The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-05-26
SCOTLAND NECK, N. c.. THURSDAY, MAY 26. 1898

One night he found three fresh pigtaiI
: tied to the inside of his bedroom door
whereupon he pasted npon his door
, inside and out, challenge calling up
: on the despoiler of the pigs "to COM
forth and take receipt for their offer
ling, which will sign In good rount
hand upon their faces" But Glad
stone, Jr., was regarded as tough foe
and the kind invitation was never &C
knowledged or accepted.
| In 1850 he was travelling in Southern
Europe, when he heard rumors of tn.
despotism of King Ferdinand-Bomb
lot Naples, who without any form O
trial, had imprisoned in filthy dun
geons over 10000 persons accused 0
political offences. At this time Mr.
Gladstone had been nearly twenty years
in Parliament, so that he had full un
derstandlng OF the responsibility of med
ding in the affairs of other countries
He went to Naples, made a personal
investigation of the prisons, and found
everything worse than had been told oi
the wretched despot. His "Letter to
Lord Aberdeen" QS5D resulted in
| mild remOnstrances from that noble
man, but Lord Palmerston's sympa-
thies were later enlisted by pamphlet
that clearly pictured the sufferings oil
the Neapolitans, and the tempest of in
dignatlon that followed these disclosures
engulfed Bomba and ended his kingly
days.
AS A GRECIAN.
AS Greek scholar Mr.. Gladstone
was not a Porsou or Jebb, but he
was capable of taking the same delight
in new Greek play that he did in
"Mlddlemarch," Robert Elsmere,"
or drama by Daudet. He also con-
sidered "Esther Waters" and "The
Year of Jubilees" "strong and able
works, which ought to live when many
Of their contemporaries are forgotten" /"
This would have been regarded by
some as atrocious literary taste. His
own published works are "The State
In It's Relations with the Church"
(two volumes, 1929; "Church Princi-
pies Considered" QS4O; Studies
on Homer and the Hometic Age
(three volumes, Oxford, 1859 Essays
on Ecce Homo" and a pamphlet on
the Irish church question entitled "a
Chapter of Autobiography" QS6S),
and "Juventus Mundi, the Gods and
Men of the Heroic Age" QS6y, with
translatlons, and other pamphlets.
Some of his friends have discovered
an ode he wrote for The Star Miscella-
ny in his 10th year, which differs
largely from the tone of his anti-re-
form speech. It is inscribed, "To the
shade OF Wat. Tyler" and one stanza
proceeds in this fashion
I hymn the gallant and the good
From Tyler down to mistlewood.
My muse the trophies grateful sings
The deeds of Miller and of Ings.
She sings of all who soon or late
Have burst subjections iron chain,
Have sealed the bloody despot's fate
Or cleft peer or priest in twain
This is not bad, considering that
most of his intimate friends at Eton
at the time were either sons of peers
Or priest. But the liberation of Greece
was in the air, and Lord Byron's poems
were the companions Of every bright
school-boy who had ever heard of Ath-
ems or Sparta. Gladstone was an en-
thusiastic Philhellene, and Wat Tyler
was far off enough point to break
forth upon in revolutionary rhapsodles.
MRS. GLADSTONE.
In 1888 he married Miss Margaret
Gynne, who was then an heiress, 20
years old. She aided and humored
her husband from the first, and made
it a family rule that he should never
be contradicted.
The last years of his lie were passed
at Hawarden Castle, the property OF his
wife, which is practically in the gate
way to Wales. This residence is on the
hills overlooking the valley of the
beautiful Dee, six miles east of Chester
in a picturesque park of 700 acres.
And there he lived, surrounded by four
sons, three daughters, and seven grand
children, who loyed him with intense
devotion. The seven children are not
clever. At least, they are not consider
ed clever. But what could you expect
of sons whose greatness is 80 oyer
shadowed
William grew up to be lord Of the
manor of Hawarden; Stephen, the Sec
ond son, was rector of Hawarden
church; Henry, after service in India,
was taught to be a country gentleman,
and Herbert, the youngest one, was the
only one encouraged to take up public
life. Two OF the daughters are mar
ried--little Dorothy Drew being the
daughter of One-and the third, Miss