New-York tribune., 1911-03-05


be the most unpopular member Of the
Ministry or OF the Ministerial party.
PROBABLY he is, but nc Is also the most
popular Politics l eschew, but the man
about whom tie leader Of the Opposition
and the Prime Minister contend in the
FIRST great debate Of the present session
OF Parliament is not an ordinary poll
uclan. Mr.. Balfour pours ridicue on
him for his performances at the Sidney
street fight, where "he was in the zone
OF tre.-he and a photographer. both
risking valuable lives" To which Mr.!
Asouith, who is understood to find now
and then difficulty in reducing his col
league TO order. replied.
MY right honorable friend. If he will
forgive mo for saying so. suffers from
the dangerous endowment Of an inter
esting personality"
Precisely, and that is why write
about him and you, hope, read about
him.
With one other remark l will get
clear away from this zone of fire and
from all proximity TO immediate contro
versies I must presume that the Con
servative censures on him are heard be-
yond the Atlantic. These censures are
frequent and extremely bitter; even
more bitter than those upon Mr.. Lloyd
George. The reason for the extra bit
terness is simple. Mr.. Lloyd George was
from the beginning an unregenerate
Radical in whom all the natural and ac-
quired vices Of Radicalsm were fully de-
yeloped a an early age. Nothing, there
fore, but RadiCalism, in its most e3
trene socialistic form, was ever expect
cd of him But Mr.. Churchill was born
into the world a Conservative, and a
Conservative he remained till Mr.. Bal
four. then Prime Minister, rejected his
application for Cabinet office. Then he
crossed the Dor of the House, and has
ever since acted with the Liberals, who
knew the value of their recruit and
gave him what Mr.. Balfour had denied
That is what the Conservatives tell you
and that is why their dislike of Mr..
Churchill is SO extreme. 1t does not
stop short of something like social os-
tracism. Mr.. Churchills social position
is not unlike that of Lord Spencer, in
1856. when he followed Mr.. Gladstone
into the lone Rule camp, for Lord
Spencer though he never passed from
one party TO the other. was then re-
garded by the Unionists as having be-
traved the cause of the Union. None or
these things do | affirm or deny SIM
n1v oxpound the English view on one
/ side and the other.
! You will not understand Mr.. Winston
! Churchill unless you understand that the
passion or the overmastering Impulse
snd rule Of his life is to he doing some
thing. His power of work is prodigious;
almost commensurate with his passion
for it. Whether he ever rests or ever
sleeps I do not know. But ] have seen
him uretty often in circumstances Which
/ for most men would be a holiday ana Tor
/ him were none Country house life in
/ England is supposed TO be life OF In
! dolence, or of that energetic amusemc II
bv which the Englishman recruits his
exhausted energies. Not so with MIN.
/ Dunrobin. where there is sport of many
kinds. may furnish an instance. lie
was at that time writing that life OF
Z lord Randolph Churchill which. by conf
mon consent of the judicious and OF the
general. is reckoned among the few great
biographies in English literature lie
toiled at II all the morning and part OF
tho afternoon. and for aught l know at
right also. His experience in journal
ism had taught him to work at full speed
at all times and in no matter what sur
roundings. Occasionally he asked me 70
I his bedroom to talk over some SUBJECT l
knew about. His bedroom had been
turned into literary workshop: strewn
with books and papers and all the ap-
narat1s of the writer. He had brought
with him tin box, some three feet
square. divided into closed coDpart-
ments. This was his travelling compan-
ion on Journeys of pleasure
Like his father, he wanted ample room
eor his materials and his hostess had
provided him with large writing table.
This was covered with papers, loose and
j., docketed bundles, but all in exact or
der for ready reference. Now and tnen
he gave me a chapter TO read. - dld
not want compliments, but criticisms, or
nerbaps an opinion on a doubtful poin'.
Into this Life he was putting all that
was best in himself; and in ii shine forth
Qualities not always conspicuous in his
marty speeches judgment, broad views.
uatient accuracy and strict sense OF
nrouortion-which. perhaps, are not 10
he expected in party speeches. II you
oueried a statement he always had a
fact or a considered opinion TO support
II. His task was the more delicate be-
cause Lord Randolph and Winston mad
not always agreed on matters Wnlch
concerned them both; nor did winston
think his fathers political course AT the
most critical moment Of his career judi
cious or even defensible, as every reader
of his book may see. But he was on
every point the most conscientious OF
bioeraphers. and. whatever view he may
have taken Of this or that incident. his
Life is a noble tribute 70 his father
Lord Randc-oh fame stands the higher
for this book.
When we left Dunrobin We found that
Winston had reserved a compartment IN
The railway train for himself and for his
big tin case Of papers. He shut himself
up there, and during that long journey
read and wrote and worked as II a
Highland railway train were the natural
and convenient laboratory IN which 1T
crature Of high order was 10 be dis
titled. u w. -