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William Ewart Gladstone
by James Bryce
CHAPTER I： INTRODUCTION
No man has lived in our times of whom it is so hard to speak in a
concise and summary fashion as Mr。 Gladstone。 For forty years he
was so closely associated with the public affairs of his country
that the record of his parliamentary life comes near to being an
outline of English politics。 His activity spread itself out over
many fields。 He was the author of several learned and thoughtful
books； and of a multitude of articles upon all sorts of subjects。
He showed himself as eagerly interested in matters of classical
scholarship and Christian doctrine and ecclesiastical history as in
questions of national finance and foreign policy。 No account of him
could be complete without reviewing his actions and estimating the
results of his work in all these directions。 But the difficulty of
describing and judging him goes deeper。 His was a singularly
complex nature； a character hard to unravel。 His individuality was
extremely strong； all that he said or did bore its impress。 Yet it
was an individuality so far from being self…consistent as sometimes
to seem a bundle of opposite qualities capriciously united in a
single person。 He might with equal truth be called； and he has been
in fact called； a conservative and a revolutionary。 He was
dangerously impulsive； and had frequently to suffer from his
impulsiveness； yet he was also not merely wary and cautious； but so
astute as to have been accused of craft and dissimulation。 So great
was his respect for authority and tradition that he clung to views
regarding the unity of Homer and the historical claims of Christian
sacerdotalism which the majority of competent specialists have now
rejected。 So bold was he in practical matters that he transformed
the British constitution； changed the course of English policy in
the Orient； destroyed an established church in one part of the
United Kingdom； and committed himself to the destruction of two
established churches in two other parts。 He came near to being a
Roman Catholic in his religious opinions； yet was for twenty years
the darling leader of the English Protestant Nonconformists and the
Scotch Presbyterians。 No one who knew him intimately doubted his
conscientious sincerity and earnestness； yet four fifths of the
English upper classes were in his later years wont to regard him as
a self…interested schemer who would sacrifice his country to his
lust for power。 Though he loved general principles； and often
soared out of the sight of his audience when discussing them； he
generally ended by deciding upon points of detail the question at
issue。 He was at different times of his life the defender and the
assailant of the same institutions； yet he scarcely seemed
inconsistent in doing opposite things； because his method and his
arguments preserved the same type and color throughout。 Any one who
had at the beginning of his career discerned in him the capacity for
such strange diversities and contradictions would probably have
predicted that they must wreck it by making his purposes weak and
his course erratic。 Such a prediction would have proved true of any
one with less firmness of will and less intensity of temper。 It was
the persistent heat and vehemence of his character； the sustained
passion which he threw into the pursuit of the object on which he
was for the moment bent； that fused these dissimilar qualities and
made them appear to contribute to and to increase the total force
which he exerted。
CHAPTER II： EARLY INFLUENCES
The circumstances of Mr。 Gladstone's political career help to
explain； or； at any rate； will furnish occasion for the attempt to
explain； this complexity and variety of character。 But before we
come to his manhood it is convenient to advert to three conditions
whose influence on him has been profound： the first his Scottish
blood； the second his Oxford education； the third his apprenticeship
to public life under Sir Robert Peel。
Theories of character based on race differences are dangerous；
because they are so easy to form and so hard to test。 Still； no one
denies that there are qualities and tendencies generally found in
the minds of men of certain stocks； just as there are peculiarities
in their faces or in their speech。 Mr。 Gladstone was born and
brought up in Liverpool； and always retained a touch of Lancashire
accent。 But； as he was fond of saying； every drop of blood in his
veins was Scotch。 His father was a Lowland Scot from the
neighborhood of Biggar； in the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire； where the
old yeoman's dwelling of Gledstanes〃the kite's rock〃may still be
seen。 His mother was of Highland extraction； by name Robertson；
from Dingwall； in Ross…shire。 Thus he was not only a Scot； but a
Scot with a strong infusion of the Celtic element； the element
whence the Scotch derive most of what distinguishes them from the
English。 The Scot is more excitable； more easily brought to a glow
of passion； more apt to be eagerly absorbed in one thing at a time。
He is also more fond of abstract intellectual effort。 It is not
merely that the taste for metaphysical theology is commoner in
Scotland than in England； but that the Scotch have a stronger relish
for general principles。 They like to set out by ascertaining and
defining such principles； and then to pursue a series of logical
deductions from them。 They are； therefore； somewhat bolder
reasoners than the English； less content to remain in the region of
concrete facts； more eager to hasten on to the process of working
out a body of speculative doctrines。 The Englishman is apt to plume
himself on being right in spite of logic； the Scotchman delights to
think that it is through logic he has reached his conclusions； and
that he can by logic defend them。 These are qualities which Mr。
Gladstone drew from his Scottish blood。 He had a keen enjoyment of
the processes of dialectic。 He loved to get hold of an abstract
principle and to derive all sorts of conclusions from it。 He was
wont to begin the discussion of a question by laying down two or
three sweeping propositions covering the subject as a whole； and
would then proceed to draw from these others which he could apply to
the particular matter in hand。 His well…stored memory and boundless
ingenuity made this finding of such general propositions so easy a
task that a method in itself agreeable sometimes appeared to be
carried to excess。 He frequently arrived at conclusions which the
judgment of the sober auditor did not approve； because； although
they seemed to have been legitimately deduced from the general
principles just enunciated； they were somehow at variance with the
plain teaching of the facts。 At such moments one felt that the man
who was charming but perplexing Englishmen by his subtlety and
ingenuity was not himself an Englishman in mental quality； but had
the love for abstractions and refinements and dialectical analysis
which characterizes the Scotch intellect。 He had also a large
measure of that warmth and vehemence； called in the sixteenth
century the perfervidum ingenium Scotorum； which belong to the
Scottish temperament； and particularly to the Celtic Scot。 He
kindled quickly； and when kindled； he shot forth a strong and
brilliant flame。 To any one with less power of self…control such
intensity of emotion as he frequently showed would have been
dangerous； nor did this excitability fail； even with him； to prompt
words and acts which a cooler judgment would have disapproved。 But
it gave that spontaneity which was one of the charms of his nature；
it produced that impression of profound earnestness and of
resistless force which raised him out of the rank of ordinary
statesmen。 The tide of emotion swelling fast and full seemed to
turn the whole rushing stream of intellectual effort into whatever
channel lay at the moment nearest。
With these Scottish qualities； Mr。 Gladstone was brought up at
school and college among Englishmen； and received at Oxford； then
lately awakened from a long torpor； a bias and tendency which never
thereafter ceased to affect him。 The so…called 〃Oxford Movement；〃
which afterward obtained the name of Tractarianism and carried Dr。
Newman； together with other less famous leaders； on to Rome； had not
yet； in 1831； when Mr。 Gladstone won his degree with double first…
class honors； taken visible shape； or become； so to speak； conscious
of its own purposes。 But its doctrinal views； its peculiar vein of
religious sentiment； its respect for antiquity and tradition； its
proneness to casuistry； its taste for symbolism； were already potent
influences working on the more susceptible of the younger minds。 On
Mr。 Gladstone they told with full force。 He became； and never
ceased to be； not merely a High…churchman； but what may be called an
Anglo…Catholic； in his theology； deferential not only to
ecclesiastical tradition； but to the living voice of the visible
church； respecting the priesthood as the recipients （if duly
ordained） of a special grace and peculiar powers； attaching great
importance to the sacraments； feeling himself nearer to