Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-22
Earl Balfour at Eighty
Famous British Has Had Most Picturesque Career

the rough and tumble of politics. II
his party wanted him, 1t had to find
him a safe seat where he wouldn't have
to make fatiguing platform speeches
every time a general election came
round
Up Against Gladstone.
The Tories put him up against the
terrible old Liberal, Gladstone, who hae
made a rightabout face on home ruiz
for Ireland in order to scramble back
into Office with the support OF the Irish
party, Balfour told Gladstone that nj
was formerly as ready to blacken the
Irish members character as he Is now
ready to blacken their boots"
Howls of applause from the Tories.
'Palsied masher!' shouted the enemy
Silk skinned sybarite!"
The delicate tongued scholar looked
down at them with his blue, remote
eyes and dismissed them with single
scornful word: "Microbes!"
Great days. The Tories were delight
ed with this master of feline sarcasm
Their Cecilian philosopher could fight
In the course of living up to his reputa'
ton Balfour developed quite dour SCI
of the jaw. (But he has mellowee
since.)
1t was as secretary for Ireland A
wears wears ago that he made his name
ireland had always been the bugheal
of English politics, and 1t was taker
for granted that every secretary oil
state in charge of the distressful isle
would make a mess of his job.
But Balfour was voted success. HI
was firm and resourceful. His verba
rapier flashed in debate and fought
opponents off He went to Ireland him
self The Irish took one look at thu
lean. stoop-shouldered minister, with
his old-maidish pince-neZ and umbrella
and christened him Pretty Fanny" A
few months later they were calling hin
Bloody Balfour."
Tories Met Defeat.
When the Marquis of Salisbury re-
signed the premiership, the Tories put
the nephew in the uncle's place. But il
was too late. This was In 1902, and i
was already the twilight of the grea'
political families. The new radicalism
popular education. the extension of thu
franchise, and their own decline II
fighting force had undermined the Tory
foundation. Balfour. charming bu
sterile. could not stop the rot. Asquith!
ais. AulA VI hAC dh0 PtVhAAoCSs OSh
the Tories at the general elections. Bal
four and his crowd went out, and Bal
four did not come back to Office unit
the coalition ministry was set up II
war time.
Those intervening years Balfour spen
accommodating academic distinctions
grazing public assemblies Of intellec-
tuals, improving his golf. writing books
and Grating in Parliament.
Without any of the arts and trick
of popular speech, he has always filles
the House of Commons. He leans for
ward, clutching the lapels of his old
fashioned frock coat. His shortsightes
eyes peer through glasses at the infinite
He opens his long Cecelian mouth, Hi
voice. an oracular tenor with an aristo
cratic information, pronounces the mrs
words.
He pauses. stumbles. He forget
time and his hearers In the search TO
the right phrase. But no one Is bored
Somehow. he holds his audience. Some
how, he fascinates them. He Is work
ing magic. charming his audience int,
a sweet and ordered realm where claShe
of interest and opinion seem too petit.
to be worth while, and disagreement
ought to be hurried out of sight, Xix,
broken bottles on pleasant green lawn
His philosophical detachment ha;
charmed, Infatuated. puzzled and Devil
dered. Col. House found 1t most helpful
Continued on Fourth Page.)