The Irish standard., 1897-07-31
GLADSTONE AND DlsRAELI.
Sketch of the Great Statesmen by
Justin Mccarthy.
THEIR LIFELONG CONTEST.
They Seemed Formed by Nature to
Be Antagonists.

Justin Mccarthy writes as follows in
the Outlook" of the two great parlia-
mentary athletes, Gladstone and Dis
raeli:
In 1852 began the long parliament
ary debate between Gladstone and Dis
raeli which ended only when, at the
close Of the session of 1876, Mr.. Dis
raeli left the house Of commons and
took his place, as he had always meant
to do, sooner or later, in the house OF
lords. The debate was on Mr.. Dis
raeli's budget, and it ended in the de-
feat of the Tory government. Mr.. Dis
raeli never, before or after, spoke with
greater power and sarcasm and bitter
ness and passion than in his final
speech In that debate. It was about
2 o'clock in the morning when Mr..
Gladstone sprang up to reply to him.
Gladstone has got his work cut out for
him." was the comment Of one of the
listeners when Mr.. Gladstone rose to
his feet. He had his work cut out for
him, but he was equal to the work,
and he soon made 1t quite clear that he
was going to do it.
Many members of the house and
listeners in the strangers galleries
thought it hardly possible that, at that
hour Of the morning, and after such a
speech as Disraeli's, any further i'm
preston could be made even by Mr..
Gladstone. But before he had got far
into his speech every one felt that
Gladstone was making greater i'm
preston than even Disraeli had Dro-
duced. 1t has to be borne in MIND
also that Gladstone's speech was nee
essarily unprepared, for he replied point
by point, and almost sentence by SEN
tence to the speech of Mr.. Disraeli.
1t seems to me that from that mo-
ment Mr.. Gladstone's position in the
house of commons was completely es-
tablished.
Then, as have said, began the long
rivalry of these two great parliament
ary athletes. In every important de-
bate the one man answered the other.
Dtsraeli followed Gladstone, or Glad
stone followed Disraeli. 1t was unlike
the rivalry between Fox and Pitt. for
1t was rivalry of temperament and
character as we'll as of public position
and of political principle. Gladstone
and Disraeli seemed formed by nature
to be antagonists. In character, in
temper, In tastes, and in style of
speaking the men were utterly unlike
each other. One of Gladstone.s defects
was his tendency to take everything
too seriously. One of Disraeli's defects
was his tendency to take nothing Sc
siously.
Disraeli was strongest in reply wheff
the reply .zhad to consist only of sar-
casm. He had marvellous gift OF
phrase-making. He could impale a
whole policy with an epithet. He
could dazzle the house of commons
with paradox. He could throw rid,.
cule on political party by two or
three happy and reckless adjectiyes.
He described one of Cobden's free-trade
meetings IN some country place as an
assembly made up of a grotesque and
Hudibrastic crew. 1t is not likely that
one of Cobden's meetings was more
grotesque or Hudibrastic than anv other
public meeting anywhere. But that
did not concern the house of commons.
the description was humorous and effec-
tive; it made people laugh, and the
adjective stuck. Disraeli was never
happy In a statement. When he had
to explain policy, financial or other.
he might really be regarded as a very
dull speaker. Gladstone was especially
brilliant in statement. He could give
to an exposition of figures the fascina-
don of romance OF a poem. Gladstone
never could. under any possible con-
ditions, be dull speaker. He was no
equal of Disraeli's in the gift of sar-
casm and what Disraeli himself called
'houts and jeers.' But in reply he
swept his antagonist before him with
his marvellous eloquence, compounded
Of reason and passion.
The ways Of the men were in almost
every respect curiously unlike. Glad
stone was always eager for conversa-
ton. He loved to talk to anybody
about anything. Disraeli, even among
his most intimate friends, was given to
frequent fits Of absolute and apparently
gloomy silence. Gladstone, in his earl
der parliamentary days, became almost
entirely Indifferent to dress. Disrae1i
always turned qYt in the newest fash
LON. and down in@his latest years went
in the get-up OF young man about
town. Not less different were the