Evening journal., 1898-05-25
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
WILLIAM EWlART GLADSTONE AS
WB REMEMBER HIM.

EIOIts ENEIdll 81 EltditSL 0NIuuAoAtlt
although it has happened when this
country has little Thought for augIht elise
but rhe present war, creates an impress
sion as profound as ii is universal AL
Though Mr. Gladstone never visited the
States, a fact which he always regret
ted, his sympathy with the American
peOp,e-moIe especially after than be-
fore CIR during the Civil War-was of
so pronounced a character as to cause
The people OF This country to watch his
every public and private movement
with the greatest possible interest. And
II may be said that the American peo-
ple. by reason of the gueat statesman's
much exhibited facial features in every
newspaper and shop window, are al
most as familiar with the personality
of MIR. Gladstone as IL they had seen
him I'M the flesh.
We remember listening some twenty
odd years ago to MIR. Gladstone in the
House Of Commons, Tine theatre Of his
many trlumphs and some few defeats.
The scene and it's incidents are as vivid
I'm our remembrance as If they were
enacted but yesterday. Sitting along
side of the great Liberal leader we're
The late w. e. Forster and John Bright,
perhaps The most prominent figures
In the I1ngish political world of that
day. The business I'M hand was
wheUher or not Charles Bradlaugh, who
had lust been e,ected for NOrthamp-
ton. and who had refused TO take the
oath. should be allowed to take his.
seab-Bradulaugh in the meanwhile,
sitting outside thIe Bar OF the House
We remCmbtr THAT Mr.. Gladstone ad-
vOcated the cCnsuimtiCnality Of Brad
laugh being allowed TO take his seat
by process of affirmation only and in
This advocacy he was supported by Mr..
Bright, who, speaking at some lengbh,
sald-"I can sympathiZe with Mr.. Brad
laugh I'M his theological doubts, for l
have had doubts myself Alr. Glad
stone spoke with the despatch box di-
nectly in front, gesticulating but littie.
Now and then he would uncOneciously
tumble his cravat as M Arranging the
sama He spoke without notes, and at
mo time did he correct himself or
pause even mOmentarily for a Suitable
WORD to express his idea. One OF THE
chief characteristics of MIR. GaadstOn5's S
speeches was the extreme length OF mis-
sentences Parent.hosis would succeed
paronthels until the listener began to
wonder whether or not THE speaker
would ever bring the sentence to %
close MIR. Gladstone was. of course.
one of The greatest OF Engsis0h-spsak-
ing ORATORS No one who was ever
privileged To hear him speak can ever
forget the liquid beauty THE soft so
nority and the exquisite melody OF his
silvor-toned voice. But MIR Gladstone g
OratOry was Of the intensely practical
nature. 1t appealed 10 the head, not
the heart. In fact There was little, II
anything, Of the pathetic in Mr. Glad
stones oratOry, A man would EOt nj it
beneath his elOquence. IL was different
with the GOLDEN speech OF Mr.. John
Bright, that most chaste most sublime
Of all Saxon orators. Mr. Bright pos
sessed the very rare gift OF apt quo
taIbion. Nit Gladstone had not that gift
or If he had then he seldom eXer-
cised it in public. Again, Mr. Bright
had little Use for the poets of his own
country, for he never to our knowledge
quoted Shakespeare or the lesser Eng
llslh poets He used American poets
almost exclusively, being able TO quots
IlOngfellOws "Hawatha" by the yard
And when Mr.. Bright had no need Ol
IlongfellOw then HE would can up suci
sweet American singers ais Whittier
Holmes and Emerson
lt was no uncommon occurrence fOl
Mn. Gladstone TO speak for two o.
three hours at a stretch. And il was
after one of these protraCted efforts
that Benjamin Dsraei, subsequently
Lord Beaconsheld, with a sneer cover
ing his Hobraic features, characterized
Mr.. Gladstone as a man who was in,
toXicaued with the eXubeuance of hi.
own yerbOsity.p IL was a palpabl,
but transient hit, only serving to maxi
the public laugh But the brilliant am,
absolutely honest Disraeli-GOd know
ne was all that-Ought TO have RENE m
beIed THAT verboseness IS not by am,
means an infalllble sign Of mental in
t0Nicatiom There are a great man.
people in this world Of Ours who MAX
point of saying nothing, and loOllin,
wise. By so doing these individual
earn without any effort whatever
cOpious reputation for prOfundity. The
remind us OF the member Of PaTdia
mgnt who, during a long term Of ser
vice was only heard TO exclaim "Shu
Uhsat door" No doubt his constituent
regarded him as The personifcation q
all knowledge and imagined that th
sun OF wisdom rose and set in hi
anatomy
Mr.. Gladstone was a llnguist of
very high order, being versed In
dozen or more languages and speak
ing many with more or less huency II
was an Oxford 'double-hrst, that b,
ing, we believe, the highest and rare,
of graduating academic hOnOrs. Nj
Gladstone also possessed an infinite e.
pacity for absorbing and retainin
knowledge Of the most diversified Cha
acter. His brain never knew what
was TO cry Hold, enough!" Indee
there was literally no subject. no ma
ter hsw complex or abstruse, of whiC
Mo Gladstone was not a more or le.
complete master. Were he to cOnven
with one, he would not rest satisfi,
unbil he had absorbed the l1nCwledl
possessed by that one. No pecunia1
consideration ever swayed, even for