Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-10-25
BY A. G.. GARDINER.

7 T IS the pleasant custom of de-
scriptive writer's when they wish
to say something complimentary
i about the Right Hon. Austen
Chamberlain to trace the resem-
blance he bears to his famous
father. The. truth, of course, is
| that in all essential particulars two
men more dissimilar could hardly be
found in days march. Joseph wore
an eyeglass and an orchid and Mr..
Austen wears an eyeglass and an
orchid, and that is about the begin
ming and the end of the likeness. AS
| Fluellen would say, there is an NJ
| in Monmouth and an NJ in Macedon.
| That is ALL
When Joseph Chamberlain came
| into the House of Commons, with his
| long arms hanging loosely from his
| forward sloping shoulders, his head
cooked up with that foxy alertness
that seemed to take in the whole
| landscape of things at a glance. the
adventurous nose almost visibly scent
ing his prey. his cold, calculating, dis
dainful eye shooting it's lightnings
around the chamber, he brought an
air charged with electricity with him.
You might hate him. or fear him,
or admire him. But you could not
| ignore him. You watched his mo-
lions. You wondered what game he
| was up to now. Ne kept you ex-
pectant, mystified, waiting for the
! bolt that would be hurled you knew
| not where or how. When he spoke.
| he spoke in soft, velvety voice that
gave curiously sinister effect to the
cold steel of his words. No man said
| harsher things about his opponents.
| or stated more questionable facts, but
/ he never withdrew and he never
| apologized. Right or wrong, What
have said l have said" Let it stand.
Never Admitted Mistake.
He disowned every policy and prin-
| ciple he had once held. but he never
said that he had been in the wrong
or admitted that he had changed his
| mind The facts had changed, eX-
| periences had changed. principles had
| lost their validity: he had not
| changed. He would not tolerate a
| superior or suffer a rival near the
| throne. If he could not rule. he
| would not serve, and the whole record
of his life is that of a powerful dis
! migrating. explosive force that broke
rarties and policies and men with a
| scornful Indifference to consequences.
Now In all these respects there
could not be a greater contrast than
! that presented by Mr.. Austen Cham
| berlain. He comes or goes and the
calm of the House is equally un
/ ruff1ed. Even in externals he is, in
| spite of a certain facial reSemblanc
singularly unlike his father. He
stands square shouldered and erect as
a grenadier. His voice has no hint o!
| that soft sibilant hiss which added
sting to Joseph's most merciless
| thrusts. II is ponderous and a little
! muffled The movements of his MIND
| are ponderous. too. One may almost
hear the creaking of the machinery
SO far from being a disturber of the
peace or reckless adyenturer, he i:
! the mirror of good form and the re
specter of tradition. He is the las
"Reminiscences of Victorian correctitude
left in the House of Commons. He
perspires respecta bility, and he would
| as soon think of surrendering his silE
! hat as he would of outraging the
| Union Jack. One feels that he re
CARDS the silk hat as a pillar of the
constitution, symbol of that dignity
Of things which is the essence OF
craftsmanship.
In Past Stormy Days.
1t is not inappropriate that his frs,
! recorded achievement in the House
was associated with silk hats-lots OF
silk hats. He had just entered Parlia
ment 33 years ago and was junior
whip to the Liberal Unionists. They
were stormy days, the House wa.
crowded, the Liberal Unionists in
sisted on sitting on the Liberia
benches, and the difficulty of securing
places was great. He invented a de
vice for the emergency. II is recorded
that he arrived early at the House il
a four-wheeler full of silk hats. which
he duly deposited on the government
side.
His department in all respects err:
on the side of perfection. 1t make:
the air just a trife sitting. and ar
interruption from Will Thorne OIL
David hirkwood, even a rude inter
ruptlon, a welcome relief. The norma
man cannot be always on the best be
havior. He must occasionally un
bend. But Mr.. Chamberlain neye,
unbends. When l see him sitting side
by side with Mr.. Amery on the treas
ury bench l am incontinently re
minded of a famous picture of Land
seers, with Mr.. Chamberlain in the
role of Dignity" and I am bound t,
confess that he fills it with distinction
L have stressed this point of bear
| Ing somewhat because it helps tc
explain Mr.. Chamberlain's part il
the public life of his time But
| i
O'Connell said that an Englishmar
had all the qualities of a poker
except its occasional warmth That
would not be true of Mr.. Chamber
lain. He is stiff and formal: but he
has warmth and he has kindness
Son Never Speaks Harshly.
If 1t Is true of his father that he
said more vindictive things than an,
80 1t q
say that he himself has said as few
unkind and unfair things as an,
man who has been in public life
so long. I do not think he has the
gift of saying them. l am sure he
has not the taste for saying them
He is scrupulously fair. He is truth
full, not only in form, but In inten
ton. 1 have never known him con
scientiously to- mislead the House
And what is even more rare, / hav,
never known him deliberately to cul
tivate a comfortable deception.
These are great and honorable at
tributes. They explain much. AND
there is another feature of his phi
losophy of conduct still more admir-
able. His father had the courage t,
refuse to withdraw, confess. apollo
gize. Mr.. Chamberlain has the highe
courage to say "Peccavi." He has
said it not furtively and half-heart
eddy; but stoutly, firmly. And h,
has said 1t in circumstances in which
he could have remained silent, whiel
means that he felt that it ought t
be said, even though it reflected no
only on his own past, but on that o
his father, his devotion to whom il
notorious.
And his confessions have not beer
on side issues; but on the major is
sues of his career. Three events
have dominated his political life
home rule, the Boer War. tariff re
form. On all these issues he frankl,