Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1898-05-27
6ssry County alrralA.
Island PoND. MAY 81.
Gladstone.

TloN> tlilu STGalISSS anu loNpll-
ETY. are getting to be synony-
mous} by opportunity. some by
accident and nearly ali are eleva-
ted and sustained at heights
where they attract public obser-
walton by some kind of stagings,
either political machinery, a COM
binatiou of circumstances or a
quick apprehension and appro-
priation of opportunities. Very
few men have the inherent quail
ties requisite to rise on their
own merits independent of their
environment. Some, like Wendell
Phillips, become so prominent
by working up a single line of
universal sentiment that they
each become a type of that divi-
sion of the mental work of the
world and become great III that
line. Butt like Phillips. the rounds
of whose ladder were made by
the finest arts of oratory, they
have some propelling lifting
power, independent of the mental
material they are contributing
to the worlds thought. Glad
stones character stands alone on
an individual foundation, pre-
senting a grand facade on every
side. He was a great legislator,
q great philosopher, great the
Ologian, a great statesman, a
great Englishman, great cos
mopolitan, and what is more
than all great good man. He
gained no eminence land he never
sought eclaD by riding into pub
lie gaze on any particular hobby,
but he rose in individual grand
eur on comprehensive and uni
versal considerations of the
wants of mankind like his love
for the common people every
where on the face of the earth
and his abiding faith in a gov
eminent founded by and on them.
He was not limited by the mar
row lines of a specific theological
creed but had q massive and in
tellectual comprehension of the
whole system of Christian de-
sign which includes all its hui
manitarian as we'll as it's sacred
and mysterious elements and
attributes. In a sense he was
not an orator, that is he had no
arts of oratory, but his utter
ances warmed and stirred the
souls of his audiences because his
sentiments were the workings OF
natures oratory pouring from a
living fountain a flood Of native
thoughts and sensations into the
hearts of others. He produced
no masterpiece Of oratory like
Webster creating and perna
nently establishing extensive lie
gal sentiments in a single argu
ment in the Dartmouth College
case, but the influence of his in
cessant work constantly in
creased and expanded till il
spread over the whole earth and
into the hearts of men every
where. He was not great as {
party leader because he never
sacrificed principle to eXpediency
He was possessed of fine genius
but it was too general to be con
centrated for the accomplishment
of individual or class designs
He was one of the worlds great
est political economists because
he was more willing to bestoU
unobserved study and toll OF
those things which would con
tribute most to the common
good than on considerations 0
individual advancement. To al
who revere the intellectual
good, the pure and the noble h
will ever remain the type of tn
true statesman, legislator ant
philanthropist, and of the mos
cultured school of Christian ger
tlemen. Ofcourse someportion
of his work will be criticised.
can hardly be expected that hi
course would harmonic wit
the ideas and theories of ever
school or class of men. fit ha
borne such correspondence thet
would have been no such venerS
ton for the man as there now i:
and there would not have bee
any such grand old man" t
venerate. No man ever warme
the whole world with his pc,
sonal influence like Gladston,
No living man ever contribute
so bountifully to every depar
ment of the worlds store hous
as he did. No man ever place
his ear so near the ground t
hear the deep toned murmurs (
discomfort and the recitals (
suffering and wrongs even trOl
the remOtest corners of the wOrl
as he did. No man before hi
ever possessed a greater abunC
ance of learning, sentiment an
goodness, and none ever dl
tributed it with more discretion
intelligence and benevolence tina
lie did. And never before did S
many men experience a create
personal bereavement by tt