THE GLADSTONE CENTENARY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 705, 3 January 1910, Page 4

THE GLADSTONE CENTENARY

With the tribute to the memory of ' Gladstone - on December 29 ino . numerous centenaries ■of 1909 have been brought ,to a: close. ' Among ' othors i whose names i have been honoured in this Way dur-. ing the. p"ast year wero Lincoln, Dar--Win, Selwyn, Tennyson, and, Mendelssohn, which makes . ono wonder at the coincidence that such a cluster of great ones were born in 1809. The, Gladstone centenary.'reminds us , that statesmen are, as a rulo,, great only-ih their own countryand oven • there their greatness is '.hot always enduring.- If one-calls to mind tho dozen or so names that aro hold in ,everlasting remembrance—tho "immortals''—it will be noticed that tney aro almost, entirely confined to warriors, men 1 of letters, philosophers, scientists, and • religious leaders. Leaving out tho. Founder of Christianity, such names as Hosier, Plato, Buddha, • Alexander - thb Great,; St.- Paul, Dante,: Coperni-. cus, - ■ Shakespeare, v -Newton, 'Kant, and Darwin suggest themselves, and the: politicians havo. to take a second placo.' Soma of, thom - ,; like Gladstone,have had a vory real, influence on their own time, but another gener-ati-on or two arises and they ■ are forgotten; It is still too soon for tho J final - pronouncement to be made :as | to Gladstone's place, in history, for' i the prejudico and n passion ■ which I gathered* round his- masterful .per-1 sonality have, not-died away, and | the full results. of his work as a politician- cannot yet be estimated. ,i Still, that hi was one of the greatest: men 6f the -ninettionth century few Will care -to dony. 1 His character is difficult l to ostimato, and many peoplo - find it .hard to . reconcile the ■ i noto of deep moral- seriousness which ho struck 'so impressively with some phases of his political career; but his grodt , intellectual . powers, his eloquence,; his high ■ personal chartmd his ideal- domestic life' combined to.make him-ono of the most inspiring characters in tho political and social life of his day. Mrs. .Gladstone herself has placed it on record that "evon among happy '.marriages-: her marriage was exceptional,; so nearly did- the Union /,of, thought, heart,:,and action both ful-: i fil the ideal and bring-duality near Ito the borders of identity." -Pass: ing : out of this inmost home circle, we find that he -inspired most on-. thusiastiC i devotion among : ffiends and admirers, and though ho fought, many , a : strenuous political battlo, Cardinal Manning -is reported to have stated : " Gladstone is a very find fellow; He is not vindictive/ You may fight' him as-hard as you • like, and when the'fight is over you: will find that it has left no, rancour be- 1; hind it." Gladstone was perhaps tho last of the groat orators of the House of Comons. Even as a schoolboy he is credited with "a premature and unnatural doxterity in the combination of wordsi" and;this .-"dexterity" ■ remained'- with him throughout his political career. "He was tho first Chancellor. of tho Exchequer who cvur made the Budget interesting,"- writes. Mr. .G; W. E. Russell.' "He tilted shop like, a. tenth muse.. : lie caiild ' appljr all tho- resouiceS of a glowing rhetoric to tho most. prosaic questions of cost and. profit; ;coul(f,make ;.oo6r ■, i"dinant)o., and stigar-. serious./^, Yet Mr. QladstoWs iinapproached 'supremacy 'as.'- iin v oratfir-' was, not,- really seen, until :ho touched' the '-iiioral:'fcleflieiits iiivMved *iA;.'Boia»;gmt*p6UtioU''ißsttßi.r'Tlrih,v.inr de«d, lie spokfc like (I;'prophet ( ■ aid a •'matt inspired.His Wh6le: physical for- . mution eeclnud tri become 'fusile' with ; the fire .. of : his ethieil.;. passion, and his eloquence flowfcd like, a Streani-of. molten : lava, carrying all' before",it in its irreeistiblo rush. ■; '' - ''.V ■His sense of humour was'small and capricious. It was impossible to tell beforehand what would amuso him, and ho would at times take a comic story-' in - grim earnest. When Browning onco told him a i characteristic incident about Disraeli ho said in a voice choked with indignation: "Do you call that amusing, Browning? I call it devilish." The following story is instructive as an' indication of tho intense hostility which somo df Gladstone's political views aroused: in certain; quarters : A Harrow boy Was. shouting him- ( solf hoarse over a victory in-a match' against -.Eton,: whereupon an • Eton youth, feeling rather disgusted, exclaimed: "You Harrow, fellows needn't be so beastly cocky. When you watited a; headmaster you had to come to Eton to got one." This dumbfounded the small Harrovian for a moment, and then ho clinched the,- discussion .with the .' telling remark : "Well, at any rate, no one can say that we ever produced'a Mr. .Gladstone."- , -. r