The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-25

IuuCy
which had so wonderful effect on the
people Of Janina"? The Grand Vizier
himself remarked and evidently covet-
ed 1t. Curious that while Disraeli is
rcveling in these and similar glorics he
can call Bulwer ''supmtpous and fam
tastic."
THE CLEVEREST OF ALL.
These are only a few of many signs,
repeated over long stretch of years,
that, though Disraeli's bizarre attire
was calculated means of attention.
it pleased something in his remarkably
sane mind at the same time. Toward
the end of his life. indeed, he scOrnfully
denied the black satin shirts. the lace
ruiiies the diamond rings over white
kid gloves, as stupid and ridiculous in
ventiOns. He did so in letter ad
dressed to the writer of these pages.
But Lady Dufferin's account Of his
array when she first met him is not
the only one of its nearly incredible
kind; and Lord Dalling (Sir Henry Bull
wer) told me of Il really memorable
little dinner party which is more Illus
trative of this high matter than any Of
them: wherefore IL Is repeated here,
though ! told the forgotten tale some
years ago. As everybody has read.
one of Disraelis first friends in the
world of genius and fashion was Sir
Edward LyttOn Bulwer. And" said
Lord Dalling. I'VE heard SO much at
that time of Edwards amazingly bril-
liant new friend that we were the most
disinclined to make his aCquaintanCc.'
At length. however. Sir Edward got
up a little dinner party to convince his
dOubtcrs. 1t was to meet at the early
hour of those days at one of the Pic
cadil!y hotels. There was my brother,
Alexander Cockburn: myself and q
think) Milnes: but, for a considera bic
time, no Mr.. Disrael. Waiting for Mr..
Dsraeli did not enhance the pleasure
of meeting him; nor when he did come
did his appearance predispose us in his
favor. He wore green velvet trousers,
n canary -colOred waistcoat. low shoes
with silver buckles, lace at his wrists
and his hair in rinGlets.' l forget how
the coat was described, but it was no
ordinary coat. I'VE sat down. Not one
of US was more than tive-and-twcnty
ycacs old. We were all--if you Will
allow me to include mvself-all on the
road to distinction. all clever, all am
bilious. and all with perfect conccit
of ourselves. Yet, if. on leaving the
table, we had been severally taken
aside and asked which was the clever
est of the party, there would have been
only one answer. w Sntul'l IldNc DtVii
obliged to say, The man in the green
velvet trousers.
In considering what Disraeli was.
rather than what he did, the more
noticeable thing in all this is not the
success, but the attempt; | mean the
method of the attempt. We see here
the earliest manifestation-in it's draw
backs, to be sure-Of what gave Disrali
his distinction over every other states
man of his time. England was his
country: he was earnest for its good
and it's renown; but he was un-English
quite. Bred in England. where all his
associates were. he was in mind and
intellect completely alien land therefore
his calculated surprises overshot the
mark in Il way and to a degree that he
was inscnsble of. Those congenial af-
fections of his were pushed to an eX-
treme in order to make an impression
to fix attention on himself as a self
steering, self-contident, challenging
potentality; but. as have said before,
he could not have gone to such lengths
il he had owned any share in the pecu-
liar sensibilities and prepossesisons of
those among whom he was making
way. Had he been more Of a Briton,
he would have shrunk from an expert
ment which might POSSIBLY profit him.
but at cost too dreadful for British
contemplation; ridicule when his back
was turned. At least his English sem
sibilities would have warned him of the
overmuch, arersting the experiment at
some distance short of the excess which
did much more of lasting harm than
temporary good. The tradition of
these absurdities never ceased to color
the general conception of him. Nor
did he ever quite rid himself Of the
iSf 10 I Vof in ha fo
occasion when he declared himself ION
the side of the angels" he dropped in
upon a grave diocesan assembly at Ok
ford in a black velvet shooting jacket
with ''wide-awake" hat.
WHAT GLADSTONE SAID.
Here was proposed affection quite on
the original plan. Other varieties of it
seemed to have no object in the world
except mystificatiOn; and not always,
by any means, was the mystifying to
his own glory. His constant practice
of ALTERATION and his professed con-
tempt for 1t can be explained, but hard
ly such beWilderng contradictions as
he sometimes launched with an evil
dent intention of having them talked
about. OF such was the story that
went the round of the gossip journals
lately with half the point omittcd'
of two emphatic and diametrically op-
posite judgments on English art-the
one publicly delivered at Royal
Academy dinner, the other addressed
fifteen minutes afterward to Mr..
Browning with the first speech still in
his ears. In that speech, what struck
Mr.. pisraeli most when he locked uoon
those walls was the abounding invcn-
tion, the eXuberance of fancy, displayed
in the works which adorned them. In
the other, what struck Mr.. Disraeli
most when he looked upon those walls
was the paucity of invention. the bar
lenness of fancy, which-etc. When
the poet told his tale to Mr.. Gladstone,
Mr.. Gladstone said with manifest con-
viction, Mr.. Browning. | call that
helliSh!" What / myself like less is
the last piece of affection that DisreG.
prhctiscd In the house of common, ;,
For II was his last night in that house:
ana Sir William Fraser tells w. that on
that evening he was believed to bc
really asleep in his place. Not he.
The striking thing is that within
these fantastic maskirgs and disguis-
ings strong. sober Will. q mind thor
| oughly masculine, was carrying him
steadily along the path marked out by
his ambition from the age of eighteen
| Marked out in detail, we might almost
| say. Except for his Jewish birth
which nevertheless was everything tc
him. Disraeli had no such difficulties tc
slirmount as are commonly imagine d
! Though his social position was not emf.
nsnt, it was high enough to make {
| fair start from; his father had som,
distinction, ard the friendship OF rler
more distinguished than himself: and
not least Disracli is said to have ral
| in his sister Sara-a woman Of Ilne in.
te!lect and strong charactcr-a wise
| sympathetic and devoted counsellor
His great lack was the lack of means
which also he seems to have under.
stood and reckonod with at an ear.5
ase, ard not at all in the usual way o.
ambitious boys. II may commit many
| fOllies in lfe." he wrote to his sister
but | never intend to marry for love
which l am sure is a guarantee of in.