Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-01-23
eLApsToNE,s oRAToRY.
An Enthusiastic Admirer Describes 1t as 1t
Once Affected Him.

An Enthusiastic Admirer Describes 1t as 1t
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 out; 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 If spot of light flashed from
dim cloud.
In the fighting times the great speak
er's eye is restless in the extreme; the
cleaning Of it is 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-
tion, anger, restlessness we're 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
man going straight at desperate OBJ
stacle were gentle and steady. Then
the old man rose and began to speak. I
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 accent; 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
moro 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 very large photograph of an
exquisite rood screen, and he used
this with consummate skill. He had
been speaking about the companies oi
workmen in the middle ages, and he
made his great point by saying; Now
/ want you to observe that this perfect
work of art was not produced in any
great center Of population, nor do We
owe it to any renowned master; 1t was
done by q man who fitted up little
church in village near Hereford, an(
this man who carved the masterpiece
which exhibit was probably unknown
beyond the bounds of his own immediate
district"
Mr.. Gladstone had proved his point
he had impressed on us all the fact tina
technical education in the thirteenth
century was most thorough, and h,
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 do no
think that any one has bettered that ut
terance on technical education yer,
much. You will not kill me If I sa,
that l wish our orator had kept to tn
same subject ever since. London Star