New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-07
London, April IL.

SuCh was the late LOru GoSCnei ue-
scrintion of himself But he was not. in
,rnth. violent, and not moderate. Other
r.ise the description is accurate.
Not violent should say, but conten-
,ious Not moderate. but an oppor-
,,rrist when he was not TOO stubborn
The cpithets, one set or the other nave
no particular value A man is not TO be
.,,r,mcd ND i'm an adjective, least OF all
q man whose life was public, who was
o,.o,vvhere 10 be met. who spoke in Par
lament and talked without stint IN pri-
,o.e. who was long a Minister OF the
Crown a man Of business. of affairs, OF
very varied and substantial gifts Char-
actor and achievement are what you
,,dge nv. in such a life as his. so
Judged. he stands rather hlgh' not
quite so high as his invincioie commence
in himself would put him.
To take the man Of business hrs''
always thought his best eulogy came
from the City. That is where the brains
Of finance are TO be found. / have often
asked and have always had the same
answer. The great bankers ana mer-
chants of the City Of London thought
Mr.. Goschen-as he then was-a hrst
rate Chancellor of the EXchequcr. and
did not think Mr.. Gladstone first rate.
As for his conversion of Consols. reduc-
ing the rate Of interest first to 2St per
cent and then TO 2i2. the manner of the
o0eration was reckOnCd mastery.
Whether the result Of it and the erect
ON public credit can he deemed favor
able is another question. But II en-
bedded his name in financial history
since reduced Consols have ever since
been known as "Goschens.' He went
out Of business rather early, his fortune
seeming t. him sufficient. and thence
forward devoted himself in one way or
another to politics.
Nv acquaintance with Mr.. Goschen
stretched over a long period. but was
never in the least intimate. | used TO
meet him at dinners or at houses IN
the country. II happened sometimes
after dinner when the ladies had gone
that l found myself ncXt Mr. Goschen
nv no choice Of his or mine. He was a
man 10 be respected and was respected;
and II he liked II YOU were built that
way. But his idea Of conversation was
N plunge AT once into argument. with
me he often chose an American topic;
thinking. apparently. that on American
tories ! needed enlightenment is per-
bars did. and that IT was his mission
r. oniehtou me: which did not logically
follow. still 7 thought il very good OF
him TO try. His mental attitude was
not unlike that Of the late Empress
Frederick. when. as have elsewhere re-
lated. Her Royal Highness-then Crown
Princess-was good enough TO set forth
az length her views on things American
for my benefit and instruction.
None the less. there was certain
Measure in listening 10 Mr.. Goschen. He
knew as much Of America as most Eng
lishmen OF his time knew; perhaps more
But whether he knew much or little. lis
tenine 10 him was an exercise of the
mind. He understood logic Grant him
rs prenise. and he led YOU step by step
irresistibly TO his conclusion. | USED
sometimes to wonder where he got his
premises. The office he held brought
him into no relation with the govern
nent Of the United States. In tho Eng
ush newspapers. at that time the Ameri-
can news was meagre and trivial. NO
doubt Mr. Goschen's firm in the CITY
had correspondents in New York, but IN
formation from that source would re-
late chiefly 10 the money market MT
Goschen. nevertheless. ranged over
wide American field. ! must do him the
Justice to say that though he dogmatized
he liked TO be answered. He liked you
as the English generally do. TO stand up
70 him. if only for the pleasure OF bowl
ing Won over Once | happened 10 say L
AGREED with him. Instantly he re-
torted:
NO that is not what / want. Even
II you agree with me you know the other
side Of the case and that is what l wish
70 hear"
Again il might he that he wanted
statement Of the other side in order TO
bernolish il. No matter. His was Inc
attitude of a man who desired TO get AT
the truth. and. if he did not tnlhk '"e
truth attainable otherwise, then contro-
versiaUy. His desire 10 get II soineIio"
was laudable. II remained laudapie even
II by and by you came 10 see or 10 oe-
Ueve that he thought the true nome oi
truth not at the bottom OF a wen out III
his own head. A good many peopio
think the same of their heads. sad MI
Goschen once:
We'll. the truth must be somewhere
and trpth is not matter Of opinion but
OF fact"
"Nr Ruskin said the same thing OF
art 7 answered: well knowing he dld
not regard Mr.. Ruskin as an oracle ana
eliciting the retort l hoped for:
why do you quote Ruskin to me and
what has art to do with the question
We are discussing?"
There YOU saw the mans habit OF
mind He fastened upon his subject
Nothing could divert him from II. NO
illustration. no analogy, was 10 the
point. He kept as rigidly TO the propo-
sition he had laid down as Euclid TO his
geometrical demonstration. Early in
life he-I mean Mr.. Goschen. not Eucld
wrote a book on The Theory OF the
Foreign Exchan ges"-EXchange, mat Is
IN the financial sense Of the word /
have never read it and am quite sure
] should not understand II If dio' bu'
/ have been told that from beginning 10
l. 10