The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-09-22
.GLlmPSES OF
CHRMB ERLAlR
Incidents That Depict British
Statesman's Character.
HOW BE GOT BEST OF A BARGAIN.


In 1854 Joseph Chamberlain, who
recently resigned as Engiand's secre-
tary Of the colonies went to Birming-
ham. He took with him a letter to the
parents of the late Sir Thomas Mar.
tineau, which read, Please be kind
and see as much as you can Of poor
Joe for be knows nobody in Birming-
ham" 1t was not long before be re-
versed the tables, and everybody knew
poor Joe
Always get the best Of bargain
That seems TO have been the lifelong
motto Of the Right Hon. Joseph Cham
gerlain. An incident Of his school days
shows the principle upon which he has
always done business, says. the Ctnciu-
natl Enquirer
Two Of his school companions, it is
related, got into d dispute over some
points at cricket The cricket outfit
belonged to one Of the boys The point
yeas referred to young. Chamberlain as
arbitrator. There was a great deal OF
I'll feeling on both sides. Chamberlain
took the cricket outfit and said he
would decide the matter in a few days.
In the meantime the two combatants
came to blows and fought out their
difficulties, after which they shook
hands and made up Both then ask
ed Chamberlain to restore the cricket
outfit, as they had become friends. :
Chamberlain was much larger than
either Of the others, and this was the
decision he rendered: "As you have de-
cided the matter yourselves, after put
ting me to a lot Of trouble, shall keep
the cricket outfit for my pains"
he was fifteen years old at this time
At a certain entertainment a prom
inent army man who is on very init
mate terms with King Edward VII.
greatly amused his majesty by relating
an experience Of Mr.. Joseph Chamber
lain, who seems to be a poor hand at
/. remembering faces, says the New York
Times 1t was at a dinner one evening
that AIr. Chamberlain turned to a
friend and asked, who is that rather
distinguished looking gentleman oppo-
sitter"
why, that gentleman" returned his
friend, lis the person you have recently
made bishop Of London"
The king laughed heartily at this and
said: ''Well, / can beat that, for the
other day I was going over a number
/ of photographs with Chamberlain, and,
coming across a recent one Of myself,
4 he remarked with sigh: Poor Bullerl
Poor Buller9
+ When Joseph Chamberlain was
/ Liberal a good many years ago be
made a speech at Gloucester England,
7 ID which the former colonial secretary
quoted O nursery rhyme with great
effect, says the Pittsburg Post. Mr..
/ Chamberlain was criticising Lord
Beacons6eld and Lord Salisbury on
their return from Berlin and negotia
tons with Bismarck. One of them had
used the word 'if'' a good many times
in the course Of speech explaining
their action 1T reminds me, said Mr..
Chamberlain, "of a rhyme I learned
from my nurse:
ar all the seas were bread and cheese,
If all the rivers were ink,
IL an the lakes were eurrant cakes,
What should we have to drink?
The effect Of this opposite nonsense
on the audience was tremendous, and
the quotation is ranked as one of the
great oratorical hits Of the Birming-
ham statesman's life.
In the spring Of 1887 Mr.. Chamber
lain made a short tour IN Scotland,
speaking in defense of the crimes act,
which was designed TO cope with the
awful epidemic Of murder and outrage
then proceeding in ireland, says the
Penny Pictorial Magazine. Describing
some Of these CHASTITY outrages at Ayr,
There suddenly came, from the back Of
the hall. cry. Watch yourselfv3 The
audience wished to throw the man out.
The eyeglassed gentleman on the plat
form was quite unmoyed. NO" he
said quietly, bring that man UP here.
Nov. gentlemen" he continued,
you have before you an instance of
the decentralization Of politics Of which
[ have been speaking. | am relating
facts which / should have supposed
that even opponents would listen to
with horror and shame. Yet, when |
tell you of assassination, there is a
man in this hall who says Take care
i If YOURSELF
SO the statesman turned an Interrupt
ton, which would have alarmed most
speakers, into an additional and most
pointed argument in his own favor
In his Sunday school days Mr.. Cham
berlain wore an eyeglass, but no or
child. He always kept on his hat and
overcoat and carried his umbrella
while teaching He was fond Of walk
ing about the room as he taught, and
when, as sometimes happened, one Of
the tired factory lads In his class show
ed unmistakable signs Of drowslness,
the teacher would point with his UNI
brella to the sleepy boy and say GOOD
night, Jonesi I have no objection to
your going to sleep, only please don't
snore."
On one occasion a scholar was read
ing about the battle of BunBer's Hill