The Irish standard., 1898-06-04
THE NEW YORK SUNS ESTIMATE OF
WILLIAM Z. GLADSTONE.
1.-THE NOBLEs1 ROMAN OF THEM ALL
THE BIG MISTAKE OF GLADSTONE,s
PUBLIC CAREER.
RETIREMENT OF THE IRISH LEADER.
BY TEIE ENGL!sH NIETHODISTs AND
SCOTCH PREsBYTERIANs.

In William Ewert Gladstone has
passed away the greatest parliamentary
leader OF the century, says the New
York Sun. What Napoleon l. was to his
soldiers, Gladstone was to the Liberals
Of England. His power did not depend
on principle, but on personality. The
rank and file followed his lead, in the
house Of commons and outside it, not
because he represented the traditions OF
the party, but because his dominating
influence was so powerful that what he
believed in and advocated for the mo-
ment became acceptable from the very
fact that it had obtained his sanction.
Abraham Lincoln and Prince Bismarck
Were leaders of a different sort. They
represented certain ideals. Consequcnt-
iy when these two great men were re-
moved, one by death and the other by
his sovereign, the work which they had
begun continued without interruption.
But in the case Of Gladstone it was diff
ferent. Under him the Liberals had
grown accustomed to a personal direc-
tor who should prescribe their policy
and aims. The moment that overshad-
owing personality was removed chaos
resulted. In spite of it's long history
English Liberalism is today without a
program. The occupants of the from
opposition bench who were willing to
be the lieutenants of Gladstone are NOT
Wiling to serve under one of their fell
lows. The consequence is that there is
no discipline among those whose busi-
ness 1t is to oppose the party in power.
Lord Rosebery was a failure as prme
minister in spite of the fact that Glad
stone had designated him as his politi-
! cal heir. Yet, SO great is the opposi-
'lon TO slr William Harcourt, that there
are many who would prefer to follow
the horse-racing peer again, regardless
OF the fact that there is something In
dlcrous In the circumstance of having
member OF the hereditary chamber at
the head Of party which is more or
less inclined to mend or end the lords.
1t can be said of Gladstone that he
was almost alone among statesmen in
THIS, that there was nobody to take his
place. In English politics he was the
exception that proved the rule that "no
man Is indispensable" When he stepned
from the head of the army he had led
so long the leadership remained vacant
When trouble came his old followers
turned their eyes wistfully to the study
"here the veteran was taking his busy
case among his books. But only once
OF twice did he answer the appeal. And
then 1t was only to speak as a nrivato
individual and Christian in indigna-
ton at the bad faith and cruelty of Tur-
key, the old enemy. Otherwise he
| showed disinclination to meddlc again
In the affairs of state. Theology. which
mad been the diversion of his spare
hours, occupied all his attention. The
fact that the Liberals were without a
leader did not seem to affect him. He
even remained silent when the great
schemes of his last administration were
dropped from the party program.
There has probably never been a man
In public life SO full of contradictions as
Gladstone. He was described in early
life as the hope Of the Tories. He lived
to be the pride Of the Radicals. While
the Oxford movement was at its height
there were rumors that Gladstone would
be convert, but he remained in the
Church of England as one of it's
staunchest defenders. Yet this cham
pioA of establishment was the very man
who disestablished the church of Ire
land. A disbeiever in the imperial idea
and often accused of being a Little
Englander,' holding to the theory that
his country should mind her own b,si-
ness, Gladstone was the man who
reused Europe to fury against the
Turks, and struck the first blow at the
rotten kingdom Of Naples. Although
leader of the party of innovation and
change, he represented in taste, in man.
ner, in personal prejudices the old tra-
ditions of the house of commons. A
son of Oxford, he tried in Ireland a
university experiment which was con-
trary to all the theories of the great seat
of learning in which he had been
brought up. In early life his inclina-
tion was all in the direction of the
church as career, and but for the op-
position Of his father he would prob
ably have died an archbishop. Yet he was
Enthusiastically man of the world.
interested in work or play, enjoying the
pleasures as we'll as the work of life
keenly. In an age of disbelief he was a
strenuous believer. The busiest of men,
he found time for deep studies in ancient
and modern literature. A devout stu
dent of Dante and Lucretius and Homer,
1t was his praise that first made the
writing, 2f NJ. 4ell { csns ;. apd Mrs