New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-24

ity Of Scotchman and the gpi. 49,,
sourcefulness Of an Irishman d, a. r.
days OF the South African war h. ons
alone among his colleagues. showed a'a0n
nerve When he was Irish Seere.sr,, a. iioh
ried his life IN his hand and bef :. az
night after night the full fury of N.,,sis es
attack. He met both the physical ds,a..'
the debating onslaught with eovaI sSS S's
plete self-possession / do not suppose w..
he decided to come to America, that n, r..
man submarines ever even crossed his 80,
as a reason why he should not eors y
hind loose jointed. almost willow :. os'
and an appearance Of thoughtful ala. 49,
brooding gentleness. is stubborn ell i- ~,
steadiness Of nerve that all who bav, -. .'
fronted him have learned 70 respect W.
More Debater than Orator
But remove the pressure Of hand.,o...-,
fight and Mr.. Balfour is less eTec,;g.
the captain Of an overpowering maio,i,,. =
the House Of Commons, he repeateSIy -,
bunders that only the strength and 49,
rine Of his followers kept from bei,,
tastrophes. It is significant that h
much better debater than orator. WIZ, Il
House Of Commons, as sometimes bs,,.s-s
/ before the war. was in a tumult and a..
| tions and interruptions. applause and IA,
sent. came hurting round the speaker v.
/ Balfour was In his element; and his o....
/ play Of humor and fancy. the exquisite !.
| tort that tickled while 10 demolisbss -.
| strong. cool. persuasive reasoning. ana :.
/ times the honest, irrepressible ndign...,
/ especially when friend or colleague ~,
unfairly attacked. made a matchless p.,n.
mentary performance.
4 But on popular platform Mr.. Bst.r,
was rarely al home. He always seemed "a,
scious OF lack of intellectual come.
/ ground between himself and his ausi,r..
/ He could never quite let himself 20. ,,S
/ though he possessed the gift Of being 49,
/ to think aloud for an hour and hsF h.
! fore five thousand people, the result 80
rarely that clean-cut decisiveness which a.
popular taste admires. Mr. Balfour -,
never reused, as other and lesser men h,v,
often reused, the passionate enthusiasm -
| the nation. The country has yielded hin N.
respect and confidence that always 20 on.
TO a public man who is TRANSPARENCY ire,o.
able of anything low or mean. and not orlv
sets a high standard himself but make,
others live up TO it by the mere influence q
atmosphere. But it. has yielded him ltd,
more.
Politics. while il has engrossed most o,
| Mr.. Balfour's activities, is only a fraction
of his interests. He is an ardent lover Of
music. and finds rest and recreation for bo,A
body and mind in the severest schools [
recall an essay of his on Handel that W.,
one of the most penetrating studies in mu.
steal criticism that ! have ever read. He car
leave the House Of Commons TO write o.
philosophy and science and aesthetics ana
! phvsical research with the relish OF a msr
whose mind is essentially scientific He has
declared Newton TO be perhaps the creates.
man the world has ever seen, and dare ay
no regards science and not politics IS he
governing force Of the world. 81 would
rather be known" he once said, "as having
added something 10 our knowledge Of truth
and nature than for anything else can in
agine." Mechanical inventions and skill ils.
cinate him. Great scientific discoveries a.
feet him as perhaps no literature, and only
some supreme masterpiece OF art has the
! power to move him.
Culture Unaloof
If Cambridge wished to exhibit a specimen
o. its culture, it would certainly choose NJ.
Balfour. But if culture suggests TO any Oae
a certain aloofness from the world Of ord
nary men and women, then Mr. Balfour would
be the first to disown the possession Of it.
He is, above all things human and deeply
interested in the human comedy. man IT.
terly without poses Of any kind, with no h.
roles of speech or gesture. of an easy, pol
ished, urbane temper and bearing, and win
one of the freest ranging and most pouncirg
and probing minds either in British public
life or in British philosophy, Mr.. BslfOu'
has qualities and graces that fit him better
than any other man know Of TO be the
spokesman and representative of Great Brit
ain at such time as this. For sending bin
to Washington we have meant to pay to To
American government and people the great
est compliment in our power.