New-York tribune., 1908-03-25
rgr DIXIE OF DEvoysHIRE.

Spencer Compton Cavendish, it Is no exTava-
gance to say, stood in the general esteem OF
his countrymen second to no subject OF the
British Crown. There were those who IN recent
years filled larger spaces in ephemeral news anu
speculative chatter. There were also those who
commanded from considerable numbers OF par
tisan followers more indiscriminate acclaim
But # we were to seek the man who was on
the whole most favcrably regarded by political
adversaries as well as by supporters, by WING
and by Tory, by Gael and by Saxon, by peer
and by commoner, We know not upon whom the
discriminating choice would surely fall as
upon the eighth Duke Of Devonshire. There
was nobody of comparable prominence who had
been longer or more active in public life, or
who had participated as protagonist In more
vehement political strife: and there was none
who had more perfectly exhibited what
statesman what a politician and what citizen
should be-
By birth and tradition ne was distnctively
grand seigneur-the head Of the House OF
Cavendish the kinsman of many other noble
families the master Of half dozen splendid
castles abbeys and halls, and Of landed estate
nearly three hundred square miles In extent
and in taste and inclination aristocradc ABOVE
most men of his age. Yet during his long
career as Marquis Of Harrington he was
commOner among commoners: nor as Duke Oh
Devonshire did he incur any Of the odlum, rea-
soning or mreasoning, with which an lncreas-
ing number affect to regard the hereditary peer
age No Radical clamoring for the abolition OF
the House of Lords ever referred to him as an
example of the unworthiness Of that body, or
suggested that legislature composed OF such
as he would not be entitled to the confidence
of the people He was a living and notapie
demonstration of the fact that kind hearts'
while they may be more than, are not lncon-
patibIe with, coronetsl and that hereditary rank
can no more destroy than 1t can create uue
manhood.
His public career was long, varied and ardu-
GUS. Endowed with the capacity and the de-
sire 70 eniov to the full the good things OF life
and leisure which his wealth placed within his
reach, he exempified the principle Of noblesse
0bIiGe with an extent of aborous self-sacrifce
and devotion to public duty e1ceptionai. even
among the hard-wOrking Liberals who were III
two generations his associates. He served IN
Parliament for more than half a century-thirty-
four years in the Commons and seventeen years
in the Lords. He held successfully and sue
cessfully five Cabinet portfolios during minis
terial service of seventeen years When his
great leader abandoned in temperamental In
trinity the leadership of the party which had
fallen into Generalization and defeat, he chiv-
alrously accepted the unwelcome task or res
toration and then relinquished the leadership
TO its former head. When that same great
leader. the close friend Of a lifetime adopted
a policy which his mind and conscience forbade
him to approve, he parted company with him
and became the founder and chief OF a party
which opened new era of British politics, ana
when the great majority Of that new party In
turn adopted policy Of the wisdom OF which
he could not be convinced, he did not falter IN
standing almost alone against 1t.
He was fine exemplar Of the great truth
expressed in his own family motto Cdrendo
Tutus-of that wise blending Of liberality and
conservat tism which is safe because 1t Is eau
tious, and yet which is by no means inert In
the famous working ministries of Gladstone,
Bright, Forster, Harcourt. Argyll and their
compeers he by no means the least ener-
getc and productive; yet the fact that Harting-
ton was associated with any policy or measure
was accepted a guarantee OF its safety ana
sanity "Other times. other men-and other
measures and manners But in the changes
which must come, and which to some extent
should come England will scarcely find more
profitable servant than he, nor will she easily
attain to lOftier type of public life or private
citizenship of more sterling merit than was ex-
emplfed in the eighth Duke of Devonshire