The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-10
Mr.. Gladstonc's Methods Of Work.

Mr.. Glatlstonc's Methods Of Work.
Mr.. W. 7. STEAD has lately interviewed
| Mr. GIApsroN. about his habits OF life and
! work. aud the substance OF what no learned
Is published in the May number Of the
Rcritr Of RericEs. Nothing that has hith-
erto appeared in print about the great
leader OF the Liberals. 50 helps US to COM
prehend his retention Of mental energy to
degree which. in view Of his advanced
age. must be regarded as extraordinary.
| Among the significant data here collected
| should I've noted. first Of all. the fact that
| Mr.. GLADSTONE has enjoyed singuarly good
health from his youth upward. We are told
tina. he has had scarcely a days illness
since he was married. When he finds him.
self indiSposei. he goes to bed and remains
there. He IS great believer in the restora-
| tive virtues Of lying in bed. Such being his
recognition " the hygienic usefulness Of
rest. we should expect him to be kecnly alive
! to the i'm portance Of sleep. He is so. All his
life he has been sound sleeper. and he pos
scsscs the gift Of sleeping at will. Prom
this point OF view Mr.. STEAD compares him
, with NAroLEoN BoSArARrE. but the latter
ouiluS tIc SicHtSR khtt Va
career stinted himself OF sleep. q fact which
perhaps accounts for his becoming prema-
| turely old. During the eventful years be-
! tween Marengo and Lcipsic NAPOLEON sell
dom slept more than four and often but
two hours in the twenty-iour. Nature
avenged herself by making him oversleep
himself on the momentous night before
| Waterloo. On the other hand. seven hours
sleep is Mr.. GLApsroNE's fixed allowance
Of which. II seems. he never suffers himself
to he defraudei. In the most exciting po-
| li,iral crisis no has the power OF putting
public affairs out Of his head when he goes
to bed. and Of not recurring to them till he
gets up in the morning. Only once during
his career has he los: his sleep. and that
was owing to tho anxiety excited by the
troubles in the Soudan and the perilous Sit
ua;ion Of Gen. GORDON.
We are told that the distinguishing traits
Of Mr.. GLADSTONE. considered rs a states
man and man OF business. are; First. pre-
dominant instinct for order: secondly. q
faculty for elicitirg the best services which
secretaries and adjuucts Tan render:
thirdly. a phenomenally tenacious mem-
ory: and finally re.aa. Sab,s power of
concentration on the one hanl. ami on the
other Of instantly divery!uS his thoughts
from any given subject. As regards the
first two characteristics mentioned. we
learn that Mr.. GIApsruNE GsHn,S plenty
u! pigeonholes an Indispensable adjunct o.
private secretary, and tina. when be- MIS-
Prime Minister he KEEP: ;h-se s+c-e,A.ies
and six nests .! piSroahoses CONTINUALLY
employed. II is interesting 70 hear ,AAs
Las. -.
10 the Church and 6, questions os ecetss..
ss.icai prc.e-men.. III addition tn the SIX
nests II p.seoaho,es which wen used tyuG:.
day - Iay. iacVr were whsy ;aGy ~ ea,.eI
historical rerrp,acie> tri trur, the Others ey
- sys.cm II periodical. weddings, snd 81 ea.s>-
tUl" that Mr.. GLADSTONE coe!t q, acy
moment lay his hand on any paper tina;
hal come ,s'.o-r hin, si:,ro he entered
! oalIe. We may add she: al Photographic
lrtirrs OF Mr.. GLAl,sruNE's arr copied. and
tie copies a:o !iled III Downing street,
! 0t,Vursc. all this elaborate apparatus Of
! ptsconho.cs WOULD * OF hut little service
wore not Mr.. GLAnSr,Nr's memory unusu-
! ally rUtrniivr, No, only, Va arc told does
IL ,Nno.Hnor everything. tug hv knows
whrIr c>rgy fact can b vrrNe,t. All his
| data Arr tahula,,a N his mind and drawn
| M ready for instant mobilization. Accord
! ing ~ Mr. Sre\p. II is this almost terrible
! capacity ~! rcminlsccalr which makes Mr.
| GI.ApsroNc So a,s-olu,c IN his own Cabinet.
| Cnlucky is the Minister who ventures 10
| dispute the cSss;en,r ar the Significance NJ
| precedent aIiur,'I by his ch;ct. Tho lat
! ter NJ once pencils = mole Ia u privats score.
| tary. asking hin! IA prNIWtc from such and
such piss,Nnhoic, ~ such and such year,
! u n,rmpIapauG,, which, on hcnS exhibited,
bears nut Mr., Gl.AnS n,SEs version in every
| pal ocular. oar such disc n!u:l,ur j. cuoush
10 cnIvinS' u colleague that silence is
safety and assent mark ": wisdom.
Il would mmai!es,ly l." impossible for Mr.,
Gl.ApSIuNE IA a,NNimpl!sh The enormous
amount of work undertaken by him whon
In pnlcc. ualess he io.'cas,~, in u supcratiyr
dcEl,S the power " concentrated rhis
faculty. wu neri no, say. ingles tho ~.
pa.itr " sulL, nly and ,mMetr. changing
the current u. Thought f,nrI one subject 10
another. Nothing pNN>rupirs him lougcr
than he chooses IA lot II prras'upy hum.
According IA Mr., S.ls\p, his hsS,d s,rms
built IN watrr-,i.hi r,m,HImcuts. aud,
after thing ,hr lobe ~ tho hrain which ,leais
with lr,'laud, he will seal il Wp, 80 Ia speak.
and riuu.e hoai.onG into ~'t."siastivism ~
ceramics ar an,!sr,iusy, We aw told that,
Instead W reading nGn hsS continuously
Ill. Nv has Nptshri II, he usually has tasSr
baos- uadc. May ~ thc sAiNN u,uc, rAans
ing flon o1e az them Ia the other. when ia
rrxard To any one subject It's mind has