Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-07-23

Arthur James Balfour leader OF the OPP
position In Parliament, captain OF the con-
sentative party, and the political head of
the Cecil family, Is they incarnation of all
that one has been taught to believe goes
TO make an English gentleman. AS mat
ter OF fact. he is not English at all, but
Scotch. He was born In 1Si5 In n house
hard by Castle Douglas where the sad
tragedy OF Mary Queen OF Scots was en-
acted. on one side lies the picturesque
slope OF the Lamermoor, and on the other
the banks OF the Firth of Forth, which
flows toward the North sea- to be seen in
the distance. 1t has been said that this
birthplace, with it's historic and aristocratic
traditions. has had much to do with shap-
ing the intellectual personality Of the great
Tory statesman
Mr. Balfour is a strange combination of a
strong man of action. positive and de-
termined and a dreaming philosopher,
never quite sure Of anything. These traits
may have come to him when he breathed
in the Scottish mists burdened with tales
of romance and strength, stories Of mys-
ticism and fanaticism.
But II he owes his mental makeup to his
Scottish blrthright, IL is certain that he
owes his political prominence to the fact
q
the second marquis of Salisbury. Mr.. Bal
tours mother, before her son was out of
kits, began to train him for the public SER
vice in that practical fashion practced only
by British women of the ruling classes. +"
From the time ne could talk he was made
to take an interest in agriculture and his
duties ane responsibilities as landlord
were never forgotten. When he was Il
years old young Balfour delivered his first
speech-an address to his tenants He
never has progressed beyond the precepts
OF his mother and his notions concerning
| the relation of land owners to the nation
are the same which he expressed In that
first speech when he was a lad of II. This
| fact, In itself, is an indication of Mr.. Bal
four's fitness to command the complete
| and unQuestioning loyalty Of every British
| tory.
| His mother possessed the highest ideals
of her class and while insisting always
upon her peculiar privileges, she never for
1 got, nor did she permit her son to forget
| the debt owed to the lower classes. Dur
ing the terrible cotton famine caused bJ
the civil war in the United States, sh'
made her son, Arthur, do the work of the
| house. black the boots and clean th'
| knives. This was to show her sympathy
! for the starving laborers. But only q
British mind, tory at that, can explain
why, when half of England was starving
| because there was no work for the work
men, Lady Blanche Balfour should have
economical by making her son do the worl
| of the servants. Nevertheless, the stor,
| is told to show the keen sympathy of tn,
Balfour tribe for the unemployed
Young Balfour went to Eaton were, Gu
riously enough. he was flag to Lord Lans
downe, who now Is the conservative leade
in the House of Lords, second in com
mand to Balfour in the tory ranks. A
IS Balfour entered Cambridge. His healt
was delicate, and he took no part in tn
college sports, this being the only bio
on the record Of his youth which eve
tory enthusiasm cannot wipe out. He be
came recluse and devoted himself to tn
study of philosophy and the writing o
sonnets.
When he became 81. according to ancen
custom, he gave a great feast for his ter
ants at the Manor OF Whittinghame. A
that festival the late Lord Salisbury Nj
Balfours uncle, was present Young Bs
four made a typical speech to his ter
ants, and then, stlll according to custom
the spokesman for the tenantry humbl
thanked the young squire for his graciou
words and prayed that the young ma
would follow in the footsteps of his fathe
and take the first opportunity Of enter
ing Parliament. This appeal of the ter
antry was seconded by Lord Salsbur!
| still according to custom. But young Ba
tours tastes were not political, and Parlis
mentary life held no charm for him.
However. Lord Salisbury, whatever h
may have thought of the divine right
kings, had an abiding faith In the peculis
fitness OF the Cecil family to rule owe
England, He continued to insist that h
nephew enter politics, and at last, in 1877
Mr.. Balfour yielded and was returne
without opposition as a member for Her
ford. During the first two years he rarel
attended the sittIngs of the House an
spent most of his time In taking a tel
around the world. 1t was not until tn
third session OF his membership that /
made his maiden speech. His proud unc
gathered all the members together to hes
Arthur inaugurate his great career. tt
young man arose and read a long and di!
NAL treatise on bimetallism. His friend
were grlevously disappointed and his unc
was all but furious. He continued to d
nothing until 1879, when he went to tn