Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-17
orrespOndenesof TIE EvrsIxe stan.

but do not think ever saw a man who Is 80
exactly typical OF the Englishman Of leisure as
the Marquis of Salisbury. 1t is favorite sub
ject of conversation with him and he gives all
the credit for his extraordinary ease of manner
to his abiect devotion to method. He has re-
duced his duties and those of his subordinates
TO a condition of machine-like regularity.
The first time 1 ever saw the prime minister
was one morning in st. James park. when he
was taking a constitutional. He is Q tall,
thick-set, heavy man, fifty-nine years of age,
with short neck and bushy beard He was
twisting and swapping his fingers with some
nervousness as he walked along. and l have
learned since that this il his invariabie habit.
It Is the only outward sign OF what Is SAID 10
be an exceedingly nervous temperament-a
temperament kept in control by An IRON Will
Two detectives followed the marquis as ne
walked along. He detests their presence and
has protested against them many times, but
the home secretary il responsible Tor the
safety of the prime minister and has insisted
that he shall be constantly accompanied by
two of the mutton headed members OF the most
dense and hopeless police force in the world
when he goes abroad. The Irish agitators are
the cause of il.
HIS SOCIAL SIDE.
The political side Of the marquis character
is well enough known. Socially, he is an alma
BILE host and entertains lavishly, both at Hat
field and in London. He is, above all, serious
man, and his quiet, reserved and almost sullen
demeanor impresses one as being more or less
affected ct times. For instance, q short time
ago there was q tremendous reception given
by the Constitutional club in London. About
1000 guests were present. They were OF every
conceivable rank, from ambassadors to COM
mercial travellers, and the crush was SO great
that women's jewels and the orders OF men
were torn from them during their strug-
giles to get to the doors and windows FOR air.
1t was a night of suffocsting heat. At 93O-ex-
aetly on schedule time-a team OF bay horses
drew a big state coach up to the main en-
trance of the club. A beefy and highly i'm
pressive coachman sat on the box and two slim
and well-shared lackeys stood on the rumble
behind. The police yelled: Make way for the
prime minister with intense emotion, the
lackeys jumped to the ground, took OF their
hats, threw open the door, and stood with their
barred heads. and the marquis numbered heavily
out, and cumbersomely assisted mlddle-aged
and old-fashioned lady to alight. Then the
prime minister and his wife entered the club
amid terrific cheers. Salisbury wore court
dress and the order of the garter. He looked
neither distinguished nor important, but his
reception was such one as the prince OF Wales
has not received for many years. What struck
me most forcibly about him was the very evil
dent manner in which he showed that he
WAS PRoDIeroUsLY BORED
by the attention he attracted. As rule, when
an eminent parsonage il being cheered wildly
by thousand or two people in Europe So
ciety smile and a series Of affable bows are
forthcoming. II is part Of the etiquette of
greatness. But Salisbury neither smiled nor
bowed. He stumped methodically into the
building with Lady Salisbury on his arm.
passed up the aisle, fought through the crowd
Of ambassadors, ministers and others to the
supper room, made . twenty minutes speech
bowed profoundly, took Lady Salisbury on his
arm and strobe out Of the building, taking the
state coach precisely on the minute it had
been ordered, and drove rapidly away.
LIKE GRANT.
/ never saw but one other man re-
eeive the plaudits Of the crowd with such
an apparent lack of interest. That was
General Grant during q big review. The
Emperor William Of Germany never shows the
slightest emotion when the crowds are cheer
ing him, but he looks over the people with an
air Of some curiosity and interest. Salisbury,
being a nobleman and q man OF vast wealth,
has all of the high-caste preiudices and man.
nerisms Of the English swells. The same man
ner of utter aud somewhat wearied unconcern
which distinguishes the duke of Portland or
the duke Of Beaufort when horse lands win
ner Of the Derby and doubles or divides the
dukes fortune prevailed the marquis Of Sails
bury.
From the highest to the lowest it is always
the same among the nobility Of England. 1t is
not only that they wish to appear uninterested
In what Is going on around them, but they try
to go bit further than this and show that
they are bored by any emotion whatever. 1t is
the characteristic of the caste. 1 know no
higher development in this particular form of
sek-repression than that which Salisbury has
attained
AT A CABINET MEETING
he il invariably the first to arrive and the first
to depart. He listens to his advisers with
studied quiet and entire courtesy and then
makes little speech, puts the responsibility
where it belongs, delegates what action is to be
pursued, closes his brand-new blotter, pushes
his fresh stick Of sealing wax and newly
sharpened pencils aside and rises and departs.
Apparently he is never hurried. and when the
newspapers say with a thrill some morning
''The premier yesterday had a long and exceed
ingly important consultation with the German
ambassador" the information is by no means as
important as it seems to be. A long and
important conversation with the German
ambassador Is something that the marquis of
Salisbury never has, because none Of his con-
versations are long.
HIS DAILY ROUTINE.
The premier arises at o'clock and invariably
takes a walk before breakfast When at his
magnificent country estate he goes out in his
park and very often reels Of three or four
miles before taking his coffee. When in Lon
don it is lis custom to have sharp spin around
the Green park or even in Hyde park before
the day fairly begins 1t is here that he feels
the presence of the Scotland Yard detectives
most severely, for the marquis is rapid walker
and the spectacle of two beefy and red-faced
boobies ploughing excitedly after him dis
turbs his equanimity and his quiet habit of
thought Like many other prominent politi-
cal lights. from Bismarck and Gladstone down.
the marquis is a very light eater. He break
fasts at Q, and at least three hundred days in
the year the meal consists only Of a rasher of
bacon and poached egg. At luncheon and
dinner he Is apt to take q glass of light red
wine, but as often as not he goes entirely with
out drink of any sort
HIS AVERSION TO SMOKING.
He has one hobby and that is an intense
aversion to smoking. Even his own sons never
approached him when putting a cigarette or q
cigar. Unlike most public men, the marquis is
invisible even to his secretaries or steuopra-
pliers in the morning. From breakfast until l
or 2 O'Clock he is absolutely alone, and IL is at
these hours that he INDUCES in whatever med
itation charactefizes his life. Nothing but a
matter Of the utmost stress can reach him be-
fore ! o'clock. IL 10 to be remembered, of
course, that the system which he has intro
duced into the prime minister's office, for the
first time, does away with large share of the
personal labor which men like Disraeu as
sumed. He has three personal secretaries and
their work is so thoroughly graded that only q
very small proportion Of the communications
addressed 10 the prime minister are actuaily