Evening star., 1898-05-28
HIS PLACE IN HISTORY
Gladstone's Work Was Always Worthy Of
Interest and Attention.
A Political Career That Had Little to
Do with War-His Openness
to New Ideas.

II ~. O1 CouTSe, 100 soon as YET 10 attempt
to mark out Mr.. Gladstone's distinct place
in history, but there are, at least, some
qualities Of his life and his genius on which
the judgment Of history may with con-
fidence be anticipated. Gladstone has TAX
en- his place among the greatest Of English
statesmen: his name is written down in
the list of England's greatest orators: as
parliamentary orator he ranks with Boiling
broke and Pitt and Fox. For many years
back no European statesman, except
Prince Bismarck alone, occupied 50 much
Of the attention of the world: and 1t must
be remembered that Prince Bismarck was
the prime mover in events which compelled
the attention Of the world to a degree such
as no career Of domestic reform can often
hope to rival. Peace, no doubt, hath her
victories no less renowned than war-.hat
We are all fond of saying, and 1t proves
itself truth in the long run; but the VIC
tories of war attract more Of the worlds s
attention at the time, and the war trumpet
is often the loudest trumpet of fame.
Mr.. Gladstone's political career had little
or nothing to do with war. There was only
one great war during his time in which
England was ever concerned. and Gladstone
was not one of the promoters of that war,
and its military honors were shared with
other powers, and the whole Crimean
struggles ended in little or nothing. after
all. Not once during the whole OF Glad
stones long career was England put IN
anything like the national peril which Bis
marck had to meet for Prussia. and Cavour
had to risk for Sardinia Therefore. 1t Is
something to say that Gladstone divided
among statesmen of the European CONT
nent the attention Of the world for many
years back, with Bismarck and to say 1t
Is but to say the truth. Gladstone had to
do with domestic legislation and domestic
reforms almost altogether he never had to
encounter even such a crisis that which
Canning encountered when he called in
the new world to redress the balance of
the old.
Yet the attention of Europe of America
and of all civilized states followed Mr..
Gladstone's movements with as close and
intense an interest as though he were
man likely at any moment to surprise the
world as Napoleon III did more than once,
by new and unexpected policy of war.
Every one can understand the keen anxiety
With which the movements of Lord Pal
merSton were at one time followed by the
populations of continental Europe Palmer
ston was but the foreign secretary or the
prime minister of a constitutional country:
and he could not, as Louis Napoleon might,
make war of his own good will and pleas
ure. Yet he was always disposed to an
utterance that seemed warlike; and people
never knew when Palmerston might not
say something which would sound like
provocat!on to war.
Gladstone's whole temperament turned
him away from war. except an inevita-
Bile necessity. The policy Of brag and bluff
ana cluster he always regarded as merely
vulgar or else absolutely criminal. There
FORE when he drew on himself the atten-
tfon of foreign populations it was only be-
cause even strangers felt that the work he
was doing for his own people was such as
to be worth the interest and attention of
all civilized beings Gladstone was often
charged by his political opponents with
having frequently changed his opinion.
Gladstone, in fact, was not only states
man, but man of genius: and he soon
found that a priori convictions are not the
best means of dealing with the ever-chang-
iHg conditions of social system. The
admirers of Gladstone are constantly re-
minded by their opponents that Mr.. Glad
stone in his early parliamentary days ad-
yccated this or that measure which he
afterward came to oppose. and opposed
this or that measure of which he afterward
became the most strenuous advocate. One
Is calmly reminded of these facts, just Us
II he were not already quite av are of them
just as If he did not regard Gladstones s
openness to new ideas and to fresh evil
dence and to the convictions founded upon
them as one of his chief claims to the graf
ftude of poSterity.