The times., 1898-07-03

tration of the Gladstonian tendency to
lay the colOrs on thick is this:
"A distinguished Liberal told me many
years ago that he had asked Mr.. Glad
stone if he did not think il a matter Of
regret that the young men Of the time
seemed TO take little interest in the de-
bates in the House Of Commons. Mr.
Gladstone laid his hand on my friend 5
arm, and explained with awe-inspirinS
emphasis that the Indifference thus
shown by the rising generation appeared
10 him 10 be a plague spot in the body
polite"
Many OF the conversations in this book
relate 20 theology and 10 Homer Of both OF
which both Mr.. Tonemache and Mr.. Glad
stone We're fonder than the average man
But there are also given many opinions
OF Gladstone on public men and writers
and politics and political and social tend
encies. DisraeH he thought the greatest
parliamentary wit he had known but his
character. he feared. would remain "a
mystery" No orator in the Commons
was the equal Of Bright when he was
prepared; in reply, or suddenly called up
on. he was inferior. Even Robert Lowe
brilliant orator. regarded at one time
| as at the top of the tree" had no more
power Of defending himself than a rab-
bit. PalmerstOn shared with ParneH the
power Of saying precisely what he meant
and no more; but PaTneA, Mr. Gladstone
said-and this severe Judgment. coming
from such a source. viii hurt and Ia unt
the memory OF the Irish Ieader-ParueH
! ne had found TO be "a consumnate liar
| Bismarck said Gladstone is "a very big
| man, but very unscrupulous
Scott was Mr.. Gladstone's fayOrite now
elist, though he regretted that he was
weighed down by SO much inferior work.
George Eliot he considered rather a
man than a woman her novels ne ad-
mired, but thought them out Of tune"
Matthew Arnold said Jhings-as, for ex-
ample, that Shelley's letters might out
live his poems-that tend 10 shake ones
faith in the critics judgment" As for
Arnold's ''patreniziRg way OF writing
i-abOut Christianity. that was intOlerabIe
10 Mr.. Gladstone. Macaulay's Lays
would live, but Il once asked DoI1inger.
whose literary diseernment impressed me
more than that OF any other man what
he thought OF 8iaeaUlay's very peculiar
style. He answered. L should admire
Macaulay more If I was quite sure he was
not misleading me- Carlyle was not
looked upon as "a philosopher" by Mr.
( Gladstone '-Tennyson once said 10 ne a
very good thing about him. He said Car
lyle is a poet 10 whom nature has denied
the faculty Of verse" One more bit
from Mr. ToIlemache's agreeable literary
gossip:
''Tsnnysou rather enjoyed telling the
I following story against Carlyle. CARLYLE
I had gone to Cambridge during the IOne,
I vacation, and, finding stray undergrad
I uate. asked him the names OF some of
! the colleges The young man kindly act
/ ed as cicerone, and did the honoFs OF
/ Cambridge. on parting. Carlyle said to
] him: Thank you. young man. Perhaps
( you may like 10 know that you have rem
/ dered a service to Thomas CarlyIes
/ Looking somewhat surprised this Yer
/ dant Green. jun. answered affabIy: In
/ deed, Mr.. Thomas Carlyle I am very
| glad 10 show Cambridge TO a gentleman
| who has never seen il before
| Several references to American politics
appear in the volume. Bright said
/ Gladstone, had approved OF the civil war
I and seemingly of that war only" be-
| cause he had seen that although the
| Northern States were not IN the first in
stance fighting against slavery. the prac-
| tical result of the war would be 10 abolish
slavery; and he had seen this when hard
| " any one else did" The American
| Union Mr. Gladstone believed to be now
secure. To no dangers of equal magni-
tude'' with those over which it had tri-
| umphed in the civil war did he think It
| any longer exposed. But the great need
! Of the United States was 10 have a live
her sense of The responsibility Of
| riches"
! Are You not Inclined asked Mr. Tol,e-
| mache, ''tO take a thoroughly sanguin5
| view of the prospects of this very REFORM
| ing age?-
Not altogether" replied Gladstone.
The future is to me a blank"