New-York tribune., 1911-03-19
Iondon. February Is.

London, February 1S
ton5on has one more statue, not much
,otter or worse than most Of those which
,,secnt themselves TO the beholder as
,,,...,rations Of that genius for sculpture
....,ob ~. nresent resides and for some
ITO mas, has resided in the British
,~cast The art merit Of these produc'
,,ors matters the less since both artist
and beholder seem content with them
pu, r., US not look at it like the Phil
,.. .,os, - rs are with respect 10
60, and say that what really matters Is
.,o. there should be a memorial OF some
so-, good or bad. to the great men of
Tho nation or 10 the men who have done
great service to the State
This latest testimony Of puohc graft
,udo is 10 the eighth Duke OF Devon
sbjrA who died in 1905, after lie OF
devotion 10 the highest interests or the
kingdom and OF the British people
ae,,o,ion than which none in our time has
,sen nobler. II is thought sufficient
eu,ogv 10 record on that face OF the
statue which looks 10 the Horse Guards
his name and the dates OF his birth ana
death II is sufficient From 1855. or
rather from early manhood 10 1908. he
was | think, absolutely the most dis
interested and one OF the most useful
npbIic servants who lived during any
mar, Of those seventy-five years.
7, cannot be denied that he was a
mike II. as sundry Radicals now pro-
fess 10 think. the inherited possession
~ that title and Of q great fortune out
wsighs and neutralizes all personal
MERITS. there is no more 10 be said But
that has not yet come to be a general
oninion. And even If il had during the
larger part Of his life the late Duke was
no Duke. but bore the courtesy title
MARQUIS Of Harrington; or in common
speech. Lord Harrington; and. perhaps
s,iu more often. Just Harrington. Let
that serve in mitigation Of his later mis-
fortune when upon the death Of his
father. in 1891. the Dukedom descended
uron him
No doubt nc would bc olassod during
the whole Of his life by AIr Lloyd-Georee
among the idle rich. But it was kind
o. idleness which. 10 men who have less
time 10 srare for invcctive than the
uresent Chancellor Of the Exchequer has
would seem arduous. l was with him
orce when he was out Of Office, sitting
a, his writing table. strevn with papers
masses Of papsrs-and l said:
"You seem 10 find something To do
thcugh you are no longer Minister of
War"
Yes there's always something. The
business Of the estate and my otho- pri-
vate affairs would alone keep me at my
desk from 10 in the morning 10 III the
afternoon. every day in the year.
The heads OF the biggest houses in the
City don't much exceed that. England
being as we all know. country where
business is transacted with deliberation.
and the meaning Of the word hustle is
unknown.
Ye; there was no man who liked bet
ter to amuse himself. He liked the Turf,
on which he was singularly unsuccessful;
liked sport OF many kinds. in none OF
which was he extraordinarily expert
liked cards. which he played with skill
and above all with judgment. and iked
certain forms Of society and social life
He was supposed. as every nan in pub
nc life is supposed, to he ambitious. But
II ambition came 20 him II came late
nor did it. in the vulgar sense, ever come.
Is a man ambitious who twice, from
purely public motives, refuses an offered
Prime Ministership? II was not MS
habit 70 talk bout himself but he some
times let fall sentence which was
illumnative. We had been dining at the
same house. and after dinner drove TO
rether I'm z hansom-iu those happy
DAYS c0psvlC PiGBco. when the hanson
was still what Disraeli called II. the
gondols Of London-to the Gaiety The
atre ! said / thought he WAS to have
spoken that evening in Lancashire.
mo. il has been put or t',l next week "
you will have 4 great meeting"
Il dare say. But If you know how IT
al bores me-
There came a time when IT bored him
much less. or not al all. whether in the
House Of Commons or on the platform.
but al all times he made his speech with
the same fidelity. lie did as well as ne
could. Few men ever served longer
apprenticeship 20 OratOry. Yet never, IN
the larger sense Of the word. did he
become AN orator. ] heard him from
time To time. ~ all periods Of his career.
lie Rad no natural gift of fluent dis
course, nor perhaps ever UNDERSTOOD
what rhetoric meant But he had some-
thing 10 say and resolute purpose IN
say 1t as We'll as he could. In time, and
With untiring practice, his sentences
grew clear and strong, and became
NE adequate expression Of the man ;
uought and will. II ii was not oratory
u was perhaps something better;
speech OF absolute sincerity. No man
ever suspected him Of saying what he
cld not think and believe and intend
lie was. until very late. a better admin
istrator than orator. and better IN the
'abinet or in private council than as
ether Minister or Head OF a Department
will say this. ] have never known
man in whom the sense of justice was
stronger than in Lord Harrington. III put
nm. as II We're. under cOmpulsion 10 90
justice. the most complete justice 70
the men or the man whom he disliked
Will give one instance out of many