touch. 1t is said he dshkes TO be
-, os q student II that be So he has only