The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-04-17
Mr.. GLADSTONE AT WORK.
a busy Man with Passion for savino
the Minutes.

nusy Man with a Passion for sayin
the Minutes.
Three writing tables stand in tn
hawarden castle library, and not one O
them is for show. At one table Mrs
GLADSTONE writes many of her letters
the second, standing between two win
uows' is Mr.. Gladstone's political desk
~ looks now too neat, too tidy, by far
Tor the taste of any Gladstonian nolit;
cian; the plotting pad has an unused
ar about it; the pen-wipers, racks
KNIVES and other appurtenances stand
about with mathematical precision
winch means want of use, and there is
neither note nor leafiet to be seen. The
pontlcal desk, at all events for the pres
ent, must be numbered among the I'M
employed. But turn to the third. the
literary writing table in the niche by
the window, which is the most peaceful
corner in that place of peace. You NAV
there at any time during the day see
slght that will make your heart rejoice,
and that will linger in your mind while
pictures linger there at all.
The whole desk is covered with refer
ence books of all shapes and sizes. They
form wall around three sides, and
there is only an opening in the front Of
the desk just wide enough to allow Mr..
Gladstone to place the sheets of fools
cap on which he writes. There at this
desk the G. 0. M. sat lately all day long,
with very short intervals, absorbed in
Bishop Butler" the man whom ne
gives place among the best of men
who have ever lived. The number of
volumes required by Mr.. Gladstone for
reference is almost endless; he has often
to search through one bulky tome after
the other for some chance paragraph
that may help him to elucidate dark
place in the Analogy" There he sits,
absorbed in his work; now writing
rapidly and eagerly for some minutes;
now throwing down his pen and dip
ping into one of the books with which |
he has surrounded himself. Some
times specially favored artist has been
admitted to take Mr.. Gladstone's por.
trait, but it is on express condition that
The sitter" shall not in any way be dis
.racted from his work. Not once does
Mr.. Gladstone's attention flag, though
,ou may perchance be sauntering about
he room in company with a member
# his family, or be privileged to have
hat with Mrs. Gladstone as, in loving
ride in all her husbands doings, she
POINTS out to you this, that or the other
# the objects in the library to which at
aches special interest for him. Not
hat Mr.. Gladstone is altogether indif-
arent to violent interruptions. In
act, he objects to them strongly, and
e does not hesitate to say SO. But .
hen it happens that he himself has in ,
tied you to .'come into my room," he
'rgive you if you appear while he is |
work, and works on, undisturbed by {
our presence or your voice, with an 6
osorption in his occupation which is /
othing short of marvellous. Whatever Y
lie work may be which he has in hand, s
takes hold of him so entirely that he b
is to be aroused from it as most people q
e reused from sleep. Mr.. Gladstone d
,es not, as rule, care to talk of his Il
iosyncrasies, since he holds the sin s
re opinion that he is very much like O
e rest of the world. But he acknowl-
ges that his faculty of concentration
his special gift, the one by which he :,
distinguished from other people. y
reason why Mr.. Gladstone -
is through so astounding an amount
work is his extraordinary habit of Ia
ing up odds and ends of time. One ~
y, not long ago, he was going out for
drive into Chester after luncheon. a,
$ pudding was very hot, so he went OF
ny from the table, changed his
thes, got ready for the drive and
ne back and finished his pudding,
is saving the ten minutes during Up
ich his pudding cooled! So
from ten a. m. to luncheon time Mr.. wi
dstone spends regularly in the Ii
ry, hard at work. But when the
lg sounds he puts down his pen, for
mptness in everything has become a
ond nature to him, and he is proba-
in the dining-room before anyone
arrives. PETE alone, if that little
lture can arrange it so, is as prompt
his master, for his two ruling pas
ls-love for his master and love for
into play at the sound
he luncheon gong. = Westminster
cite.