New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-19

q
cast off the robes of Office and sheathed his
sword his helmet now hive for bees. he
would have been scarcely less powerful than
in his prime But II not to be,
Remembering what happened in 1874 after
his famous letter to Lord Granville, with its
wall for rest. Mr.. Gladstone's friends feared
that he would mar the dignity of the closing
scene by fresh incursions the political stage.
At one time. during the heat of Indignation Gre
ated by the Armenian atrocities. this prognosti-
cation was on the verge of veriication There
were successive days when the family circle at
Hawarden feared To hear the announcement
that the avenger of the Bulgarian atrocities
could no longer remain quiescent while the un-
speakable Turk was let loose on fresh helds
and pastures new i'm Armenia Happily the
crisis wore off. and the temptation was hnaily
resisted
The House OF Commons grows accustomed TO
any deprivation, proud in the conviction thae
no man. however Incompatible. is 10 1t in
dispensable But those Intimately familiar
with the place know it has never been quite
the same since Mr.. Gladstone walked forth,
cry, "Who goes home?' When he was present,
whether on his legs addressing the House or
in semi-recumbent attitude either front
bench he was the cynosure Of all eyes. Mem
bers watched him all through sitting. not
knowing what a moment might bring forth.
chance word. above all a quotation from one
of his speeches. might bring him bounding 70
his feet In quite unexpected interposition IN
debate. His memory. always marvellous, had
its most striking development in recollection
OF the very phrases in his own speeches. how
SOeNeT long ago delivered. sometimes IL lndu
ventured to paraphrase a quotation from his
speech Mr.. Gladstone was on the moment
alert. Bending forward in his seat, with
cleaning eyes and nervOusly projected fore
finger he cried, Quote, Quote In other
cases where members had broken down with
their selected sentences out Of passage Woo
garbling Mr.. Gladstone would be down upon
them i'm a moment. insisting full quotation
LISTENED BY THE HOUR TO OTHERS.
His endurance Of the mediocre the COM
monplace marvellous to persons OF less
patience. He sat listening by the hour to
what others whose time less valuable. de-
nounced as the dreary drip of pointless twad.
die. In this respect he was like Mr.. Disraen
and Mr.. Bright. and distinctly unlike Mr.. Ar.
thur Balfour. Mr.. Bright not being leader OF
the House. 1t not incumbent on him that
he should pay insignificant members the COM
pliment Of sitting out their speeches. But that
his habit Sometimes he was one or
dozen score Of members present through
the dinner hour. Mr.. 'Disraeli sat immobile.
apparently listening. but not inclined TO make
rejoinder. Mr.. Gladstone was as liable to be
drawn by the most inconsderabe member or
the House speaking to empty benches as II tho
speechmaker were Of front Parliamentary
rank.
That was a defect Of his House Of Commons
manner that had an appreciate efrsct oon IN
frightening debate. In the Parliament Of lsSO-
50 it used TO be said that a Minister in charge
OF a bill would have best served its purposes
II he could have packed Mr.. Gladstone off to
bed on the stroke Of midnight. During that
Parliament. however he not only declined TO
leave the Treasury bench till the House was
up bur he could not he induced TO take more
than half an hour for his dinner The habitual
result was that members having him for an audi
ence and seeing the chance Of drawing him into
debate. and so having their names associated
with his illustrious in the Parliamentary
reports talking when otherwise the
chill Indifference of the rest of the House
would have shortened their speech
Whatever Mr.. Gladstone did, whether the
thing were big or little. he did IL with all his
might Whatever might be the subject he took
in hand. however comparatively trivial, he bent
all his energies upon its consideration. Com
ing to the dinner table after whatever arduous
work in Parliament or on the platform. he was
as full of life and energy as II he had spent an
idle day in bed and just got up to dress for
, dinner. ! remember one Saturday night. at
Dameny. during the last Midlothian campaign,
he had been on long and purposeless drive
through n wide district of the constituency. It
was horrible day with the east wind blowing
and the air full Of dust He was evidently
tired when he returned. and Lord Rosebery
in his infinite solictude suggested that politics
should he vigorously avoided at dinner The
kindly wisdom of this course was perceived
and the bargain was, az far as the other guests
were concerned, honorably kept But Mr.. Glad
stone had not been seated at the table ten min
utes had taken glass of champagne with his
fish. when he began TO discuss the current
position of affairs at the polling through
out the country then IN progress Warming
with his subject he talked away with kindling
energy breaking out into a fresh line OF con-
NerS0tlOn Wnen ne JOllleu tHc WoiHeu lu thS
drawing room
DID NOT FORGIVE HIS OLD PUPIL
I was privileged TO be much In his company
during the Midlothian campaigns. having ac-
companied him through all save one the course
Of which regretfully watched from the edito-
rial chair Of a London daily paper. I am per-
mitted to quote from a letter l wrote to a friend
from Edinburgh under date OF october rs.
1890:
Ill cod ~ f6A
ner last night. being next to Mrs. Children.
and on the other side of her Mr. Gladstone. >. .
We three had a good deal OF conversation
through the dinner, and when the ladies' with
drew | was Mr.. Gladstone's righthand neigh
Dor He was usual, full Of life and energy.
| noticed not for the first time. what remark
able evidence of life flashes in his eyes. Even
Isaac Holden. marvel of healthy preservation
as he is. has the dried-up lack-ustre look about
the eyes that comes with extreme OLD age.
Gladstone's eyes are almost as bright as boys
certainly brighter than those of the average
man Of half his age. That is an excellent sign
OF sustained vigor. ~,
ohou, Stafford Northcotes Life. or which l
have an early copy. and looked through II tnis
morning | could that, even now, ne mas
not forgiven his old pupil ana secretary LOT
going over TO the enemy and undertaking 10
frame their budgets. He did not say anything
disparaging of him, but would not echo my warm
nraise He got quite excited because none OF
" coul6 remember what position STAFFORD
Northcote filled In the Stop-Gap GoVerhineht
~ 1885, He thought IL Il amentaDle tnlnR tnae
win Childers there. myself, and others intimate
with Parliament no one could settle the point
..Herbert" he was sure. would know. But Her.
~, HANGED TO be out of the room. AS soon
as he came in Mr. Gladstone was down on him
With a question. Herbert said Northcote had
taken the Colonies which seemed so probable
that ALI agreed that was II. Later got hold or
the Invaluable Whitaker" and discovered that
none of us knew, for the best of all reasons. In
that Ministry Northcote held no administrative
ofice having gone to the Peers bearing the style
First Lord of the Treasury.
We talked a good deal about books. espe-
cially THE Bride of Lammermoor." which hs
prefers above all SCOTS novels Talking about
noyel-writing he said: Modern authors do not
seem TO feel the necessity of inventing plot
before starting 10 write their story, wherein
they radically differ from Walter Scott and other
elders Nowadays novel is made UP OF char
acter sketchlng and conversation" He was
much Interested on hearing that just before