New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-27

Gladstone and the lives Of the two Liberals
/ grew into a friendship and understanding that
never failed. Acton thought Gladstone the first
OF English statesmen. living or lead. a man
who had object except to learn what was
/ true and 20 DO what was right. and this rever-
entail feeling is reflected in most Of the letters
in this volume To Actions judgment in mat
tiers historical Gladstone always deferred; and.
in fact. if they ever came near disagreeing in
/ anything it was in their estimates Of their IA
vorite novelists. Neither" says Mr.. Paul.
would acknowledge the transceudent merits
Of the rival Lord Acton was unjust to Scott.
Mr.. Gladstone moderated George Eliot" Ac-
/ tons appreciation Of George Eliot's powers was
/ cUriously extrGvagant in a thinker Of his cool
and analytical sort. You cannot think how
much owed her" he writes to Mary Gladstone
/ Of eighteen or twenty writers by whom ara
conscious that my mind has been formed, she
was one. OF course, 1 mean ways not cOnclu-
sions. In problems Of life and thought which
/ baffied Shakespeare disgracefully her touch was
unfailing. No writer ever lived who had any
thing like her power of manifold but disinte--
ested ard impartially ObServaut sympathy. II
/ SOphOCles or CeTvantts had lived in the light
OF our culture, If Dante had prospered like
Manzoni George Eliot might have had rival.
d. George Eliot seemed to me capable not
/ only Of reading the divers hearts Of men, but OF
| creeping into their skin. watching the world
| through their eyes, feeling their latent back
! ground of conviction discerning theory and
habit, influences Of thought and knowledge Of
\ life and Of descent; and, having obtained this
/ experience, recovering her independence, strip
/ pingOf the borrowed shell and exposing scien-
| tifcally and indifferenuy the soul Of Vestal,
Crusader. Anabaptist, an InquisitOr a Der
WISH a Nih.list Cavalier without attraction,
| preference caricature. And each OF them
/ should say that she displayed him in his
strength that she gave rational form to motives
| he had imperfectly analysed, that she laid bare
features in his character he had never realized
No wonder the Prime Minister and his friend
| NJ
/ The verdict of posterity' will hardly be that
| Of Lord Acton On the question Of Gladstones
| reading his views were sOunder. There IL
some want Of method" says Acton. lin his pur-
/ suit Of foreign literature Things come to him
/ by sort of accident pressed on him by
| some occasion. and are taken up with absorbing
vigor not always with distinct recognition
/ of the books place in its series, OF the writer's
place among other writer's" There was time
when authors pursued Mr.. Gladstone with de-
| mands for an expression Of opinion in regard
| to their volumes, which when procured they
incontinently used as a splendid advertise
ment" and the Prime Minister allowed himself
| to be thus drawn" IN Overamiable fashion
which quite justified Actions criticism. There
were not many occasions on which the disciple
found fault with his chief; these letters are
filled with praises Of the orator and statesman
| Other men might have each his particular gift
| in OratOry-CladStOne possessed lneIn l-l, ana
he had also according to Acton. two qualtieS
! that will not be found in other men one was
the vigorous and perpetual progress of his
mind" the other was the union of theory and
/ policy" All the resource and policy Of the
heroes Of CarlyIes worship were, he believed.
in Gladstone. yet he moves scrupulously along
the lines of the science Of craftsmanship"
| II Acton had enthusiasms he had also strong
prejudices-most Of them we'll founded, it must
| be admitted. Carlyle he could not abide-he
? considered him the most detestable Of histo-
rians" and pointed out that his robust mental
Independence is not the same thing Orgi-
naIity."
He lived on the thought Of Germany when X
was not at its best, between Herder and Rich
ter before the age of discipline and science
which inspired him; and his conception Of its
teaching was "A gross auaChrouism. 1t gave him
his most valuable faculty, that Of standing aside
from the current OF contemporary English ideas
and looking at il from Archimedean point
but IL gave him no rule for judging, no test OF
truth no definite conviction, no certain method
and no sure conclusion. But he had historic
Crasr,-whi,h is rare Quality-SOne sympathy
with things that are not evident, and vague
fuctuatiug notion Of the work of impersonn
forces. There is a flash Of genius in Past and
Present and in the French Revolution
though il is q wrctchcd history. And he in
vented Oliver Cromwell That is the positive
result Of him. that and his personal influence
over many considerable" ulIELS-a StiUu.1tiuC-
not n guiding. influence. as when Stanley asked
what he ought 10 DO and Carlyle answered, Do