The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-28
r1r. Gladstone Laid to Rest.


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r1r. Gladstone Laid to Rest.
The mortal remains of William f.
Gladstone will be laid to rest in the
hallowed fame of Westminster Abbey
this afternoon, parliament having un-
animously memoralized the queen. aC-
corting to custom, to grant the great
statesman who had been its most prom
inent light for over a half century a
public funeral, and this was according
ly ordained through voice Of sovereign
and people. 1t is a fitting consumma-
tion of such a life as that of Mr., Glad
stone. that his ashes should mingle in
the glorious old abbey with the dust of
men who are numbered in the select
roll of Enslands illustrious dead.
Westminster Abbey was founded in the
reign Of Edward the COnfessor. 1t is
the pantheon in which the sons who
have made England great in war and
peace, in literature, religion, science
and art through all those centuries.
have been laid to repose. 1t is, of
course, true that in this historic nee
ropolis others have found tomb who
were no less deserving of eXeration,
ruthless kings and lawless tyrants.
Here Henry VIII and two Of his de-
capitated wives lie buried side by side
to its pious founder. Plantagenet,
Tudor ard Stewart having fought their
last fight on earth sleep the last sleep
in it's historic isles. There rest in this
long. last sleep illustrlous warriors
who have made the name Of England
synonymous with power and conquest
throughout the earth. such as Marl-
borough and wellington; admirals
such as Howe and Camperdown, who
raised the Union Jack in the battle
and to the breeze i'm every sea; religious
reformers such as Cramner and Rid
ley. commingle with monks and an
!, chorites and prelates who died centu-
ries before in communion with Rome
In the poets corner" a galaxy of gen.
ius is forgathered in death, who have
Crystalized in immortal verse the high
est maginngs and yearnings of the
human soul. Milton and Keats, Gold
smith and Tennyson and Browning
are better known to US Americans than
perhaps the others. Orators and
statesmen like Lord Chatham and Pitt,
| Burke and Fox; administrators like
| Give and Warren Hastings, painters
| like Reynolds and actors like GarricS
people it's crypts. In the eternal COM
| panionship of those immortals Mr..
Gladstone will take his place.
Westminster Abbey to thousands OF
| Americans who cross the Atlantic an
| nually has been place Of interest
and pilgrimage, They have wandered
| through it's naves, Transcripts and
| cloisters, or have attended divine wor-
ship in its chapel, or listened to the
| magnificent music of its choir. No spot
| in the British isles has SO many or
| such ancient and hallowed associations
| for TIE stranger 1t will be none the
less attractive from the fact that a
! statesman who died but yesterday
| whose name has been a household word
| wherever the English language is
spoken, is among the number whose
names are traced on its mural tablets
|
sculptures. It would have been Mr.
| Gladstone's wish very probably to have
been buried in the family mausoeun
| in Hawarden village. But concerning
man who has devoted his life tc
| humanity, the public enters claim tC
betokcn it's honor and esteem by dis.
posing of the poor lifeless corpse in its
|
been the last to deny this claim, what.
ever sOlace a more private interment
might bring. The public was his lido
as he in turn was the idol Of the pub
lie.
The Tribune on the morrow follow.
ing Mr.. GaSstone's death published a
number Of tributes delivered from the
pulpits by clergymen of different de
nominations i'm this locality. They
voiced the sentiments that have founC
expression with striking unanimit,
throughout the United States. We ar,
! engaged in a war which would hav,
found favor with Mr.. Gladstone. Lib
erty To poor and oppressed national
tiles was the passion of his life In
the last days of his career he would
have rejoiced to have seen England
take up arms in the cause of human.
ity, as represented by the prosecuted
Armenians. He was a lover Of peace
but not at any price; not at the pric,
of oppression of a people, whether
: sanctfied by the name of royal auto
crat or an allegorical travesty Of con
stitutional government. There ar
some great men who have outlivet
their work and reputation in polite
and even in literature. But the nam
of Gladstone, like that of Washington
2 and Lincoln, will live on, growing eve
more luminous amongst the shades an
shadows of history.
e There are some people who Nigh
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