The Irish standard., 1891-08-01

| even widely known aG ELOn. lie WA
seen to the greatest advantage, and wa
most thoroughly at home in the debate
of the Elton Society and in the editor
ship of the Elton Miscellany
The Elton Society in Gladstone's da.
was remarkable group of brilliant
boys. Its meetings we're held ovel
Miss Hatton's ''sock- shop" It's tone
was intensely Tory. Current politics
we're forbidden subjects, but politica
opinion disclosed itself through the
thin disguise of historical or academica]
questions. The execution Of Strafford
and Charles l., the characters of Oliver
Cromwell and Milton, the "Contrat
Social'' of Rousseau, and the events of
the French Revolution. laid bare the
speakers political tendencies as effect.
ually as ii the conduct Of Queen Caro-
line, the foreign policy of Lord Castle.
reagh, Or the repeal of the Test and
Corporation Act had been the subject
OF debate.
In journalisrn-Mr. Gladstone edited
the Eton Miscellany from June i, 1927,
until the following December-he was
versatile, but not upon the whole sue
cessful. ''He wrote prologues, cpl
logues, leading articles, historical es-
says, satirical sketches, classical trans
lations, and humorous poetry" Proba'
bly, lew journalists OF to-day could turn
their hands to so many things. But,
unfortunately for Mr.. Gladstone, he
had a style, and this style was about as
ill-itted for journalism as it we'll could
be. Read the following tribute to Mr.
Canning, which. from Mr.. Russelps
point of view, is "full OF feeling and
rhetorical torce'':-
It is for those who revered him in the
plenitude of his meridian glory to
mourn over him in the darkness OF his
premature extinction; to mourn over
the hopes that are buried in his grave,
and the evils that arise from his with
drawing from the scene Of life. Surely
il eloquence never excelled and seldom
equalled--it an expanded mind and
Judgment whose vigor was paral-
leled only by its soundness-if brilliant
wifi a glowing imagination-if a
warm heart, and an unbending firpq~
ness--could have strengthened the frail
tenure, and prolonged the momentary
durat1on of human existence, that man
had been immortal ! But nature could
endure no longer. Thus has Provi-
dence ordained that inasmuch as the
intellect is more brilliant, it shall be
more snort-ljved; as it's sphere is more
expanded, more aWiftly is it summoned
away. Lest we should give TO man the
honor due to Coolest we should ex-
al5 Che object OF our admiration into a
DIVINITY for our Rorship-He who calls
the weary aud the mourner TO eternal
rest hath been pleased to remove him
from our eyes.
There may be "rhetorical torce'' in
this, as, in deed, there may be in Daily
Telegraph article; but, for our own part
we completely fail TO recognize it.
Mr.. Gladstone left Eton at Christmas
1927, and, having read for six months
with private tutors, went up to Christ
Church in October, 1928. Here, as at
Elton, his chief distinction was his elo-
quence. He took brief, but brilliant
share in the proceedings Of the Union,
of which he was successivelv secretary
and president,
His great achievement was his speech
against the Whig Reform Bill. This,
10y che way, was unearthed by Disreli,
andtused 1n,debate many years after
wards. In April, 1881, Arthur Hal
lam writes: II have had q long letter
from Gladstone; he is very bitter
against the Reform Bills" and when he
came to deliver hi, sentiments in de-
bate his genuine Indignation raised him
to an unusual pitch OF eloquence. He
denounced the bill as destined to
change Our form of government, and to
break up the foundations of social or.
der. One who heard this famous dis
course says that it converted Alston,
the son of the member for Hertford,
who Immediately on the conclusion Of
Gladstone's speech walked across from
the Whig to the Tory size OF the House
amidst loud acclamations. Another
who heard il SAYS: "Most OF the speak
ers rose, more or less, above their usual
level. but when Mr.. Gladstone sat down
we all of US felt that an epoch in our
lives had occurred. 1t certainly was the
finest speech Of his that l eyer heard. y
Bishop Charles Wordsworth says that
his experience of MIR. Gladstone at this
time "made me land, I doubt not,
others also) feel no less sure than of my
own existence that Gladstone, our then
Christ Church undergraduate would
one day rise to be Prime Minister of
England
MIR. Russell thinks that the distinctly
religious effect of Oxford on Mr.. Glad
stones mind was perhaps less direct
than has been generally supposed. The
Catholic Revival had not begun, and