FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253  
254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   >>  
combined Conservatives and Liberal Unionists. Under his leadership a home-rule bill for Ireland was passed by the Commons in spite of the most bitter opposition. It was rejected almost unanimously by the House of Lords; and for a time it seemed probable that the Liberals would attack the very existence of that body. Perhaps this was Mr. Gladstone's intention for he introduced several popular radical bills. But time was beginning to tell upon the Grand Old Man; he was now eighty-four years old, and he felt himself unequal to the gigantic struggle. He resigned his offices and retired into private life in March, 1894. Mr. Gladstone will find his fame as a statesman and an orator. We have taken little account here of his contributions to literature; his Homeric studies, his various essays in political and literary, in ecclesiastical, and even theological, criticism. For another man these in themselves would have made a not inconsiderable reputation; but to the world they are interesting chiefly as illustrating a marvellous mental activity stretching itself out in every direction; unresting in the best sense of the word; incapable of settling down into even momentary idleness. "Repos ailleurs" seems to have been the motto of Mr. Gladstone's career--let rest come elsewhere--this is the world of activity and of labor. His work as a statesman has been almost unique; probably there is no other English minister who leaves behind him so long and so successful a record of practical legislation; and, as we have seen, some of the best legislation accomplished by his political opponents was initiated by him, was his own work taken out of his hands. As a parliamentary debater he never had a superior--it is doubtful whether he ever had an equal--in the whole of the political history of the British Empire. There have been, even in our time, orators who now and then shot their arrows higher; but so ready, so skilful, and so unerring an archer as he, taken all around, never drew bow on modern parliamentary battle-ground. Nature had given him an exquisite voice, sweet, powerful, easily penetrating, capable of filling without effort any public building however large, vibrating to every emotion. The incessant training of the House of Commons turned nature's gifts to their fullest account. He was almost too fluent; his eloquence sometimes carried him away on its impassioned tide; but his listeners were seldom inclined to find fault with this
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253  
254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   >>  



Top keywords:

political

 

Gladstone

 

parliamentary

 

activity

 

account

 

legislation

 
statesman
 

Commons

 
doubtful
 
accomplished

practical

 
carried
 
superior
 

opponents

 
eloquence
 

fullest

 
debater
 

fluent

 
initiated
 

record


successful

 
unique
 

inclined

 

English

 

impassioned

 

listeners

 

minister

 

seldom

 

leaves

 

vibrating


Nature

 

exquisite

 

ground

 
battle
 
emotion
 

modern

 

powerful

 

effort

 

public

 

filling


easily

 

penetrating

 
capable
 

turned

 
orators
 
nature
 

Empire

 
building
 
history
 

British