The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-01-13
Mr.. Gladstone ON Immortality.

Enslands grand old man" has Just
turned into his eighty-seventh year.
and though his eye Is not wholly un-
dimmed. yet is his natural strength OF
body and mind wonderfully preserved.
OF him It eau well be said chat age has
not wtthered his '4nflnfte vanity" This
fact is shown by the busy intellectual
life he Is still leading. After sixty odd
years OF continuous public service. dur
tng which he has held the premiership
four times, he has thrown on the cares
Of state TO devote himself not TO the
rest that rusts," but to the pleasures OF
literary labor, such as he has always
Delighted in. His fertile pen is hard at
work on certain eonsenlal themes that
seem especially appropriate to his well
spent and far spent life.
While. however, he has retired from
ofice, he has not removed himself from
.'the cause that lacks assistance" as
witness his late vigorous aETaignment
OF the "unspeakabIe Turk" and, his
stu later declaration in favor OF peace
between England and this country. he
keeps his well trained eye on public af-
fairs, as occasion arises. but mean
while. In the peace 81 his family and
his library, devotes mis- vast experience
and his ripe scholarship to the uphold
ing OF certain views that lie very close
to his moral and religious nature.
Mr.. Gladstone Is the one dIstInctIvely
religious man who has guided British
aftairs in latter days. There have been
premiers OF course who were called
jealous churchmen. but that Is a poIIt-
zeal rather than personal form OF ex-
preston and means little else than zeal
for the establishment" aud the patron
age thereof. The average country
squire in England is u person OF that
sort, Of whom II has been written that
He'll smoke. he'll drink. heJl tip the wink,
He'll bet you nifty pounds, sir,
And when tbs morn he'll Join the horn
And tally.ho the hounds, sir.
Mr.. Gladstone Is not a jealous
cturchman of that sort. In fact. he Is
not political churchman at all. Indeed
he Is under the ban OF the policy OF the
church in that respect, They regard
his indifference to the fate of the "es-
tabllshment" In Wales. and his active
hostility 10 and final adjustment OF II
in ireland. as an indication that he Is
more OF "dlssenter" than of a church.
man. Hence, he has had their hostility
in English politics for many years.
All the same. however. Mr.. Gladstone
lisa very jealous churchman as regards
all things personal to himself At the
little church at his home ut Hawarden
where he worshIps. he often reads
the service for his neIghbors, and they
all know him as Albright cxemplnr OF
his profession. He has n well defined
status OF this sort in England. and no
man ever had in modern times such n
strong hold on the religious sentiments
OF the masses as he has enjoyed. When
he resigned the premiership two years
ago and was succeeded by n horse rae.
ing lord who frequcnted the Derby. the
Liberal party began to crumbIe under
the alienation OF that sentiment, md
now 1t Is MS badly aggregated as at any
time In lta history. As the Tories ex-
pressed 1t. the dissenting conscience"
Of England and Wales and Scotland re-
fused 10 follow Lord Roscbory on the
race course, but chose rather to follow
Mr. Gladstone Into retirement.
These are some OF the nntecedents o,
: the venerable English Statesman who Is
now writing n series Of articles for the
North American Review under tho
heading 1.-THE Future Life and the Con.