Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1906-11-21
TWO TYPES OF
STATESMEN. y
MEN OF ABILITY AND HIGH IN.
TEREsTs AND MERE PoI~
,TTICfANS.

by noting the things i'm which they
take the most lively interest. Amer
lea is par excellence the land OF pol
iticians. and IL is here that one finds
the most iehoble interests on the
part OF public men. The politician
is seldom man who cares for any
OF the higher interests of life. those
interests which pertain to the intel
lect and lift us above the brute. No.
the politician h more apt to be found
In the saloon than I'm the library. in
a gambling house than i'm labora-
tory He is a great believer in the
power of moneS, and has most ar
dent desire for the possession OF
houses and lands, stocks and bonds.
When he talks politics, he seeks to
gain votes by appealing to the lower
material interests OF mon, rather
than by rousing tho heart, the in
tellcct, the conscience OF mankind
II is a sad commentary on our
American politics that the men we
elect governors. representatives and
senators are usually men who see no
other and are concerned with no
other than the bread-and-butter side
OF life.
In this respect what a difference is
presented when we turn to the logis-
lative bodies of Europe Not to try
TO cover too large a field, let US
compare our difference with Great
Britain. There in the old world the
leaders OF political thought are apt
to be men who take the livelest in
tercst nthe affairs OF the intellect.
They write books that adon litera-
ture and illumiae philosophy or sci
cnce They are profoundly inter
ested in the religious experience OF
man. Take the two great leaders OF
British politics during the latter half
of the 10th century. Gladstone and
Disraeli, the one liberal. the other
a tory. Disraeli wrote a series Of
novels that throw more light on GER
tain sides of British life than any
thing that has been written These
novels reveal a many-sided nature.
intellectually alert. and concerned
with the deeper problems Of being
No matter what deficiencies criticism
may find. no one can rise from the
reading of Disraell's fiction without
feeling that large nature has been
speaking and doing And view the
work OF Gladstone, his great oppo-
nent See him writing theological
essays and books on Homer and
GreolS mythology. Huxley said that
Gladstone knew no more about met
physics than babe unborn. and
Huxley may have been right, but it
speaks volumes for the worth OF
Glodstonc's character that he was in-
tercsted in the depeer themes of life,
no matter how little insight he may
have possessed
We may witness the same pheno-
mera in living British statesmen that
was witnessed in Disraei and Glad
stone. Mr. Balfour, the leader of The
opposition in The House of Commons,
has written one volume dealing with
the problem of phildsophic doubt
ana anothc. On the foundations Of
religious belief Lord Rosebery is an
authority ou Pitt and certain phases
of Napoleon Lord Avebury former
ly Sir John Lubbock has illumined
ancient civilization. James Bryce has
written q history of the Holy Roman
Empire and "a treatise on American
institutions John Morley has said
Ibo last word on such men "a vol
taire. Didcrot Rousseau as well as
written luodly ON such men AS Ma
chlavcIi and Wordsworth and many
moro Several volumes of literary
essays hav. come from bis pen and
@ valuable political work ON Com
promise Augustine BiTcil is one OF
the fines. literary essaylsts of the
time, and the secretary of war r q
Haldanc. has written a phuosophic
work of great ability And let it
not be forgotten that all Of these men
are in %, very forefront of British
politics
what % contrast to our American
men of politics, Both Henry Cabo.
Lodge and Theodore Roosevelt used TO
be referred to as the scholar iu poi-
tics" ANA very sneeringly referred to