The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-19
GLADSTONE AND AMERICA

Gladstone, at the age of IS, is an
nounced to welte book, though his fall
ing health may preclude his doing 50.
The surgical treatment three vars since
for cataract was mo-. completely success
full, and now In addiction 10 the unavoid-
able decrept1tuide- of a man nsarly 100
his eyes are weak, i'm which cold readily
settles and develops into a very pain
full facial complaint. His physician has
advised a mfler climate than that of
England for the winter. To be ordered
from home for his hsalth is something
quite extraordinary in the life of Glad
stone. He has grown 10 England like
moss ito a rock. His labors have been
diversified and truly immense. but have
all been performed under one sky. The
testimony OF his achievement is that
this herculean feats are done by the stay
at-homes. That is peculiarly THE lesson
of Italian history, especially in ar. and
in a Measure that OF all history.
Gladstone has never fencied vaesHiolas,
and tcgethsr with Walter Scott, casts
very Serious doubt on the theory that
long physical reeuperai.ion is essential
to mental buoyancy.
1t may be said without doubt that II
he has determined to give the rema-nder
of his days to writing the lives of dis
tinguished churchmen he will proceed, as
far as he is able. After his long cart&r
of perpetual and Strenuous endsavorHt
would be a hEmilsat&an ito Gladstone,
even in his old age, Sto wait idly Tor
death. 1t was perhaps not so much his
being a seer as a man OF unconqueCable
spirit and measursless activity that hts
home at Hawarden is one of the most
famous spClts In the world. Messages
from everywhere poured into Hawarden.
The renown of Gladstone was practi-
cally wathou. circumscription. He was
an intellectual athlete upon whom the
people from affair looked with Won Ter.
In a little while he was strid'ng ahead
of Peel, Aberdeen, RUSSELL Palnerston
and fighting his way inch by inch with
D,srael. He came from an energetic
stock. All The -Gladstones before him
of his fg.hers family seems Ito have
concentrated in him. His bro hrs were
of little moment. 1t was Gla1stone's ae-
tivi.y, no matter what he said, that
dazzled people and won Their sympa-
thiee. Much more strongly than Dsrby,
or Palmerston, or Disraeli did he appeal
to Americans. He had not struggled as
| Disraell had, and had done and said
some very Questionable Things touching
| this country, but he outgrew his Tory
| clothes, acknowledged himself mistaken
as to the resources and conditions or
| America, and. whether from conviction
| or ambition made himself the oracle of
| the people.
When Gladstone entered parliament,
| before he was 80, a question came up
THAI had always been a more or Ness
vital one in this country, and was des-
| tined in twenty years ito plunge US into
| civil war. 1t involved eIhe interests OF
| England on this continent, whose .aw
was In Ene with that of he United
| States The question of debate wes
| ba oh of old in thp Rritlril
| West Indies This sentiment of the
| English parliament favored it, which
| was probably lin conflict with the eco
| nomical progress of that country But
it was right. Engand's manufsctorle $
| used the cotton of THE United states,
and this, together with that Ct the Brit
| ish West Indies, Produced by slave labor,
gave them cheap supply The eman-
| cipaition of the islands. but a little way
| to the seuth of Florida ard Geo. gfta,
| would be AN example and incentive to
| the United States. THREE million slaves
| were then working the plantations of she
| SOUTH and England was reaping in part
the reward of their labor The oppos.-
| ton seized on this point, and no one
| made 1t more glazing and effective the n
Gladstone. He enlarged ION the
enormity of emancipation. You hear
| not from America of abolition" ne cried
mot even of M tigation."
Gladg ore was ''hen at the beginning
| Oh his iDll3 &d-Stl i1t Wis thoC1ttNt
| at Oxford, reared in lae tory school, and
his father had owned slaves. His po-
| sttlon was quite natural, but there wac
| deeper cause than his training. To
| him the West Indian slave and the
| American slave were agencies in Eng
| lands prosperity, and to free the one
| would enk,ndre sympathy for he other.
| Hene the interests of England and Glad
stone presented themselves, and the
/ young man was determined they should
not clash. That was plainly the way to
1 power for an aepirant. 1t was in line,
| too, with the prevailing opinion here.
| Van Buren, WIS in The second year of his
| presidency. Gladstone really seems 10
| have besn, young as he was. gigantic
in his conception He interpreted the
| conviction of two continents. as pre-
! scented to him by their material welfare,
| and shaped his course accordingly. His
| estimation of wealth was incrdinate. He
| had me-. yet learned The potency of JUS
| tlce in human affairs. He had not
| rightly understood the genius of this
| country. AN his opinions and forecasts
| as to America, and the lessons he de-
| Quoted from than, were soon swept from
sight, AMI Gladstone was forced to take
| new bearings. Tine mistake ne maize
| was in reading the face of things FIR
| tfair creative energies He eathsr did
| not see, CIR in the passion of his amb-
ton me ignored it, that in this country
| was an injustice which in the end could
| nit prevail. This lesson Gladstone was
not quick to learn, and bt look a prac-
| srcal denomination by such masters as
Lincoln, Stanton, Chase, Grant and Shsr-
man, welding mighty resources, to con-
| vince him.
The impression made upon Gladstone
| by affairs here in the administrations
| of Lincoln, Johnston and Grant was pro-
| found. The conservatives urder Dis
| raeli's leadership Two years after the
| death of Lincoln, had done someth ng,
| but NOT much, in THE way of extending
| the franchise. It's universality, how
| ever or an approach to 1T, did not ap-
| ped to them. AMI they soon ecassd their
| effo1Is. When Gladstone came tho
| power twenty years later the gospel Of
| enfranchisement had besn given THE full
| est possible demonstration in the United
| States. And 1t had been done through
| the operation of a sent, nlent in con-
| flicit with that which Gladstone previous
| ly approved and sanctioned as donlirap'.
| Now he was firm in the faith that a
| broader enfran chisement was god, and
that "tGne voters under the consi,itution
are The strength of the constitution"
| Th ro,rol, Csa1i cburv his hill raeeeh t11a