New-York tribune., 1900-01-28

tails" Sir AIgernon himself frankly says that
Next to being in the Cabinet. to be private
secretary to a great leader like Mr. Gladstone
is, in my opinion the most desirable of Offices
provided the private secretary enjoys as 1 am
happy to say l did, the absolute confidence of
his master" An old friend of Sir AIgernon
used humorously to say that, IF everything was
submitted to a Cabinet of private secretaries
most OF the blunders committed by government
would be avoided" The author of this volume
of "RecollectiOns' was first a clerk in the Ad-
miralty. He then became assistant secretary
to Sir Charles Wood and the Duke of Somerset;
was afterward secretary to Sir Charles Wood at
the India Office, and then. for a considerable
period, was private secretary to Mr. Gladstone
He was chairman of the Board of Inland Reve-
nue., has served on the Prison Commission, and
is now member of the Licensing Commission.
but We him in his memoirs chiefly as the
private secretary, pure and simple and gather
from his notes a lively impression of the life
of such an official
we do not mean by this the details Of his
daily work in analyzing immense masses of
correspondence In acting as a buffer between
his master and those who wish to see the latter
we are thinking of him rather as a necuIiar
type in English public life. AS such a type he
Is extremely interesting He is always a man
OF birth and breeding. educated, capable to some
extent both as writer and diplomatist and Of
course versed in all the intricacfes of social
lie. During his years of service he is a hard
and useful worker. Out of office hours no eeas
everybody hears everything, and stores I'D in
his memory a thousand and one trivial and inn
Portaht matters which, in mis- later wears fit
MN TO be an instructive and often fascinating
tdlker' lie Is master Of anecdote. and this is
apt 10 result when he publishes his memoirs in
" Noiuihe OF stories, rather than of philosophical
oDseINdtlohs- SIT Algernon West has doubtless
some very interesting views to convey on broad
questions of government, but in his "RecoTec-
uohs we pass from one anecdote to another
some OF then old and familiar, others new, but
practically all amusing. This is a book for the
journalist to put on his handest shelf for il
is packed with fragments which he is ho,,nI -
hnd opposite for quotation in the course of his
iabors The general reader will value it simpI,
Tor the entertainment that it gives The au
thof memory goes back for a corsidera BILE
ume' and when his stories are not given at
list hahd' we may be sure that they come from
some contemporary of the persons involved who
handed them on TO him. Some of his old heroes
ne can claim as relations Lord Oxford was his
uncle the Lord Oxford who when he was in
Vited 10 become president of the Norwich Bible
Society IN 1874. wrote this engaging reply:
Sir; l am surprised and annoyed bv tho %,
tents OF your letter. Surprised. because nv Wen
known character should have exempted me from,
such an application; and annoyed becauea -
Coinpels me to have even this communication
with you.
l have long been addicted to the gaming table
nave lately taken to the Turf. / fear | fire.
quehtIy blaspheme. But l have never distrib-
uted religious tracts. All this was known to
you and to your society. Notwithstanding
winch, you think me a fit person to be your pres
ident God forgive your hypocrisy / would
rather live in the land OF sinners than with such
saints