New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-31
MORLEY'S GLADSTONE.
The History Of a Great Moral Force
ia Politics.
THE LIFE OF WILLIAM EwART GLADSTONE
iSv Jobn Morley illustrated. In three volumes.
Svo Vol I pp XII. e6l; Vol. II. Pp. VIII 900 VOL
III M \ OIL The Macmillan Company

III. I'D. \. oil The Macmillan company
Second Notiee)
Mr. Morley in his introduction 10 his monu-
mental work sounds the keynote OF Gladstones
public career. when he says that not for two
centuries had Great Britain produced ruler II
whom The religious motive was paramount IN
60 e-eat 4 degree. He was not only political
force. but a moral force" That we believe to
he entirely true though il may not be the en-
tire truth We might so further and say that
Gladstone was a political force because he was
q moral force in the last analysis his almost
uurivalled political success viii be attributed
chiefly to his moral qualities. Nor need We hesl-
tate 10 accept Nj Morley's identification OF
morals with religion. and with the Christian
religion. II the passage already quoted he
brackets together religious motive and moral
force II might not be judicous always TO do
50 in other cases. In Gla6stone's case we may
safely do so To him Christianity and morality
were SYNONYMOUS terms: not effectively. but
sublectfvelv. He was" says his biographer.
mot only a ferzid practising Christian; he was
a Christian stepped in The fourth century
stepped in the thirteenth and fourteenth cen
turtles" There are those who. while oonceding
his eminent fitness 10 deal with Gladstone IN
ali other respects, have questioned whether MT.
Morley was the ideal hioSrapher On the re-
lgious and spiritual side. on the "hole, mat
question is 10 be answered IN the affirmative
In religion as in politics. Gladstones experience
was protean. He began as an Evangelical
Churchrnan: he became an oxford High Church
man: he made his chief appeal TO and drew his
chief support from -Oissenters and Nonconform-
isis and he made marked advances toward
Rome. such a career vas surely Iaost sppro-
priately 10 be treated by a philosophical Ag-
rostic.
In his political life. Gladstone was even more
caargeful: and that fact makes his moral mas
re~ship q his generation the more notable In
3 man OF less exalted spirituality, such career
would be called tortuous. tickle. inconsistent
Froverhianv the rising hope Of the stern I'M
bendinr Tories" he became the Liberal leader
and ended as a scarcely concealed Radical But
that is only one generalization upon his change
fYl career. Had We time and space TO enter into
details We might easily show. from Mr.. Nor
lows history that Gladstone reversed himself
sometimes with startling suddenness, upon al
most every important issue that came before
him His first historic speech. at the oxford
Union in May 1881. which struck all his hear
ers with amazement. so brilliant, so powerful
So inoomnarablv splendid did il seem" and
which caused one Of the listeners TO record
that we all q US felt that epoch in our lives
had occurred was a fierce and truculent at
tack upon the Reform bill; and Gladstone was
arst elected to Parliament from a notorious
rotten borough and frankly declared himself
u be the Duke Of Newcastles man" Yet in
later years he was the most radical OF Parlia-
r1entarv reforners. and Of opponents TO the in
fuence and privilege Of the House Of Lords.
II his first election address he called for the oe-
fence in particular. Of our Irish establish
rreu-s.: vet one Of his earliest acts OF impor-
tsn-e was the disestab lishment OF the Irish
church In 1871 he cared so little for the ire
,7,epdous fiscal revolution that was then being
effected that he thought much OF Tract
>linetv and colonial bishoprics as OF sugar du-
ties and corn laws; Yet a few months later ne
reformed the FIerculean task Of reforming the
tsrfn and in time became the most strenuous
cf free traders. In Egypt. In South Africa, IN
Ireland in the American rebellion, and In many
other i,7portant instances he not only changed
his policy: he sQUarely reversed himself. 1t is
r,e-rars. the highest proof OF and tribute TO his
,oo-a1 exaltation that through all these changes
nc Was not only sincere. but also was able to
keen the British people and the world convinced
Of his sincerity. II Disraeh, for example. or
ralrnerston had made such changes. we dread
10 think what would have been said Of them.
TSut. differ from him and criticise him as they
would men never ventured TO impugn Glad
ttore,s sincerity The late Bonamy Price, who
knew him particularly well both in public and
ir r,rivate once said Of him that he had the
= r,eculiar faculty OF never seeing more than one
SIDE Of a question AZ a time. hut Of seeing all
rIGes Of il ia succession and Of being sincerely.
Intensely and absolutely devoted 20 whichever
SIDE of q he happened 10 ne seeing at the time
The reader Of Mr.. Morley's volumes viii finally
conclude that Prices description was not far
from correct
il was this unfaIing steadfsstness to moral
principles that assured TO Gladstone exception
aily respectful treatment at the hands Of his
critics The statement has often been made that
IN the course cE more than fifty years cartoons.
OF which more probably were devoted to him
than 10 any other man. Punch" invariably de-
ricted Gladstone with noble mien. even when
most strongly disapproving his policy. That
statement is not quite true. We can recall Ten
nieTs portrayal Of Gladstone as '-Sairey Camp"
SIS Mrs Gunlr7idge." and even as Joseph Sur
face: the FIRST and second certainly vulgar and
contemplate characters and the third utterly
oetestable. Nevertheless the rule generally held
good. Gladstone was oftener shown as Hercules,
Achilles Or Ajax and in the vast majority OF
cases was invested with all possible dignity. in
tellectusl clarity and moral illumination. This
fact was the more marked because-if we may
he permitted TO draw the coutrast-in dealing
with Gladstone's chief rival Disraen, the same
artist gave him an air Of cunning. If not OF
actual charlatanry. even when holding him UP to
admiration. as in the famous Nose in Egitto''
and The Pas de Deuz.'" This high esteem Of
Gladstone could not have been artihcislly pro-
ouced. or n thus produced could not have been
maintained. Mere profession OF high morality
will not endure the attrition Of experience Rea-
son. therefore, forbids US 10 doubt that he was
indeed sincere. and that he was the moral
force that his biographer declares him. Upon
no other conceivable theory can we account for
his great success and f0r his marvellous main