The Washington bee., 1911-10-14
A BRILLIANT FOP,
The Youthful 0iSraeli, Elegant
and Eloquent.
AN INTELLECTUAL EXQUISITE.
His Airs and Graces, His FriIIs and
Laces and His Dazzling Oratory IN
His Early Political BattIes-A Pen
Picture of His Remarkable Face.

Benjamin DisraelPs career in pract-
cal politics began with a series of re-
verses that might have discouraged a
less persistent fighter. Five times the
youthful novelist and versatile bud
! ding statesman attempted to break
| into parliament before he succeeded in
winning an election, going down to de.
feat three times at Wycombe and once
at Taunton
In William FlayveIle Monypenny's
life of Benjamin Disraeli'' the au-
thor declares that tales are still told in
WycOmbe of DisraelPs famous first
speech from the portico of the Red
| Lion:
The youthful orator was now at the
height Of his dandyiSm, and his curls
and rutties' played no small part in
| the election. Standing on the top Of
the porch beside the figure Of the lion,
| with his pale face set off by masses of
| Jet black hair and his person plente-
| Ously adorned with lace and cambria,
| he must have seemed to the spectators
| better fitted for his role of fashionable
| novelist than for that of strenuous pol
| itician. Great, then, was their sur
| prise when this pOpinjay.' as a hostile
newspaper called him. began to pour
! forth a tOrreu; Of eloquence with ire
| mendOus energy Of action and in a
/ voice that carried far along the High
| street He had an instinct for the dra-
| matte effects which hold the attention
| Of the mob. When the poll is declared
| | shall be there he exclaimed, accord
/ ing to a Wycombe tradition, pointing
| to the head of the lion, and my oppO-
/ nent will be there pointing to the
| tail By the admission even Of the Op-
/ posite party the speech was a COM
plete success, and his popularity with
/ the crowd was thencefOrth assured"
| AS to the young orators appearance
at Taunton. Mr.. Monypenny gathers
| these comments of an eyewitness from
an almost forgotten book of that time:
Never in my life had l been so
| struck by a face as I was by that of
! DisraeH 1t was lividly pale, and from
! beneath two finely arched eyebrows
] blazed ont a pair Of intensely black
| eyes. | never have seen such Orbs in
| mortal sockets either before or since.
/ His physiOgnOmy was strictly Jewish.
| Over a broad high forehead were ring
lets Of coal black, glossy hair. which,
/ cOmbed away from his right temple.
fell in luXuriant clusters or bunches
over his left cheek and ear, which it
| entirely concealed from view.
There was a sort Of half smile. half
sneer playing about his beautifully
| formed mouth. the upper lip of which
| was curved as we see it in the pOr-
traits of Byron. He was very shOwily
| attired in a dark bottle green frock
coat, waistcOat of the most eXtrava-
! CANT pattern. the front of which was
almost covered with glittering chains,
! and in fancy pattern pantalOOns. He
! wore a plain black stock, but no collar
! was visible. Altogether he was the
most intellectual looking exquisite l
| had ever seen.
HE commenced in a lisping lacka-
! daisical tone of voice He minced his
! phrases in apparently the most affect
/ ed manner and while he was speaking
! placed his hands in all imaginable pO-
/ sitiOns. not because he felt awkward
| and did not know, like a BOBBY in q
! drawing room. where to put them, but
! apparently for the purpose Of exhibit
| ing to the best advantage the glitter
ing rings which decked his white and
/ taper fingers. Now he would place his
| thumbs in the armholes of his waist
/ coat and spread out his fingers on its
flashing surface; then one set of digits
would be released and he would lean
| affectedly on the table, supporting him
self with his right hand; anon he
| would push aside the curls from his
| forehead.
"Rut as he proceeded all traces of
| dandyism and affectation were lost.
! With a rapidity Of utterance perfectly
/ astonishing he referred to past events
/ and INDUCED in anticipations Of the
! future The Whigs were, of course,
/ the objects of his unsparing satire,
and his eloquent denunciattOns OF them
I were applauded to the echo. In all he
said he proved himself to be the fin
/ ished orator Every period was round
| ed with the utmost elegance, and in
| his most daring flights, when one trem-
! bled lest he should fall from the giddy
| height to which he had attained, he SO
! gracefully descended that every heareT
was wrapped in admiring surprise.
/ His voice, at first so fnical, gradually
became full, musical and sonOrOus and
/ with every varying sentiment was
beautifully mOdulated. His arms NO
/ longer appeared to be exhibited for
show, but he exemplified the eloquence
/ Of the hand. The dandy was trans
formed into the man of mind, the Man.
talini looking parsonage into a prac-
/ ticed orator and finished elocutionist."