Successful Methods of Public Speaking | Page 7

also he had faith sufficient to
move mountains, and did sometimes move mountains. He did not lightly resolve, he
came to no hasty conclusion, but when he had convinced himself that a cause was right, it
engrossed him, it inspired him, with a certainty as deep-seated and as imperious as ever
moved mortal man. To him, then, obstacles, objections, the counsels of doubters and
critics were as nought, he pressed on with the passion of a whirlwind, but also with the
steady persistence of some puissant machine.
He had, of course, like every statesman, often to traffic with expediency, he had always, I
suppose, to accept something less than his ideal, but his unquenchable faith, not in
himself--tho that with experience must have waxed strong--not in himself but in his cause,
sustained him among the necessary shifts and transactions of the moment, and kept his
head high in the heavens.
Such faith, such moral conviction, is not given to all men, for the treasures of his nature
were in ingots, and not in dust. But there is, perhaps, no man without some faith in some
cause or some person; if so, let him take heart, in however small a minority he may be, by
remembering how mighty a strength was Gladstone's power of faith.
His next great force lay in his industry. I do not know if the aspersions of "ca' canny" be
founded, but at any rate there was no "ca' canny" about him. From his earliest
school-days, if tradition be true, to the bed of death, he gave his full time and energy to
work. No doubt his capacity for labor was unusual. He would sit up all night writing a
pamphlet, and work next day as usual. An eight-hours' day would have been a holiday to
him, for he preached and practised the gospel of work to its fullest extent. He did not,
indeed, disdain pleasure; no one enjoyed physical exercise, or a good play, or a pleasant

dinner, more than he; he drank in deep draughts of the highest and the best that life had to
offer; but even in pastime he was never idle. He did not know what it was to saunter, he
debited himself with every minute of his time; he combined with the highest intellectual
powers the faculty of utilizing them to the fullest extent by intense application. Moreover,
his industry was prodigious in result, for he was an extraordinarily rapid worker. Dumont
says of Mirabeau, that till he met that marvelous man he had no idea of how much could
be achieved in a day. "Had I not lived with him," he says, "I should not know what can be
accomplished in a day, all that can be comprest into an interval of twelve hours. A day
was worth more to him than a week or a month to others." Many men can be busy for
hours with a mighty small product, but with Mr. Gladstone every minute was fruitful.
That, no doubt, was largely due to his marvelous powers of concentration. When he was
staying at Dalmeny in 1879 he kindly consented to sit for his bust. The only difficulty
was that there was no time for sittings. So the sculptor with his clay model was placed
opposite Mr. Gladstone as he worked, and they spent the mornings together, Mr.
Gladstone writing away, and the clay figure of himself less than a yard off gradually
assuming shape and form. Anything more distracting I can not conceive, but it had no
effect on the busy patient. And now let me make a short digression. I saw recently in your
newspapers that there was some complaint of the manners of the rising generation in
Glasgow. If that be so, they are heedless of Mr. Gladstone's example. It might be thought
that so impetuous a temper as his might be occasionally rough or abrupt. That was not so.
His exquisite urbanity was one of his most conspicuous graces. I do not now only allude
to that grave, old-world courtesy, which gave so much distinction to his private life; for
his sweetness of manner went far beyond demeanor. His spoken words, his letters, even
when one differed from him most acutely, were all marked by this special note. He did
not like people to disagree with him, few people do; but, so far as manner went, it was
more pleasant to disagree with Mr. Gladstone than to be in agreement with some others.
Lastly, I come to his courage--that perhaps was his greatest quality, for when he gave his
heart and reason to a cause, he never counted the cost. Most men are physically brave,
and this nation is reputed to be especially brave, but Mr. Gladstone was brave among the
brave. He had to