Year: 1878

SPEAKERS ELoQUENCE-THE G"VERSMfNl An


RAIGNED FoRCIBLY BY HlM-HIs hANNEh 40


AN ORATOR.


fYRoM TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE rRiBuNh1


LONDON, Dec. 3.-Mr. Gladstone's pubhc appear
ances are not rare. He has often addressed popu-
lar audience, but until last Saturday had never
baard HIM sneak except in the House of Commons
and this must be my excuse tor printing
aome personal impressions OF man now so
well known 1t is probable that he has seldom OF
never made greater speech-greater in Its kind
than that which he made on Saturday to his con-
stituents at Greenwich l have always thought
MIR. Gladstone preeminently House OF Commons
orator OF TO state it more accurately, great de-
batter rather than a great orator. l have reau
many speeches of his which have Oeeh
delivered to popular assembly, puU "
read q speech and to hear IL are TWO
things. at was easy to see, however, from the
reports that his style in the House was not the
same as his style elsewhere. and l went to Green
wich to comp my TecOllectionS OF what L hau
often heard in the House with what might
hear on the platform Seldom, suppose, mas he
spoken with more careful preparations; sell
dom under q weighher responsibility; seldom
or never. as be himself told us. in graver crisis
of affairs; and i am inclined to think he never
was heard to greater advantage than on Satur-
day. all things considered. He has made, per
haps. speeches more essentially popular in charao
fer. Those which be delivered in South Lancashire
1868 when he stood for Parliament i'll that
county and was beaten, have more OF the
ring of the stump in them. They are more
distinctly unlike his House OF Commons
manner. They are more directly addressed 10 the
comprehension of multitude. The sentences are
shorter: the topics are SIMPLER and more SIMPLY
handled They suppose less degree of familiarity on
the part of his hearers with a difficult subject;
there is less subtletv of thought and less inyouon
of style than may be found in this latest enort'
Still, take it that the WOOlwich address
was. on the whole. fair sample OF what
MIR. Gladstone can do when he means
to reaeh the largest possible audience; when he
speaks in fact, not to 500 600 picked representa-
tives of the people. but to the people themselves.
And NAV say ut once that ] came away from the
Skating Rink, which was chosen as the scene OF
the meeting, with clearer notion OF Mr. Glad
stones powers, and with more unquallned adnira-
ton of him as an orator than ever before.


The occasion was memorable in two respects III
was his farewell to the constituency of the borough
6ncIpdinp both Greenwich and WOOlwIchD which
he will not again contest And it an appeal
from the Government to the people of England IN
the midst of circumstances so solemn that he de-
crbes himself speaking under an oppressive sense
of the sadness of the position. All that concerned
himself personally and his supporters he
dismissed in a few words OF deep gratitude.
For reasons INTO which ! need not enter
he has decided to solicit the votes of some other
constituency than Greenwich when the next
general election shall occur. He said goOd-by to
them with sincere feeling. 1t was plain that he
retained the old popularity which led Greenwich
after his Lancashire defeat in 1868 to return
him without petition or canvass on his part In
the railway station, in the streets as he drove
along at the luncheon where some 300 guests met
him. and where the new candidates made their bow IN
his presence to the borough. and in the hall where
the evening address was delivered. he received
with cOrdality with what may even call af1ec-
tionate enthusiasm London may say what 1t likes
may turn the cold shoulder to the great leader 1t
once idoliZed, may ndicule his earnestness and
pass tests on his huency. But there is no evidence
that the country has given up any great part OF its
faith in Mr. Gladstone, OF that his name has less
magical power with the Liberals than it had when
he was still their recognized chief. And
since foreign opinion, especially French opinion
ia sometimes invoked against him, it is worth while
TO remark that Mr. Gladstone was Prime Minister of
England in 1870, and that the French have never
forgotten nor forgiven his refusal to take part in
their struggle with Germany. They thought that
England--and they thought the same of America
ought TO have intervened to save them from the
consequences of war they had rashly and wan
tonly brought on All French criticisms on Mr..
Gladstone should be read IN the light of the grudge
they still bear him.


There are certain things. trifes in themselves
which detract from the effect of Mr.. Gladstone's
oratory. IL Imay venture to refer to such matter
his dress detracts from it. During his speech, he
was never on good terms with hls shirt-collar and
necktie The necktie was ill-adiusted, and from
time to time made Its way over the upper edge of
the collar and threatened to interfere whit free
circulation of the arteries and veins Then
it had to be rearranged, and the reDe-
tition of this process was annoying to
the orator and the audience. 1t withdrew the
attention of both from the matter in hand By and
by, even the shirt-front. of which there was more
visible than an Engishman in morning dress
usually shows, got into confused and dsorderly
state The coat-sleeves were too long and no
yestge of wrstband could be seen, while the coat
collar came high up on the back of the neck In
short. Mr.. Gladstone's dress was 30 ill-managed
that il really deducted something from the dignity
and nobility of that fine head so well set on its
shoulders, and from the uprightness of his figure.
He has an odd trick of touching the top of his head
lust where o wisp of gray hair lies loosely across,
with the end of the bent thumb of his right hand.
This he did not once but often; perhaps twenty
times while he was speaking. The physiologist
might explain it method of irritating the brain
"a mild substitute for the blister which Erskine
used to put on his chest when he had great cause
to argue in court. The impression on the by
stander is that the wisp of hair is tickling
the skin. At times You notice an un-
easy movement of the hands. The fngerless
first joint of the left hand, which has narrow
bandage of black silk about it, is rubbed hard
against the right palm. 1t is kind of kneadmg
process, often repeated. When he came into the
luncheon room at the Ship Hotel and when he came
nnon the nallerY-hke nlatfnrm from which be smoke