New-York tribune., 1911-04-09
CXIV.
London. March %.

hat is called an accident. Sir Ed
~, Grey became last week the most
.,rsplcuous figure in the British poiiti-
o-,s He was already. and had
,ssn q parsonage Of distinction In
90. ~. and also In private. But
,rot remember that, until he made
! House of Commons his speech on
ns,,-.tion. he had ever concentrated
s,,c attention on himself as one of the
~ wen in the Ministry, or in public
~ vho are 70 be reckoned with per-
,,lv. Mr.. Gladstone said Of him
ago that he might be anything
.,ose. but that he chose to 90 fishing.
.. still goes fishing. and has written
-, an that gentle art. which is an
.h,-,tv and is still an example Of one
~. hest types among the English;
". country gentleman. But he is much
,,an that. Radical Northumberland
,s his home.
-, summer some Of the lirhelight
rhirn was LuIueu 80 iANoS
c,-sevelt. fell incidentally on Sir Ed
I'D Grey. though II is not thing he
.,s for. There was something mover
a unexpectedly human in the Foreign
sc-etary's serving as guide to the ex-
,,es;Sent through the mazes Of the New
-,-ss, and introducing the naturalist
x,,ta- of the United States to the olros
- Aowers Of Great Britain. 1t was an
.-eeable episode in both those lives
~ stalwart Britons-and there were
.snv Of them--who could not forgive
" Roosevelt for his lecture at the
crgdhau and his admonition TO them 10
A. for Egypt what Mr.. Roosevelt
.,,nqht right. or get out. took kinder
-.u nf him when he made friends with
y,tu-e on the intercession OF Sir I'd
ID Grey. And the state Of feeling here
r,s for some time such that Mr.. Roose-
-.it. debt 10 his New Forest friend was
considerable.
a-s, met Sir Edward Grey ct Irins
~ Lord Rothschild's delightful place
:, spckinghamshire. a house with whlch
-..,v o,hsr similar memories connect
.A.rss,ves. The date cannot give you.
~. vha, matters the date? II was the
ev.pt which mattered; it is always the
.-s,,. the meeting with some new hu-
nan being Of interest; the new expert
,,cs The new view OF life AT an angle
s,nsrent from any earlier view; the re-
.,sion q, hearsay impressions in tho
,-esence Of the man himself. But IT
,,nst have been before I left England
q, ,sQ5. and between 1892 and 1890,
rbsn Sir Edward was Under Secretary
,or Foreign Affairs in the ministries ot
", Gladstone and OF Lord Rosebery.
p-.or 20 that he had held no ottlce.
vhsn he entered the Foreign once
yo-s Poseberv was Foreign Minister and
,hs new Under Secretary had the ad-
vantage o. serving his apprenticeship to
tplomacy under Lord Rosebery. the
-cs, accomplished Of foreign ministers
rAcsut -innes. Lord Salisbury alone ex-
sptsd; with a reputation abroad second
,,ly 70 Lord salsbury's, and held upon
as Continent, especially after Dulcigno'
be Nneal diplomatic descendant OF
hrd Palne-ston. who is still, 70 most
,o,t Britons. ultimus Rom1n0y1tm. Lord
pslrsrston bedueathed TO Lord Rose
ss-y his conception Of the British neet
As the chief European instrument o,
,.scs They both used IL as such.
so..,, true. did Lord Salisbury. but
his remembe most vividly Of all as
u:hor o. the saving that the BRUSH
Zee. could not climb the mountains OF
Llrtria II was one OF those sentences
rsrsd by Lord Salisbury in his most
sgrammatic mood, intended and adapt
q 70 cool the hysterical enthusiasms o.
he sentimental factions which were
Wont 10 demand imposs!bilities both OF
its Minister and Of the fleet. 1t was
e.rasel Of sense and prudence Ike SO
nsny o. those by which Prince BIS
-arck kept the Prussian generals IN or
ts-, after K6niggratz and after Sedan.
But Z Minister who sets himself 10 stem
TIE TIDE Of popular or military feeling IN
i.s moment Of victory must expect to
X denounced as preferring peace TO
ssao- Denounced he was. and little ne
zrsa for the denunciation. But history
Eneiimes sets a black mark against the
sirle of such a Minister. unfairly ana
rtruly; nor even for that need he care.
lasse are days when all historical judg-
s'n's are subject 70 revision.
s1t 70 go back TO Tring. Sir Edward
e'sy could not then have beer much
sors than thirty. He looked even
Younger til you noted the thoughtfulness
a'he face the lines Of thought already
'sSs sletche6 II not incised. Tall,
Nsisht erect. with the bearing Of
1aa On whom the stamp OF the patrician
as plainly set II was a face which
We s.nds OF heaven had visited. There
'as and is something Norman in the
S'u'.si they are high. clean cut. finely
1Nsled such as Duke william Of Nor
ty and his knights might have
"0sai with them TO England and be-
s1saihed
'nere are men Of whom you say when
"'een that they are both thinkers and
A N action. You would have said
'" Sir Edward Grey. and you would
ave been wrong Man Of action he has
e been. in the sense which made
aTas'ston and Bismarck men Of action
"e and above all IT may not be
a'r TO Try anybody by those high
:, '"tos, but how otherwise are you 20
?, mans measure? Young as sir
@d Grey then was. and holding only
-O''ainate post in the Foreign Office,
"Nerlheless felt that he was in his
~, pace. The first business Of n