The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-28

Duf1nR recent Qul SUtHR VI VIC AAou'o
OF Commons several members were seated
In the smoking room discussing one OF their
colleagues. He was lazy, they said ne
was utterly impractical; he had not the
fnintest chance OF arriving at anything
great.
Don't be so sure" said an old member.
who had been listening to their talk. 1T
h a ticklish business to judge men,
DO you know that we used to say the
very same things about Balfour less than
twenty years ago, and now he IL Prime
Minister of Great Britain? In 1885 and 1885
none Of us dreamed that he would ever
become a successful ipoli ician, let alone
great statesman.
"As president OF the Local Government
Board and Secretary for Scotland he mad
managed to miss all his chances of doing
anything remarkable, He was clever
enough but he simply couldn't take the
trouble to work. 1t seemed to be almost
too much bother to him to live
He seldom got out of bed before the
afternoon, and often he would not go to
his Office for three or four days al time,
DISPATCHES bored him, Parliament was a
nuisance and the officials of his depart
ment tore their hair over his neglect to
keep appointments and sign important
documents.
SWELL, thi, was the man whom Lord
Salisbury appointed Chief Secretary for
Ireland In iss4-one of the storniest Pc
RODS in the modern history of that country
OF course, everybody ragged and said that
Salisbury had appointed the most unfit
man he could have found in days march,
simply because that man happened to be
his own nephew.
4The Irish members were delighted,
They thought they had got man OF straw
for their chief opponent. Parneli alone
saw the truth
Don't deceive yourselves he told
his colleagues. Salisbury knows what
he IL doing. There's great deal more
in Balfour than he has shown us yet He
will turn out to he the strongest Chief Sec
rotary for generations past.
And so it proved. Faced at last with
an immensely difficult and important task,
Balfour altered his habits completely.
there was no more lying abed until
noon, no more neglect OF business, no more
scorn for petty details. He rose with the
lark even aftsr hard nights session in
the House OF Commons and worked hard
oil day and every day at his office.
when he became Chief Secretary he
knew no more about Irish affairs than
the average man in the street. but in less
than a month he surprised the permanent
officials by his thorough knowledge OF
every branch OF Irish government.
And as he worked and learned, his char
acter and will grew stronger The lazy,
vacillating philosopher. who couldn't make
Up his mind about anything. became, in
q few short weeks. the stern administrator
who telesraphed: Don't hesitate to shoot
to the soldiers at Mitchelstown when they
asked how they were to deal with riotous
mob You all know how he has risen since
thsn.
1T ia a good lesson to be careful in your
judgments, concluded the old member.
Strange to say, this man who has risen
TO the top OF the ladder in British politics
ia no lover Of politics He is a politician
by family influence and chance. not by
choice.
The nephew OF Lord Salisbury, Arthur j.
Balfour, was born to the purple and des-
tined for Parliament from his Eton days.
But his tastes are literary and academic.
not political and practical. He cares more
for the honors which have been showered
upon him by all the British universities in
recognition Of his achievements in philoso-
ply than he does for his political fame.
Give me my books. my golf clubs and
leisure" he once said to friend, Aand l
would ask for nothing more. My ideal in
life Is to read lot write little, play plenty
of golf and have nothing to worry about.
II II could give up politics and retire to-
morrow without disorganizing things and
neglecting my duty would gladly do So
Mr.. Balfour has often said this, and there
IL no doubt that he il sincere. He is too
much of philosopher to he ambitious.
Entering politics more a. social nj oes-
sity than anything else, he drifted from
one Office to another until at last he reached
a position In which he had to work hard or,
in his view, leopard England's interests by
neglect He worked hard and made good.
As reward he was given still more impor-
tant rosts. which have kept him working
busily ever since.
In the strenuous coercion days. when MIR.
Balfour stood in grave danger of assaSsi-
nation, he worried his friends by absolutely
refusing to take any precautions. lie
would not even allow himself to be guarded
by Secret Service men, though previous
Chief Secretary, Lord Frederick Cavendish
had been murdered in Dublin.
He WIS constantly Swallowed by detec-
tives, against his orders, and he uaed to
get great amusement by trying to shake
them of. He did not hesitate to travel
alone even in the most disturbed parts of
Ireland, where scores of men would have
been glad to kill him had they recognized
him as their arch-enemy. Bloody Balfour,
whose name was for while as detested In
Ireland "a that Of Cromwell,
Balfour's cool courage finally won the
.r,pect Of the Irish. and when he reln-
ouished control of Irish affairs he was as
popular as any Chief Secretary could be
under policy Of coercion. Even the Irish
members in the House OF Commons liked
him, as they do to-day.
HE tells us with exquisite politeness that
we are fools when we meet him here,
and he sends US to Jail when we are In Ire.
land" the late Dr. Tanner, NJ. P. for Cork
used to say. But he has such charming
way with him that nobody can help liking
him"
That is how all Mr. Balfour's opponents
feel toward him. Nobody hits out harder
than he does In debate but there Is never
any DerAOnal bitterness any malicious