Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-01-06
GLADsroNE;s LOVE OF BEADING

u
when the Great English Statesman |
Tires of Politics He Turns to Books. |
When Mr.. Gladstone tires of politics he |
turns to literature, and no man in the three
kingdoms has wider range of books to |
select from, for, just at present, or rather |
since the day that he reviewed Mrs. Hum
phrey Wards "Robert Elsmere," and gave
that much discussed book an impetus that it |
would not have obtained otherwise, authors,
young and old, and publishers, good and bad,
have flooded the Grand Old Man with Iitera- |
ture of all kinds. Says Edward W. Box in
the December's Ladies' Home journal: It is
hardly necessary to point out the value of
the review that Mr.. Gladstone gave Mrs. |
Wards book, from commercial point. A
great many people in England still insist
that it is vastly overrated book and that if
it had not been for the attention which Mr..
Gladstone paid it, it would have run its
slow length of few thousand copies and
died as many better or worse books do
every twelvemonth. Be that as it may, it
is sufficient for Mr.. Gladstone to lend his
name to any literary publication to give it a
prominence that it could not otherwise OBJ
tain, and his library table is crowded with
books on religion, on Statecraft, philosophy
and romance, sent by authors and PUBLISH
ers.
MIR. Gladstone is in every respect . grea
reader. He spends more time now in readis
books than he did twenty five years a0
Anything and everything that comes to
is grist to his mill. he doesn't mind wsd
through chapter after chapter If he only &
kernel of truth or nugget of pure gold
the end. He is particularly fond of boo]
! travel and politics and there is no cou
| that interests him 80 much as Americ
| people and its politicians. A great de-
his reading is done "a q matter of dut
| work, if you please, and after he has fin
that and is 90 thoroughly tired out thai
men would take to the woods or to
room, the great statesman turns to hiq
or Greek for rest and repose. If ther
subject dear to his heart, after poll tie
Statecraft, 1t Is religion. He has no fa,
uthors; he finds good in all schools q,
| says indeed it must be q very poor Ito
can't find something to say that vi II in
| even the busiest of men and the mo e ies
He has the faculty of skimmina thro
book and getting the salient poiI 5ts in
hours.
To Americans it will be of ints reat to
that Mr.. Gladstone receives laroe nm
of American newspapers and maoszines
that he is very we'll informed On ali Gu
American topics. He keep several !
taries busy, and when he 6nds . str
point in book or newspapl r. he tnrr.
the page or marks It to be cIinned I
daughter, Miss Helen Glad stone. nr hi.
or one of his secretaries, d nd. strsnoa r.
he can turn to It yes m afterwsrd
moments notlce. he q Is wonderful
ory, too, and knows q great deal mo,
American men OF lei Eers than most p
would suppose: De s an intense admir-
James Russell Lowell and Brete Harts.
value and is con1 Family adding toit. I
one of the few reat men of the world "
not ashamed % be seen alone in the 8,
and he Otter 81 spends an hour or so in
old book Sellers shop on tho Strand
Cornhil1 he is the owner of many rar.
valuat le works, and whenever there
imp EBftaat book sale either his son He
q one Of his secretaries is present to b
any rare volume that may Re offered.
has spent fortune on his library, and
9n annoyed by the cares Of political life al
The finds rest and contentment there.