The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-07-04
"BLooDY BALFouR."
Writer In New York Sun Discusses
England'S Premier.

The New York Sun, i'll recent issue,
gave the following description of the
once lazy man who is now the head
of the British government:
During a recent dull sitting of the
House of Commons several members
We're seated in the smoking room dis
cussing one of their colleagues. He
was lazy. they said; he was utterly
unpractical; he had not the faintest
chance Of arriving at anything great.
"Don't be so sure" said an old men,
Der, who had been listening to their
talk. ut is ticklish business to judge
men, Do you know that We used TO
say the very same things about Bal
four less than twenty years ago, and
new he is prime minister of Great
Britain? In 1855 and 1856 none of us
dreamed that he would ever become
a successful politician, let alone Il
local government board and secretary
for Scotland he had manag cd to miss
all his chances of doing anything re-
markablc. He w;s 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 sell
dom got out of bed before the after
noon, and often he would not go to his
Office for three or four days at Il time.
Dispatches bored him, Parliament was
a nuisance and the officials of his de-
partment tore their hair over his
neglect to keep appointments and sign
important documents.
"Wcll. this was the man whom Lord
Salisbury appointed chief secretary for
Ireland in. 1SS4-onc of the Stormiest
periods 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 a days march, simply be-
cause that man happened to be his own
nephew. The Irish members were de-
lighted. They thought they had got
man of straw for their chief oppon-
emf. Parncll alone saw the truth.
"'Don't deceive yourselves he told
his colleagues. Salisbury knows what
he is doing. There's Il great deal
more in Raliour than he has shown us
vet. lie will turn out to he the strong
est chief secretary for generations
past And so it proved Faced at
last With an immensely difficult and
important task, Ralfour altered his
habits completely. There was 10 more
lying abcd until noon. no more neglect
of business. no more scorn for petty
details. He rose with tie lark even
after Il hard nights session in the
House of Commons and worked hard
adj 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 Il month lie surprised the
knowledge of every branch of Irish
government. And as he worked and
learned, his character and will grew
stronger. The lazy. vacillnting phil
osophcr. who couldn't make up his
mind about anything, became. in Il
few short weeks. the stern admins
traitor who Biographies: Don't hest
tate to shoot! to the soldiers ut Nit
chelstown when they asked how they
were to deal with a riotols mob. You
all know how he has risen since then
1t is 81 good lesson to be careful in
your judgments" concluded tina old
member.
Strange TO say. this man who has
risen to the top of the ladder in British
politics is no lover of politics. He is
a politician by family influence and
chance not by choice. The nephew of
Lord Salisbury, Arthur j. Ralfour
was born to the purple and destined
for Parliament from his Elton days
But his tastes are literary and acnd
emic not political and practicak III
cares more for the honOrs which have
been showcrcd upon him by all the
British universities in recognition OF
his achievements in philosophy thar
he does for his political fame. Civ,
me my books. my golf clubs anC
leisure" he once said to friend
"and I would ask for nothing more
My ideal in life is to read a lot. writ,
little, play plenty of golf and hav,
nothing TO worry about. II 'coult
give up politics and retire tomorrow
neglccting my duty l would gladly dt
So" Mr.. Balfour has often said this
and there Is no doubt that he is sin
cerc. lie is too much of Il philOsophc
to be ambitious.
Entering politics more as a socia
necessity than anything else he drftc'
from one Office to another until at las
he reached Il position in which he hat
to work hard or in his view. jcoparl
En.land's interests by neglect. II
worked hard and made good. AS re
ward he was given still more impor
tant posts. which have kept him work
ing busily ever since. In the strcmu
GUS coercion days. when Mr.. Balfou
stood in grave danger of ASA ssinat iol
he worried his friends nv nhSol,,tel