New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-10
GLADSTONE THE BOY.
AN INTERESTING COLLECTION OF HIS
LETTERS FROM SCHOOL.
IA rH:cocIoUs AND ABSORBED INTEREST ~ Ma
TL,:Ai. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
EARLY DEVELOPED.


EARLY DEvELopED.
FrpR Tn. London Daily News.
BY the blindness If Mr. Hodge. OF the famous
drra Of Sotheby. was ALLOW 10 lance IA, ousn
tventy-two letters written ny Mr; ulaus os,nr
when lie was at EtOn. oxford. ana soon a m,,
lea ytuS the University. dating from $50 10 100.
Most % them are dated from fion "hen ne wdS
hoy of sixteen or seventeen am 'nese are II.
ta.\v TIE most interesting ana renarSaDle;
Tn, ' are all addressed to his friend farr ana
are pasted neatly in handsome aIDnin' 10,
gether wish number OF Arthur iiailans ana
others whose names can scarcely be KNOWN To
the public We cali them letters. bat they are
none of your roundhand. schooiboy eitusioh3.
hastily done on the small notcpaper when ths
busy age uses for its communications. Earh is
a compositions an essay in miniature. occupying
four pages Ocss the little para!ioogram Tor the
address, each measuring about nine by seven
inches-the figures will convey better idea 10
H.. public than paper makers Jargo1. FADED Is
that paper now, slightly embrowncd by tune but
clear as print 10 read. and the ink still fairy
strong. strange to say. Those who are familiar
with Mr. Gia1stoneS later WRITINGS wi! easily
trace the remarkable family likcness which eX-
lists between them and the boys epis;ies 5ut
there is no need to enter into experts details.
\ fun life and enormous correspondence.
never ceasing. had made him rather diihcu.t 10
decipher: in these early days he had time to
form his letters ard as We have SAID, thcy are
rs clear as type though. for economy sake. the
pages often overfiown; and crarnpcd. Post
age was more than penny in the year lSoti a.
ID By the way. one Of them * written after ms
election for Newark. and he says evidently with
pride. that he let his friend Farr receive the
first news from the newspaper in order to have
the pleasure OF ranking his own letter. which
is a day or two late. The envelope must have
in rs that time for here IT is with the
famous w. T.. Gladstone the eft-hand
lower corner. We notice only one or two. for most
of the letters are just neatly folded NJ. sealed
and stamped with thumb. apparently tas sgd
ney Smith said he did when asked foo his coat
ofarms, and the address written on the patch
LETT Tor the purpose.
II ever tie child was father 10 the man. Glad
stone ctat sixteen was the undoubted parent Of
the Gladstone 1t the END OF the century. Who
eyer undertakes the herculcan task OF writing
the grca biography will certainly have To
peruse thee letters. and aSsurcdiy viii bear out
this statement. They probably form the only
'rst-hana record ~ Mr.. Gladstone schoDldays.
Even he vas quite unaware OF their existence
The story. y AR Hodge told II to me. was that
they had come into his hands for sale from some
descendant Of Nj. Farr. The matter
ferred TO NJ. Gladstone. who carly one morning
walked into Mr.. Hodges room and begged to be
allowed t. see ihen lie WAS n once accpmm0-
dated with Nj Hodges chair. and the volume
was placed upon Mr. Hodges desk. which has
supported So many precious records.
This was some four years ago There he sat
and read them all again. often. says The famous
1uctioncer. roaring with laughter over his ctrlJ
ciiusons T. must haze beer "A scene worth
aintinG this venerable statesman. bowed and
worn III the ser,!c, Of h3s country chucElin.
over the political opinions n MS ScJdAnt youth
Tor politics. indeed. occupy rrctiy nearly every
one of these seventy or cchtr closely written
page. Not even Pa himself could haze been
more Pi., .pu>. Those young gentlemen eyi-
IDENTITY kept very sharp eye OH the Go.eru-
ncnts the Cabinets. the Ministers and the
movements Of the day. Il an strongly Of opin-
irn." concerning this vote. Il don't aerce" 1
cannot say that approve" Il am lar from
liking scores and scores OF such expressions
occur critical OF Catholic Emancipation bishops
and their votes. Ireland ~" priesthood. the
Pope and 50 forth II IL ali 50 dienilcd. -
grave. 50 earnest. IS II the hoy of sixteen were
himself Responsible. Would that one were PEI
ml'ted TO maxi f"w extracts. but 'hc Ian of
Copyright or courtesy. bo'h perhaps forbid thus
The ownership. presume. Of these admirable
and priceless letters IS vested ~ the Gladstone
family. or has the Copyright iapaci through
ages? Thee ar nee questions but at all
events let the bographcr . them. They - ~
supply min with iu.Irabl" chapter. % prove
that the Gladstone boz was father 10 the cad
stone man.
EARLY CIRcUMLOCrTIpNS
Even in our haStv glimpse ,yc yrr. able - d.
tect that eli curlocuf ION whirh was - notorious
habit both IN The writings ana spec hes ~ he
great orator AMI parlidrlsu II" U.s. t"i'in:
his dr1r Fdrr c"ho mast have ben i delight
ful. Tomato fellow. 10 have 30 Iir.a such li.
t"rs from tn grave Gladstone. The gay. -prchf-
some john somebody Wrsrr mluI d.. name 10
tales out 81 school " no had 40 au ordinary pr
son would say. got druuk-mu'h 90 th" anger 81
the tcrribl" k"dte. Who /. s,iu: - give hliu
beans Diet rs. II al events g.. f...uli!urJ Il
all johns real FOR tho classics. 80 Kindly
hints young Gladstone. that had induced him 10
take a hint from Horace Homer. ant other jolly
fr"e-iiyiug old pagan. Then BE- beats iapu; ih-
bush with very sicnIl.D ant Lain tags Qua .F
al OgyGp." 'Bibuus l.duiIi Fl"rui' oirrtcrl
uses the very word 'cIrcuniprution a he says
in order - dvpid iii-nU"n"j words THIS cS-
capade apparently lost poor John h.J move INTO
the sixth
We wonder nov NAM boys u sixteen in these
DAYS Of high living and i.w thinking irdirc -
shafr f,frp IL ~ had .tt-