Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-01-17
oLADsToNE's oRAToRY.
AN Enthusia tic Admirer Describes II as It
Once Affected Him.

Once Affected Him.
II you see Mr.. Gladstone in fighting
trim on big stage like those which
used to be put up on Blackheath, you
will find that all the faces around him
seemed to be blurred ont; and that
fierce head, with the deep, dark lines
stretching from the tremulous nostrils
to the points of the massive jaw, draws
your eye as II spot of htfashed from
dim cloud.
In the fighting times the great speak
er's eye is restless in the extreme; the
cleaning OF tits like flashes of black
lightning, but on that evening when he
talked about workmen and work he
seemed to have got new face and new
expression. The tremendous power of
the man was lulled to inaction; he look
ed like some sweet old priest who had
long forgot the war Of the world; ambi-
ton, anger, restlessness were all gone,
and his serene and splendid quietness
made one think Of the calm of some i'm
mortal sunset. The black eyes that
usually remind you of an eager horse
ran going straight at a desperate OBJ
stacle were gentle and steady. Then
the old man rose and began to speak. /
actually thought to myself: "Why, he's
got new voice for the occasion"
Softly the silver tones floated over the
mute audience; the quaint, old-fashion-
ed courtesies were distributed, and then
the matchless talker wound into his
subject.
You soon forget that delicious suspi-
cion of provincial accents you only
hear the soft resonance Of the voice,
varied by those curious lapses Of rich
huskiness. 1t was hard to know where
the great orator was going at first, for
he flung out so many threads Of argu-
ment; but he knew whittier he was tend
ing-if we did not; gradually he gather
ed every skein of his reasoning into one
compact line, and he closed his speech,
leaving every one of the bewitched au-
dience convinced that there was nothing
more to be said on the matter. Mr..
Gladstone pleaded for the ordinary
workman; he thought that the most OBJ
scure Of artisans should have his sense
Of beauty and proportion so trained that
English work might be beautiful as well
as strong and sound. Then he suddenly
produced a very large photograph of an
exquisite rood screen, and he used
this with consummate skill. He had
been speaking about the companies o.
workmen in the middle ages, and he
made his great point by saying: Now
I'want you to observe that this perfec
work of art was not produced in any
great center of population, nor do w
owe it to any renowned master; it wa
done by man who fitted up LITTLE
church in a village near Hereford, an(
: this man who carved the masterpiece,
t which exhibit was probably unknown
. beyond the bounds of his own immediat
district"
Mr. Gladstone had proved his point
e he had impressed on us all the fact tina
: technical education in the thirteenth
1 century was most thorough, and h
n asked our modern workers to aim at re
. viving the ancient culture of the manua
labor. The audience woke from tn
spell; there was the usual crash of cheer
ing, and the gentle sweet-toned oil
: priest departed. Personally l do nc
: think that any one has bettered that u
= terance on technical education yer
!. much. You will not kill me if sa
that wish our orator had kept to tn
y same subject ever since. London Star.