The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-23

CAUSE HE so ARDENTLY CHAM
PIONED.
Rev. DR.. G. Il. Robinson delivered
| an interesting and most able address
| last evening in the Second Presbyterian
| church on Gladstone. The text was
| from Proverbs, 3-16: Length of days
is in her right hand and in her left
hand riches and honor" An editorial
| in one of Americas greatest papers
| calls William +. Gladstone the great
| est Englishman. Without controversy
| he should be entitled the greatest man
| of this century.
| An unparalleled career in length Of
| days and honors closing amid the grief
and sorrow of Christendom now chal-
| lenges attention. The lesson of his life
| is worth learning. Four times prize
| minister of England, sixty years in
| parliament not for office or to satisfy
| selfish ambition but from noblest pa
| trlotism. A distinguished scholar in
| letters; steeped in classic lore; a man
| of affairs, covering the whole round Of
| the greatest questions of finance and
stating them in a charming, fascinat-
| ing literature of numbers; passing
from one extreme of conservatism as
a stern Tory in his remarkable youth
on to the extreme of liberalism in his
| magnificent and wonderful old age,
and yet with no sudden laundering
and sensational leaps, but as the moon
comes to her full, by regular, steady
| progression.
WAS A GREAT LEADER.
A great party leader, not through
| political friends nor diplomatic STRAIT
| egy but because of the grasp of his
| mighty intellect and the superb
| strength Of his moral convictions; set
ting aside pomp and pride and noble
| title, which a kingdom and empire was
| eager to bestow. to buy if possible his
| allegiance to clan, and facing the
| obloquy sneers and ridiCule of the
| mean small ones who hoped to
| parry and make inefficient his terrific
| blows al the whole system: adopting
| the cause most hated of the clan into
| which he was born and over which
| his great genius gave him control, and
| when he might crafty the most vault
| ing ambition, and then, after sixty
| years of life in parliament, when his
| extraordinary career had reached to
| colossal proportions and when his per-
sOnality loOmed in immense isolation
the Mount Blanc Of public men, with
drawing with no dramatic farewell,
| quietly walking out four years ago;
| spending a glorious evening Of life
lighted up with the keenest interest in
suffering humanity, his great heart
| bleeding over the woes of Armenia, as
in the zenith Of his power he turned
aside to aid in liberating imprisoned
| Italians.
| This was Gladstone.
| Surrounded by his family, in whose
| pure domestic enjoyment he was, so
the centre of life that we scarcely
| knew where he was greatest, in state
or home; dying with the fearful eyes
| of Christendom turned toward Hawar-
den. with kings and queens. prime
ministers of every land, with the Chris
tian church everywhere claiming him
as her most honOred son, how can we
let him be borne to the grave without
memOrializng the event and studying
the lessons of his life?
AN IMPRESSIVE LESSON.
First is the impressive lesson Of a
pure and noble youth. He did not care
to SOW wild oats, for he early recog-
shall he also reap. The bishop of New
Zealand was one of his intimates
Arthur Hallam was another, of whom
Gladstone wrote last year for the
Youths Companion a memorial worthy
to stand by the side OF Tennyson's In
| MemoTiam."
A description Of GladstOne's college
career and honors followed, after
which the speaker told of the care be.
slowed by the great statesman upon
his physical frame, his systematic ex-
ercise and tr&ining
The unselfish character Of his public
| life was emphasized. His protest
against the barbarous treatment OF
Italian prisoners in Venice, his sym.
| pathy with the IOnan isles, his con.
Germ for the Christian subjects of Tur.
key were cited as illustrations of his
care for suffering humanity. 1t is diff
cult to explain his lack Of sympathy
with us in the Civil war, but he made
up for it afterWard in being Americas
| truest friend.
Another lesson is that every true
great man must have, will have the
courage Of his convictions GladstoneF
early life marked him as the leader o.
the Tory party No man ever had q
greater temptation TO support Conser
vatism of England, but his great mora
nature led him to adopt the cause o
the people as against the privileged
classes. Everywhere and every time
: he was the Great COmmoner.
So entirely was he In dsfavOr tha
it was unusual for Americans in traVe
to meet with English people who spoke
in any but the most contemptuous way
of him. One accomplished and beauti
ful young woman said in 81 she "woult
like to give him a cup of cold poison
While they tried to regard him as
traitor, down in their souls they were
proud of him.
TRIED TO DISHONOR HIM.
Today among those who are vienl
with each other to honor his mem
ory are those who tried TO dshono
him while he was fighting nobl!
for the peoples rights. Who can fai
I to honor him? 1t is not infrequen
, that crowned heads are moved to lauC
} those who have been their loyal ser
} wants Now and then the common people
} unite 10 mourn the loss of some grea
) leader Of their own, but it is rarel,
! that the royal hOnors and the common
( peoples tears mingle on the sam
( | tomb. More truly born to the purple
that our great Lincoln who was non
the less royal, William T.. Gladstone
like Lincoln in his martyrdom, gath
cred around him the tributes OF thos
who had feared and hated him bu
} dared not be silent now and the token
of devotion Of the people whom h