New-York tribune., 1911-04-02

Not all that John Bright stood Tor or
his great efforts are all there-the anti
corn law agitation, the Irish question:
the Crin1ean war. the government OF
India. the struggle for the American
I-nion. Canada. Parliamentary reform.
tho House Of Lords, disesta blishment or
the church in Ireland. Says Mr. Blrreh
in his preface:
He hated establishments with pure ana
unencumhered hatred. He had no INdi
system of theology, he smarteo phuel NJ NJ
social ostracism, for II he ever wanteu W ~
pIav oroquet he could do so on many d
smooth Quaker lawn, but he mated discs
Establishments in their essential qulddlty. III
his opinion they secularized the tnlIss s ot
God without itnpartng even thsT VI vi
true religion TO the anai5s Ca,arbac rreat
did Caesar no good, and Calaphas great
harm.
Mr.. Birrens interesting predatory
nages time and again Shift the ground
under our feet by leaping from Bright
times and their problems to our oWh'
as where he speaks word of frank
tvpicallv European doubt OF the United
States OF the present day as compared
with the ideal of the Union held ana
championed by the great Engnshman
or compares the increase of British eX-
nenditures that Bright so frequently
combated with his country's budgets
now. He sees no hope, for. he holds,
whatever may hereafter be saved on
armaments will all be swallowed up by
q ravenous social programme
Mr.. OBrien did not come TO know
John Bright until nearly at the end OF
his public career, in 1884. He first saw
him in 1869. from one Of the galleries
Of the House. but did not hear him
speak on that occasion. He had some
correspondence with him in 1880 and
1888 on the subject of his own PAM
phlets on the Irish question. and repro
duces some of his letters in facsimile.
He never came 10 know Bright well. In
fact, he adduces considerable evidence
10 prove anew that Bright was not a
movable, a companionable man. that
personally he held himself alocf from
the public life into which his sense of
duty forced him, that he preferred do
mesticity to the interest, the adulation
OF social and public gatherings that
were as incense i'm the nostrils of Dis
raeli and Gladstone. His friendship
for Golden. whom he acknowledged his
leader in familiar passage in one of
his letters, was deep and sincere, but
ii is the only intimacy with which Mr..
O'Brien deals at length. His book is
bare Of pcrsORGiiG: he has nothing new
10 add to their scant number. except the
negative one that, Notwithstanding the
existent tradition, Bright was not a
true fisherman. He never learned TO
hold his rod properly; he scarcely ever
caught anything, but 'he enjoyed him
self standing on the bank Of river, or
sitting in a boat. He liked solitude"
He also liked literature, the Bible and
Milton being his favorites in a catholic
range Of reading; but Shakespeare APP
1ealed to him but slightly
Children he loved. His smile was
always beautiful when he was with
them" one Of his relatives said to Mr..
O'BrieD. and he used sometimes to tell
good stories about them:
On one occasion he spoke to a lady at
dinner about the general statement that
women are more tender hearted than men,
and said that he remembered once seeing
two children, boy and a girl playing to-
gether. Suddenly the girl burst out cry
iDg. He went up TO comfort her. and found
that the boy was playing with some worms
He said 10 the girl. "He is a cruel boy
suppose he is killing the worms" NO"
said she. still crying. that's not Il, but
he won't let me Kill them
Intolerant Bright was. especially in his
attitude toward the Established Church
and his scorn OF aristocracy. II was,
one of the faults of his quail
ties Mr.. O'Brien cleverly has made his