New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-19
The Man of Eivion
Lloyd George, His Romance and
His Labors

THE LIFE ROMANCE or lL tD, " - III,
., S''' With an InirodactiOn By Charles s'rolss
T r. D ssia.A: &C. ~ if pr2cn .nd IN.
cambrian" Uucs. \. Y
LLOYD GEORGE. THE MAN AND HIS STORY:
nv Frank Dilnot Author NJ The Old Oruef
Ctangoth" limo. %. 1876. Harper Bros
Since Mr.. Herbert Du Parcq made
use Of letters and diaries furnished
by william George, the Prime Minis
ter's brother, there has been nothing
so authoritative written about the
early life and the political beginnings
of the Man of Eivion as the account
provided by Mr.. Beriah Evans. Early
in his career David Lloyd George was
able to get control Of a chain Of Welsh
newspapers, and Mr.. Evans became
managing editor. While the authors
long acquaintance with his subject does
not hinder him from holding his hero
at arms length for the purpose OF crit
ical estimate, it is a vast help in get
ting at the native endowments and the
fostering influences that have gone to
the making Of statesman on whom.
in the present hour, so many hopes
depend.
The enthusiastic nationalism that
/
young Welshman and that made him
so steadfast to Owen Glyndwr's ancient
dream of free church for a free peo-
pie can be the better understood after
following Mr.. Evans's engrossing de-
scription Of the Welsh Renaissance
dating from 1859, a revival of letters
and of political ideals in the wake OF
a great revival of religion. IL involved
the resusctaton of the national fes-
tival, the Eisteddfod. which attracted
all that was best in native talent IN
literature, poetry. music, oratory. 1t
led to the removing Of arbitrarily i'm
posed barriers to the use OF the native
language. The latest, though not the
last, result of that awakening has been
the disestablshment of church out Of
sympathy with the aspirations OF
Wales and unsuited to its needs. Is
il not characteristic of the identity of
the religious and the social interests
in the Wales Of forty years ago that
the political mentor of the youthful
Lloyd George should be Monochrome
ist preacher? Michael d. Jones. prin-
cipsl of the Independent Theological
College at Bala, was q man keenly alive
TO the suffering patiently borne by
Welsh dissenters generally and by the
tenant farmer in particular. Militant,
ultra-democratic and of tenacious
courage, he was, to the territorial mag
rates, the symbol of all that was most
dangerous in Welsh democracy. That
great figure in the earliest revolt of
the peasantry kindled the imagination
of the lad who was destined, as Mr..
Evans puts it, to preach Michael
Jones's land reform gospel to the ma
tion beyond Offa's Dyke and to en-
body some Of its essential principles
in his Budgets.
The choice incidents inseparable
from the Lloyd George legend are at
tractively treated in Mr.. Frank Dill
not's facile pages, with the one excep-
ton of a touch of cockney condescen-
sion in describing the cobbler Of Llany-
stumdwy. Richard Lloyd. the Premier's
uncle. Some capital stories are re-
tailed; instances of flashing repartee
and one story told, against the house.
by the illustrious victim. At village
meeting in Wales Lloyd George was in
! troduced by the chairman. leading dea-
con. ave have suffered much Of late
from Misrepresentation he said. "The
Bishop of st. Asaph has been speaking
against us, and we all know that he is
very great liar. Thank God, we have
a match for him here tonight in Mr..
Lloyd George!" Mr.. Dilnot shows US
some excellent bits of portraiture. and
he pays due tribute to the amazing
creative energy evoked in his hero
whenever challenged by crisis, such
as the fight with the House of Lords
and the scarcity of munitions at the
beginning of the war. OF the states
mans alliance with Lord Northcliffe-
boding no good. as some think-Mr.
! Dilnot has no fears. If the powerful
/ pressman should turn to rend the
statesman. he will find that he has
gone out for a walk with q tiger