New-York tribune., 1891-05-08
PRIMROSE oRAToRY.
WITH SOME POINTS OF CONTRAST BETWEEN
ORAToRY AS PRACTTSED BY MR. GLAD
STONE AND BY LORD SALISBURY.

ORATORY AS PRACIlSED DI oiit' OLAD-
STONE AND BY LORD SALISBURY.
London, April 25.
A political organization with million Of mem.
bers may well he called formidable political
force. Such is the Primrose League, with all
those quaint ceremonies and formalitics and
strange names which, TO Its opponents, seem
but foolshness-all mummery and fummery, says
one of them perhaps in temper. knights and
Danes and Habitations and Grand Masters and
vice-ChancelIors are titles which seem to belong
to the Middle Ages; or TO be borrowed, some
of them, from the Freemasons and other secret
societies None the less is the Primrose League
an organization of to-day and entirely modern
in its aims and methods of working. Its name
was borrowed from Lord Beaconsfeld's flower; or
from that which tradition has seized upon as
his favorite. There is no evidence that he cared
for it more than for any other, but of how many
more solemn myths is not the origin equally
obscure?
When the League was started IL was derided
even by those who were not long after 70 profit
by its labors. The Liberals, of course. laughed
at il. They have since laughed on the other side
of their liberal mouths. They have come TO see
that it is one of the most efficient political instfu-
ments ever invented. They have paid IL the
highest compliment; they have tried 10 initiate it;
with none too great success. The Womens
Liberal Federation has but precarious hold on
life, or on public admiration. Compared with the
Primrose League 10 is nowhere. limitations seldom
answer and this has answered no better than the
rest The League has a social basis, and social
conditions very different in the Conservative
and Gadstonian parties. It's founders took some
account of human nature. They did not disdain
human weaknesses: they rather encouraged them,
traded on them, or at last took advantage OF
them. They brought the classes into contact with
the masses. The antithesis has gone out Of
fashion. and its author uses u infrequenty,
and seems less proud of it than when he invented
it In certain athletic sports the higher and
lower classes of this country have always mingled;
in cricket, for example 1t was effort OF genius
to transfer the traditions of the crcketed TO the
dusty arena Of politics. believe Lord Randolph
Churchill was the first who saw what possibilities
lay in this direction. He conceived the Primrose
League; took il In hand when his colleagues In
public life neglected and despised it; breathed
into it the breath Of life. He was not afraid to
associate women with this new work-indeed, that
association lay at the root Of the whole thing.
Lady Randolph Churchill's name is the first on
the long list Of members.
Lord Randolph has passed out Of politics. tenn
porarily, and is sailing away to Mashonaland In
search Of gold-felds. Lord Salisbury. who has
succeeded to other inheritances and benefited
by other ideas of which Lord Randolph is the
rightful owner, cheerfully takes the lead of the
Primrose League in these days Of its prosperity
and power. He is the Grand Master. He pre-
sided this week over its "annual grand habta-
ton" in the Royal Opera House. Covent Garden.
Last year or year before the presiding officer on
similar occasion was Lord Randolph's mother,
the Dowager Duchess Of Marlborough, g lady to
whom the League owes much. Ceremony is car
ried far in these annual celebrations. The opera
house at Covent Garden holds nearly 1000 people,
and was crowded. The galleries were hung with
banners, the stage hung with more banners and
filed with palms and flowers and ferns and Celeb
rites. A military band played. The National
Anthem was sung by the Countess Of Radnor, per-
haps better known to the musical world as Vis-
countess Folkestone And at o'clock in the
afternoon came Lord Salisbury, Lady Salisbury
with him, to the greeting of loud cheers from this
miscellaneous multitude.
Lord Salisbury's oratory was worthy Of the
occasion; seldom does it fall below the occasion.
He is if ever political leader were, aristocrat
and not a democrat, yet he has the art Of appeal
ing to popular instincts. His ideas may or may
not be popular: often they are not But he has
accessible, and his mind moves in way which Is
always interesting. He is an adept in the occult
art of putting things. and. when he cares. can
be almost as subtle as Mr. Gladstone himself.
There is something in his way Of describing the
Primrose League which may remind you of his
great rival. He referred to the " small general
election" the contest for six suddenly vacated
seats now going on or lately decided The Prim-
rose League like all lovers Of their country"
feel deep interest in these electoral contests but
they do not admit that success at
any particular election is the aim or
limit of their efforts.
They are an institution for operating upon the
convictions and affections Of the people Of this
country, and when they have carried home
to them the full sense Of the interests that are
in issue, and Of the dangers that are impend-
ing, they may be quite certain that electoral
success will follow in their train"
That is perhaps more concise and more cx-
press than Mr.. Gladstone often cares TO be, but
his American admirers will recognize something
of his habit of approaching subject from sew
eral points of view-I was going TO say at the
same time, but as Irish methods are just row
not in fashion, will say successively. Between
the beginning and the end of q sentence he has
surveyed his object on more sides than one, and
he gives you in the interval between substantive
and verb, an account of q whole series Of i'm
pressions.
If the comparison between Lord Salisbury and
Mr.. Gladstone were 10 be continued, it might
have interesting results To complete it would
be long business and points in it may be in
dicated briefly. Mr.. Gladstone is notoriousy de-
void of, or / will say deficient in, humor. Lord
Salisbury has plenty of it; commonly of cyni-
cal kind When he comes, all men, alas must
come to the Irish question, what relief to
find him at moments sinking the soemnities! He
lets his mind play freely. lie has to discuss
the intervention Of the Church of Rome IN Irish
politics; matter on which Mr. Gladstone would
assume the most protentous tone. Lord Salisbury
says:
al have great reverence for the lawn sleeves