The Irish standard., 1893-08-26
Gladstone and Bright.

One OF MIR. Gladstone's daughters, Mrs.
Drew, has just written very interesting
paper about the premier'e home life.
!! Among other things she says that no
member of the Hawarden household can
for moment compete with the head of
it IN regularity and punctuality. Always
in his library, his "temple of peace" by
! 8 o'clock, he has, if in his usual health,
never been known since the year 1912 to
fail to appear at church three-quarters
of a mile off. Nothing but illness has
ever Kindred him from daily attending
this service. This was only carrying out
q principle which was exemplified in his
earlier days by the prayers which hehad
with his two servants when. young
man, he lodged in the Albany in Lon
don. His strong faith and deep religi-
GUS onvictions are among the most not
able characteristics of this wonderful
old man. Books on theology he is very
| fond Of and they make up large pro-
portion of his example orders from Lon
don booksellers. Every Sunday when
he is at Hawarden--and he is very sell
dom anywhere else on Sunday-he reads
the lesson before the beginning of the
service, and one of the most striking
portraits which have ever been made of
him is the painting by Sydney P. Hall,
the English artist, representing him at
pause in the reading. In connection
with Mfr. Gladstone's religion it may be
noted that there has probably never
been such laboriously conscientious
distributor of ecclesiastical patronage as
he. In his ecclesiastical appointments
he never took politics into consideration.
A conspicuous instance of this may be
mentioned. When it was rumored that
he intended to recommend DR.. Benson
for the vacant see of Canterbury, a poll
tical supporter called to demonstrate
with him. Mr.. Gladstone begged to know
the ground of his objection. ''Tne
Bishop of Truro is strong Tory was
the answer; "but that is not all. He has
joined Mr.. Raikes' election committee at
Cambridge; and it was only last week
| that Raikes made violent personal at
tack upon yourself" "Do you know"
replied Mr.. Gladstone, ':that you have
just supplied me with strong argument
in DR.. Benson's favor? for, If he had
been worldly man or self-seeker, he
would not have done anything SO impru-
dent" One Of the most successful
painters of Mr.. Gladstone, Frank Holl,
also painted a portrait of Mr.. Bright.
When Mr.. Bright was sitting for his por-
trait, SO Mr.. Holl tells the story, the ar
tist hazarded the remark: ut must be
very painful thing for you, Mr.. Bright,
that after all these years you should
have found cause to sever your connec :.
tion?' "Indeed it is, responded Mr..
Bright, with sigh, ''to think that after
we have trodden the same path together,
shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand,
we should be forced apart in the evening
of our lives! And for what? By bogey
that has risen up within him and is
beckoning him away from duty and
sense, by his own Frankenstein's mons
ter. Do you know, Mr.. Holl, I seriously
fear that my dear old friends mind has
really become radically undermined?
When the artist was painting Mr. Glad
stone the subject of Mr.. Bright's por-
trait cropped up. .Ah," said Mr. Glad
stone, with much interest, ''and how do
you find him?" Fairly we'll; and he.