St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-04-11
GLADSTONE ON JOHN BRIGHT.


ment of his removal from us He
lived to see the triumph of almost
every great cause to which h,
specially devoted his heart and mind
He has established a special claim tC
the admiration of those from whom
he differed through his long politica
life by marked concurrence with then
upon the prominent and dominant
question of the hour. While he ha:
in that way opened the minds and
hearts of those with whom he differ
ed to appreciation of his merits, he
has lost nothing by that concord
with them on the particular subject
we so much represent. Though Mr.
Bright came to be separated from
the great bulk of the liberals on the
Irish question, on no single occasion
has there been any word of disparage
ment, | acknowledge that | have
not through my whole political life
fully embraced the character of Mr.
Bright and the value of that charac
ter to the country. l say this be-
cause it was at 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 had laid
upon the confidence of the people.
was one of those who did not agree
with the particular views he took o.
the Crimean contest, but felt pro
foundry and never ceased to think
what must have been the moral ele
walton of men who, nurtured all their
lives in the temple of popular ap-
prevail, could at a moments notice
consent to part with the whole OF
that favor they enjoyed, which OppO-
nents might think the very breath OF
their nostrils. They accepted I'M
doubted unpopularity, for that wal
commanded the enormous approval
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 leaders and what
splendid examples they could set their
contemporaries.
Among other gifts, Mr.. Bright was
delighted to be one of the chief guar
dians of the purity of the English
tongue He knew how the character
of q nation is associated with its
language. He was enabled, as an
Englishman profoundly attached to
his country, the tongue of the people
being to him almost an object OF
worship, to preserve the purity of the
language of Shakespeare and Milton
Another circumstance of his career is
better known to me than to 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 In the crisis of 1868, when
the fate of the Irish church hung in
the balance, it was my duty to pro
pose to Mr. Bright that he become a
minister [ never undertook so diff
cult a task. From II o'clock at
night until 1 o'clock in the morning
we steadily debated the subject. 1t
was only at the last moment that he
found it possible to set aside the re
pugnance he felt at doing anything
that might in the eyes of anyone
even of the more ignorant class of his
cOuntrymen, appear to detract in the
slightest degree from that lofty in
dependence of character which Ihave
mentioned, and which never through
out his career was held i'll doubt.
1t was a happy lot to unite SO
many attractive qualities. If | had
to dwell upon them alone, should
present a dazzling picture to the
world. 1t was a happier lot to teach
moral lessons by simplicity, consist
ency, unfailing courage and cOnstan-
cy of life, thus presenting a combina-
ton of qualities that carried us to a
higher atmosphere His sympathies
were not strong only, but active
not synpathies awaiting calls to be
made upon them, but sympathies OF
a man seeking objects upon which to
bestOw the inestimable advantages
of eloquence and courage. In Ire
land, when support of the Irish cause
was rare; in India, when support OF
the native cause was rarer still; in
America, at the time when Mr..
Bright, foreseeing the ultimate issue
of the great struggle of 1861, stood
as the representative of an exceeding
ly small portion of the educated COM
munity of the country, although un-
doubtedly representing a large part
of the national sentiment. In all
these cases Mr. Bright went far out
side the necessities of his calling.
Whatever touched him as a man OF
the great AnglO-SaXOn race, what
ever touched him as a subject, OBJ
tanned, unasked, his sincere, earnest
and enthusiastic aid All causes have
his powerful advocacy made a dis
tinct advance in the estimation of the
world and distinct progress toward
triumphant success. Thus it has
come about that he is entitled to a
higher eulogy than is due to success.
OF mere success, indeed, he was a
conspicuous example. In intellect he
might claim a most distinguished
place But his character lies deeper
than intellect, deeper than eloquence,
deeper than anything that can be de-
scribed or that can be seen upon the
surface. The supreme eulogy that is
his due is that he elevated political
life to the highest point-to loftier
standard than it had ever reached
He has bequeathed to his country a
character that can not only be made
a subject for admira ton and graft
tude, but-and do not exaggerate
when | say it-that can become an
object of reverential cOntempla ton.
In the encomiums that come from
every quarter there is not a note of
dissOnance. | do not know of any
statesman of my time who had the
happiness of receiving, on removal
from this passing world, the honor of
approval at once so enthusiastic, so
universal and so unbroken. Yet none
could better dispense with the trib-