The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-12-19

month the oldest living statesman will b
u SIS years old. William Ewart Cladston
A will stand upon the threshold Of anothe
year, and England will be forced TO thin
Il herself one year nearer the close of he
.uoes eventful private career.
i Gads,ones greatness Will never be APP
u preciated while he lives. and rs John stu
art Mill said OF him: "He towers so higl
I above us that we must view him from th,
! vista of history"
, For the first time In his life the old
J liberalIss has been showing signs Of weak
I ness. In his long career Of sixty-fige years
OF public life he has never known one
day OF real Illness, aud would ut Ibis time
/; be premier Of England were il not Tor the
] distressing malady that aiflicts his eyes
!. lie ie dying OF Old age His organs are
giving way all together. and one viii hard
! Iy wear out before the other. All will 80
at once, Like house with quicksand be-
meath II, he Is gradually sinking, and bis
measurement today shows him to be . feet
. inches. Just one inch shorter than he wig
last December, when he stood erect ard
!, strong. In his yigOr he stood Feet ii
inches
The career of this man has been as three
fold as 1t is possible for any one life TO be.
His whole life has been divided into pc
RODS OF three. He IL a great believer IN tho
luck OF three. and he purp9scy had three
sters constructed into his stone arbor for
the luck tha. three brings him. He reads
three books ~ ono time. to give his mind
three channels OF Thought and h u.ar.a-
bly, writes threl lcttera before laying down
his pen. He reads only thrpc hours at %
time. and che only variation In he rule IS
In favor Nf seven. for he takes seyen houts
Of sleep day. and seven hours OF tocrea-
lion.
HIS LIFE.
William Ewart Gladstone was horn in
liverpool. December 90. 1903 lie was the
Son OF rich merchant Of Lancashire. The
family Was Of Scottish descent with an
illuslrious pedigree in Burkes pceragc. Ia
Gladslonos boybood George Canning MAJ
the controlling Influence, and the yaars
ii his boyhood Was passed during the time
that Wellington won Waterloo aud Nap0-
leon became an oAtig, lie was student at
Elton IN 1921 when NAPOLEON Gl,d p.d Tor
six yeats hc was a pupA undo. llr Turl .r
afterward the famous bishop o, Ca'lhta
In 1879 he entered Christ Church college
and graduated IN 1881 with the highest
donors. aflcrw,rd taking what WAS then a
tour Of tie world, namely, a our Of l.u-
rore.
In 1882 his public life began lie was
elected member Of parliament, ard in
ls33 became a fierce, al The age Of ~
years. Al 20 hc become Junior lcrd Of
the treasury aud engaged IN puGptttrsios
win pisraeli Newman. Cubdon Ionu
stuart Mill ana Peel he and Disraoli af.
tor"ard faced each other 9s direct rivals
and for forty years waged political war.
IN 1913 Gladstone sueceedcd the Earl OF
kipon as president OF the board Of trade.
shd dld Important work fur British ina
ehtne'F' he continued active in Hrilish
pohticS until 1865 when he reached Tho
apex OF his fame and became uremicr.
biSraeli had resigned For he NEXT s,,
enteen yeam he led the liberal party and
alternately succeeded himself and Lord
salisbury In the pr miorship-,ts ole upnt
Gown and the other rose
Upon hts resignation. In iSaJ. n, favored
~, ,ue Ehrl OF Rosobery for premier mud ia
MS memorable speech IN -hc houae ~
commons, bidding farewell To English i, H.
ne t'te aud politics, he himself upt,i Inc
queens piofter Of the premiership Ia l.l4I
lt"seooiF Possession placed he srcttcr
hlnd " f'bh'
Since then, although out of public ,ife
ho mas neeh In IT, and from time 10 time
mas made stirring speeches in fovo,, or H.
old hobbies lrish Homo Rnln uis
the ann of hts HE. ANA for thaf he No..
spoken when he should have hccn su. nv
mas "arred when the Implements of mic
were forever laid down by him tn has
continued 10 lead the liberal party and has
me- the leaders at Eawnrdcn and FINN,
. So s"inV country seat has written mos
sasts of advice that have held thn,, -
Sether In time of dismcmbnrmont uis ~
oeeu ,hc longest political career. bv fiftn~n
years, OF any Englishmap npd IN, ,o,,
years of any IN the world ""
bismarck IL boy beside him I'm noint
OF llne Of public service aud n3ny of tbe
prominent memhere Of tho house 81 ronn
m"'s were boys II Zion when Gladstone
WAS an ola man 'ah1ut to tntlrr +, $50,
teen years ago he was renor,ed J,,,, avn,
ON age. yet today he comes OUT tirn, ~,
intellect and the author OF new booi,s -,
prose ana verse But at last ais ,b,,toni
sen Is yielding. and he saws that NJ, H.
wulh VIII be done when he ,natnS ono
more speech on home rule. '"'
HIS FAMILY IlPr.
"ne OF the most remarkahir- hinge abou, (
tne g. o. NJ. Of England has h,en HI,
iamiiy life-which has Leon aa Il, lic,,t,,l
as nus career has been long. He o,,rr,o,
az the age of 30. and ,mmeall,alv ~
,ae faislns OF large family Of clu6tc,,'
hiss "iynne was IN ,eitess. q ,,ers "a
anu ner rather was the cwnar ~ iat,t -
e. the celebrated couluy ssat ~, ,ru,
1e forever Identified with the carser ~,
,@hstone This soon dascen led IN hor :"
here the family lived, taking short , r1a
. London during the ,ottast ~ IN, N
ucai season, and gong to lnyernnsshtro
a Tue autumn; but aost OF the venr ,.as
peh' al hawarden. and here AIr. ClnTetnns
vas surrounded by everything TN co,,i1
omtripute TO his comfort
Mrs' 'ladstone. from the first. hum,raa
I'm N everything aud made II n ta,mt
ue that he should never be contradInto5s
y : young girl che was tyne ~ ~
. .,,,ih woman--big. amiable, enery.tio
'hiitg and saving. She was all tha, 49,,
Imam could be to a man, and Mr. ai,d,
.one was propped up by her in every ON.
~ ~ .nn morning Hawarden lay In death
ne stiiiness until the master Of The honna
woke anu ordered his breakfast whSoh
did, and has continued TO do ~ui'n
CLOCK. Immediately the whole esssa
'rung into life and activity The ebi,arcn (,
sre Drought into the breakfast room a.