Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-10-24
CHAMBERLAIN At HOME
Private Life of England's For
mer Colonial Secretary.
SIMPLICITY Is ITS KEYNOTE.


pamphlets and leaflets and newspapers
articles, Joseph Chamberlain, England's
former colonial secretary, treasures his
followers by his very air of complete
Indifference to the storm raging around
him, and when the uproar is at its
worst he calmly lays out a new garden
bed, says the London Mail.
Mr.. Chamberlain's home is at High
bury, a large, well to do house in the
residential quarter of Birmingham. Be
hind the gates a spacious garden rises
somewhat steeply to an invisible house,
and through this garden winds the
drive. Here are the famous flower beds
which occupy Mr.. Chamberlain's lei
sure and Danish the burdens of i'm
perial care.
The house itself externally is large,
modern and undistinguished. Stand
ing under the glass portico at its door,
the visitor is confronted by a whole
series of doors, which open one behind
the other. Through them he passes to
large hall, paneled with light wood,
surrounded by a gallery, with a great
fire burning in the hearth and bear
skin rug before it. The magazines and
papers lie neatly arranged.
The hall is lighted by a chandelier of
electric lights, and around it are vases,
rugs and rare embrOideries from the
east. 1t is pervaded by an air of sim
plicity, which is the keynote in Mr..
Chamberlain's public and private life.
Like most really great men, he cares
little or nothing for show.
His life on the eve of his recent Glas-
gov speech was very trying on him,
notwithstanding his appearance of
calm In the first place, the msre
physical strain is excessive, and only
man in the robustest of health and the
very pink of condition could accom-
plish what he does. His years are six
ty-seven, but he is so young, so alert
and so vigorous that he might be taken
for his own son.
Mr.. Chamberlain rises late in the
morning, for the minister in the house
of commons must habituate himself to
late hours. His most serious business
is the management of his correspond
ence, which shows a tendency to out
grow all manageable bounds. He re-
ceives as Il rule over 200 letters Il day
and not only reads them all and an
swers them, but perforce has to an
swer them with the EXTREMIST care.
They may contain riddles asked by
faithful followers or traps laid by art
full opponents. The statesman has to
| be always ON his guard.
Two shorthand clerks take down the
instructions for the answers under the
supervision of Mr.. Chamberlain's pri-
DIT
possible assistance, this routine work
takes many hours. While the letters
are in hand there is n perpetual stream
of kilograms in cipher from ministers
or au clair from less distinguished
men, not less troublesome than the
letters and often requiring even great
er tact and care in handling.
Nor is this all. At such time as the
present, on the eve of a great and his
toric speech, correspondents beset the
| house in their efforts to discover its
| secrets. Mr.. Chamberlain has the rep
utation of treating them exceedingly
| well. He never if he can help it sends
them empty away and is ready to talk
with them at any time. Even at this
moment, when his mind is full of what
he is going to say and what he is GO
ing to leave unsaid, he is not inaccessi-
bic.
He works far into the night. He
takes a bath before dinner, dimes at s
in the simplest fashion with his fam
lily and after dinner sets to work. On
the Saturday before his recent Glas-
gov speech he was at work until 8 in
the morning answering his correspond
ents and preparing his speech. One
or two days of late when he has not
felt fit he has taken matters little
more easily, but his is a strenuous life.
OF exercise he needs and wants little.
An hours gardening is enough.
In the preparation Of his speech he.
uses full notes. His facts are worked
out with extreme care. For the pres
ent controversy ne has had the most
careful calculations made by the most
accomplished authorities He tries his
speeches over before delivery, declaim-
ing them to his secretary while smok-
ing a brier pipe. In his large library
he has two libraries at Highbury-a
listener might have heard the things
which were flashed all over the world
from Glasgow.
III Ills pOlAAiSdi WIN hS RECEIVES great
assistance from his son, the new chan
cellor of the exchequer, who inherits
his eyeglass, his aptitude for politics
and his Judgment. Austin Chamber
lain lives with him at Highbury and
assists in the management of the ever
growing correspondence. Mrs. Cham
berlain takes the warmest interest in
all that her hubsand attempts, and her
grace and tact are never at fault The
happy family life which the younger
Pitt lacked and the want of which,
perhaps, explains certain weaknesses
in him that are not to be found in Mr..
Chamberlain is here.
Constant inquiries are made by Mr..
ChamberIain's friends and sylnpathiz-
ers as to their leaders health. With