Bridlington and Quay Gazette. — 1898-08-19 (Bridlington, Humberside, England)

THE FRIEND OF ITURANITY.  His three great watchwords were justice, freedom, pee. He was the first of a race of humanitarian statesmen, with whom the condition of the people question (as Cobden called it) was always the burning question. He defined Liberalism as trust in the people, governed by prudence, and anyhow he trusted the people. He was determined to give them the full rights of citizenship, and he postively shocked the aristocrats of his time when he spoke of the common country labourer as "our own flesh and blood." (Applause). That was the sentiment of Jeans Christ, and it had become a commonplace on all sides. No wonder Gladstone became the idol of the people, the leader of the masses; he lived for them, and he laid his magnificent gifts upon the altar as a sacrifice for them. He was charged by opponents with being a self-seeker, with having an eye on the Treasury bench. There was never a more 'grotesque libel upon him. He was not popular, because he allied himself with the unpopular cause, and made it the popular cause. He ruined himself politically time after time; he deliberately cowmitted political suicide repeatedly, but, as he said, he was always bobbing up again. Bulgaria, Montenegro, Roumania—those were unperiahable names, and for all save unhappy Armenia he was able to secure righteous treatment. John Dillon said that wherever throughout the civilised world men suffered from oppression their thoughts turned to Mr. Gladstone, and when his mighty voice was raised on their behalf Europe and the civilised world listened, and hope came to despairing hearts. (Applause.) He was the strongest helper of oppressed nationalities England ever had or ever will have; he  LTFTED ENGLAND ON A PEDESTAL and won for it the title of the friend of freedom all over the world. He was a citizen of the world, the one great nationalist of our time; be was far more than a British statesman, and therefore takes rank among the leaders of the human race—Alfred, Cromwell; Kossuth, Mazzini, and the rest. The lecturer then defended Mr. Gladstone against the charge that he was a little Englander, and, as to his being an Opportunist, showed that he was one in the best sense of the word, waiting like a true statesman for pnblic opinion to ripen when he focussed it in statute law. By the slow re-adjustment of the constitution to the life of the people he saved the throne and he saved the State. He wished to have the throne " broad based upon the people's will," and he saved the country from revolution by giving it reform. (Applause). The lecturer contended that the free trade policy of Mr. Gladstone gave to England her commercial supremacy; that he created the public opinion which resulted in the extension of the franchise; and that the crowning act of his life was his Irish policy. Having admitted that he made s great mistake in the granting of the grocers' licenses, the lecturer reverted to Mr. Gladstone's Irish policy, remarking that when  s gloat majority of Irish members were returned to pagh:ament in favour of Home Rule, Mr. Gladstone bowed head to what be regarded as inevitable, and prooeedoa to cut his coat according to his cloth. Even now it was seen that Ireland would never be loyal till she had some form of Government, like the people have in Canada and Australia—Home Rule all round with an Imperial Parliament to enact Imperial laws. (Applause). Mr. Parr than spoke of Mr. Gladstone as the apostle of peace, and after a paesing reference to his love of little children, he proceeded to describe the closing scenes in his life, his removal from Bournemouth to Hawarden, where he passed away. In an eloquent peroration the lecturer pointed out that the secret of Mr. Gladstone's life was that his mind was stayed constantly upon God; he showed how it was possible to hold the highest offices of state and yet be a true Christian. The collection taken at the close was a little under £.4.