william ewart gladstone-第7章

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probably　not　ten　men　in　the　House　of　Commons　who　could　follow　the
sense　of　the　lines　so　as　to　appreciate　their　bearing　on　his
argument。　　But　these　stately　and　sonorous　hexametershexameters
that　seemed　to　have　lived　on　through　nineteen　centuries　to　find
their　application　from　the　lips　of　an　orator　to…day；　the　sense　of
remoteness　in　the　strange　language　and　the　far…off　heathen　origin；
the　deep　and　moving　note　in　the　speaker's　voice；　thrilled　the
imagination　of　the　audience　and　held　it　spellbound；　lifting　for　a
moment　the　whole　subject　of　debate　into　a　region　far　above　party
conflicts。　　Spoken　by　any　one　else；　the　passage　culminating　in　these
Lucretian　lines　might　have　produced　little　effect。　　It　was　the　voice
and　manner；　above　all　the　voice；　with　its　marvelous　modulations；
that　made　the　speech　majestic。

Yet　one　must　not　forget　to　add　that　with　him；　as　with　some　other
famous　statesmen；　the　impression　made　by　a　speech　was　in　a　measure
due　to　the　admiring　curiosity　and　wonder　which　his　personality
inspired。　　He　was　so　much　the　most　interesting　human　being　in　the
House　of　Commons　that；　when　he　withdrew；　many　members　said　that　the
place　had　lost　half　its　attraction　for　them；　and　that　the　chamber
seemed　empty　because　he　was　not　in　it。　　Plenty　of　able　men　remained。
But　even　the　ablest　seemed　ordinary；　perhaps　even　commonplace；　when
compared　with　the　figure　that　had　vanished；　a　figure　in　whom　were
combined；　as　in　no　other　man　of　his　time；　an　unrivaled　experience；
an　extraordinary　activity　and　versatility　of　intellect；　a　fervid
imagination；　and　an　indomitable　will。



CHAPTER　V：　　ORIGINALITY　AND　INDEPENDENCE



Though　Mr。　Gladstone's　oratory　was　a　main　source　of　his　power；　both
in　Parliament　and　over　the　people；　the　effort　of　his　enemies　to
represent　him　as　a　mere　rhetorician　will　seem　absurd　to　the
historian　who　reviews　his　whole　career。　　The　mere　rhetorician　adorns
and　popularizes　the　ideas　which　have　originated　with　others；　he
advocates　policies　which　others　have　devised；　he　follows　and
expresses　the　sentiments　which　already　prevail　in　his　party。　　He　may
help　to　destroy；　he　does　not　construct。　　Mr。　Gladstone　was　himself　a
source　of　new　ideas　and　new　policies；　he　evoked　new　sentiments　or
turned　sentiments　into　new　channels。　　He　was　a　constructive
statesman　not　less　conspicuously　than　Pitt；　Canning；　and　Peel。　　If
the　memory　of　his　oratorical　triumphs　were　to　pass　completely　away；
he　would　deserve　to　be　remembered　in　respect　of　the　mark　he　left
upon　the　British　statute…book　and　of　the　changes　he　wrought　both　in
the　constitution　of　his　country　and　in　her　European　policy。　　To
describe　the　acts　he　carried　would　almost　be　to　write　the　history　of
recent　British　legislation；　to　pass　a　judgment　upon　their　merits
would　be　foreign　to　the　scope　of　this　sketch：　　it　is　only　to　three
remarkable　groups　of　measures　that　reference　can　here　be　made。

The　first　of　these　three　groups　includes　the　financial　reforms
embodied　in　a　series　of　fourteen　budgets　between　the　years　1853　and
1882；　the　most　famous　of　which　were　the　budgets　of　1853　and　1860。
In　the　former　Mr。　Gladstone　continued　the　work　begun　by　Peel　by
reducing　and　simplifying　the　customs　duties。　　The　deficiency　in
revenue　thus　caused　was　supplied　by　the　enactment　of　less　oppressive
imposts；　and　particularly　by　resettling　the　income　tax；　and　by　the
introduction　of　a　succession　duty　on　real　estate。　　The　preparation
and　passing　of　this　very　technical　and　intricate　Succession　Duty　Act
was　a　most　laborious　enterprise；　of　which　Mr。　Gladstone　used　to
speak　as　the　severest　mental　strain　he　had　ever　undergone。

＇Greek　text＇

The　budget　of　1860；　among　other　changes；　abolished　the　paper　duty；
an　immense　service　to　the　press；　which　excited　the　hostility　of　the
House　of　Lords。　　They　threw　out　the　measure；　but　in　the　following
year　Mr。　Gladstone　forced　them　to　submit。　　His　achievements　in　the
field　of　finance　equal；　if　they　do　not　surpass；　those　of　Peel；　and
are　not　tarnished；　as　in　the　case　of　Pitt；　by　the　recollection　of
burdensome　wars。　　To　no　minister　can　so　large　a　share　in　promoting
the　commercial　and　industrial　prosperity　of　modern　England；　and　in
the　reduction　of　her　national　debt；　be　ascribed。

The　second　group　includes　the　two　great　parliamentary　reform　bills
of　1866　and　1884　and　the　Redistribution　Bill　of　1885。　　The　first　of
these　was　defeated　in　the　House　of　Commons；　but　it　led　to　the
passing　next　year　of　an　even　more　comprehensive　billa　bill　which；
though　passed　by　Mr。　Disraeli；　was　to　some　extent　dictated　by　Mr。
Gladstone；　as　leader　of　the　opposition。　　Of　these　three　statutes
taken　together；　it　may　be　said　that　they　have　turned　Britain　into　a
democratic　country；　changing　the　character　of　her　government　almost
as　profoundly　as　did　the　Reform　Act　of　1832。

The　third　group　consists　of　a　series　of　Irish　measures；　beginning
with　the　Church　Disestablishment　Act　of　1869；　and　including　the　Land
Act　of　1870；　the　University　Education　Bill　of　1873　（defeated　in　the
House　of　Commons）；　the　Land　Act　of　1881；　and　the　home…rule　bills　of
1886　and　1893。　　All　these　were　in　a　special　manner　Mr。　Gladstone's
handiwork；　prepared　as　well　as　brought　in　and　advocated　by　him。　　All
were　highly　complicated；　and　of　onethe　Land　Act　of　1881；　which　it
took　three　months　to　carry　through　the　House　of　Commonsit　was　said
that　so　great　was　its　intricacy　that　only　three　men　understood　it
Mr。　Gladstone　himself；　his　Attorney…General　for　Ireland；　and　Mr。　T。
M。　Healy。　　So　far　from　shrinking　from；　he　seemed　to　revel　in；　the
toil　of　mastering　an　infinitude　of　technical　details。　　Yet　neither
did　he　want　boldness　and　largeness　of　conception。　　The　Home…Rule
Bill　of　1886　was　nothing　less　than　a　new　constitution　for　Ireland；
and　in　all　but　one　of　its　most　essential　features　had　been
practically　worked　out　by　himself　more　than　four　months　before　it
was　presented　to　Parliament。

Of　the　other　important　measures　passed　while　he　was　prime　minister；
two　deserve　special　mention；　the　Education　Act　of　1870　and　the
Local…Government　Act　of　1894。　　Neither　of　these；　however；　was
directly　his　work；　though　he　took　a　leading　part　in　piloting　the
former　through　the　House　of　Commons。

His　action　in　the　field　of　foreign　policy；　though　it　was　felt　only
at　intervals；　was　on　several　occasions　momentous；　and　has　left
abiding　results　in　European　history。　　In　1851；　he　being　then　still　a
Tory；　his　powerful　pamphlet　against　the　Bourbon　government　of
Naples；　and　the　sympathy　he　subsequently　avowed　with　the　national
movement　in　Italy；　gave　that　movement　a　new　standing　in　Europe　by
powerfully　recommending　it　to　English　opinion。　　In　1870　the　prompt
action　of　his　government；　in　concluding　a　treaty　for　the　neutrality
of　Belgium　on　the　outbreak　of　the　war　between　France　and　Germany；
saved　Belgium　from　being　drawn　into　the　strife。　　In　1871；　by
concluding　the　treaty　of　Washington；　which　provided　for　the
settlement　of　the　Alabama　claims；　he　not　only　asserted　a　principle
of　the　utmost　value；　but　delivered　England　from　what　would　have
been；　in　case　of　her　being　at　war　with　any　European　power；　a　danger
fatal　to　her　ocean　commerce。　　And；　in　1876；　the　vigorous　attack　he
made　on　the　Turks　after　the　Bulgarian　massacre　roused　an　intense
feeling　in　England；　so　turned　the　current　of　opinion　that　Disraeli's
ministry　were　forced　to　leave　the　Sultan　to　his　fate；　and　thus
became　the　cause　of　the　deliverance　of　Bulgaria；　Eastern　Rumelia；
Bosnia；　and　Thessaly　from　Mussulman　tyranny。　　Few　English　statesmen
have　equally　earned　the　gratitude　of　the　oppressed。

Nothing　lay　nearer　to　his　heart　than　the　protection　of　the　Eastern
Christians。　　His　sense　of　personal　duty　to　them　was　partly　due　to
the　feeling　that　the　Crimean　War　had　prolonged　the　rule　of　the　Turk；
and　had　thus　imposed　a　special　responsibility　on　Britain；　and　on　the
statesmen　who　formed　the　cabinet　which　undertook　that　war。　　Twenty
years　after　the　agitation　of　1876；　and　when　he　had　finally　retired
from　Parliament　and　political　life；　the　massacres　perpetrated　by　the
Sultan　on　his　Armenian　subjects　brought　him　once　more　into　the
field；　and　his　last　speech　in　public　（delivered　at　Liverpool　in　the
autumn　of　1896）　wa