Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 17, 1903)
George (Copyright, 1903, by Marshall Lord.) . Y fS JJHAM usea lO do ioo wauu- w ful," said a famous London sculp tor recently, "but I have noticed lately that the big work he la dolna has strengthened the llnea In his face and given It the last touch It needed to make It well-nigh Ideal. I don't mean that It was ever a weak face only that It wae almost too perfect." Ills classic outline Is one of the remark able things about George Wyndham, who, as Great Britain's chief secretary for Ire- . land, has drawn the attention of the world to himself by his Irish land bill. Even men admire his six-foot figure of perfect pro portions, his finely cut face, his brilliant yes, his dark hair and mustache; and he Is variously and Invariably described by men phrases as "the handsomest man in the House of Commons," "the English Apollo" and a man with "JUBt a suspicion of Italian opera." Another remarkable thing about Mr. Wyndham, who Is now looked upon as the creator of a new and better Ireland, Is that lio is a direct descendant of one of the most famous and bravest of the old Irish rebels who fought England to the last drop of their blood. Lord Edward Fltsgerald, whose only daughter, Lady Campbell, was George Wyndham's grandmother, died of a wound which he received when leading tils Irish followers against British troops. On more than one occasion, when Mr. Wyndham, as Irish secretary, has been called upon to uphold the government' policy in the Emerald Isle against attacks made upon it by the Irish loaders, shouts have come from that direction to the effect that the speaker should keep well In mind the salutary example set him by his great grandfather. In the opinion of many of England's pub Ilo men, this little circumstance In Mr. Wyndham's pedigree has made even the most vehement of his Irish opponents In the House of Commons more generously disposed toward him than they ever will be to Mr. Balfour, the present premier and former Iri&h secretary; and this, com bined with Wyndham's Initial experience In the very heart of Irish disaffection lias helped him and will help him in carrying out his program Tor Ireland. This experience is often referred to aa Wyndhams novitiate, for he went through It as Mr. Balfour's private secretary during the four years when the prime minister held the very post of secretary of state for Ire landwith his official residence in that per turbed country which Wyndham fills to day. It was while he was In this position that the coming under secretary of war made his second bid for fame. He was only 25 at the time, but then, when only 21, as an offi cer of the Foot Guards, he had gone through the wearing 8oudan campaign and come out of it with distinction. It was rather a paradoxical thing that a young man, who so comparatively lately had laid aside the sword should havo scored his next success as a particularly effective letter writer, but that was Wyndham's destiny. He had hardly gone to Dublin with his new chief than there began a determined Irish 'attack upon Mr. Balfour, of which Parnell himself was lender by open speech and by innuendo, but mainly by letters to the newspapers. The most Important of these screeds the Irish secre tary's secretary undertook to answer, and RKHIDENT ROOSEVELT S tour of I v- the west recalls a story of the I JC I time when President Hayes was I " 9 in Kansas twenty-five years ago. t J His train stopped at Hutchinson for a ttiw minutes and a crowd pressed for ward to shake him by the hand. Among the number was an Intoxicated man, who did not know what all the excitement was about. When this man's turn cama tha president grasped his hand and said: "Glad to see you, my friend." "Same to you," was the genial reply, "but you have tha best of me. Say, somebody introduce me to this gen' 1' man. Nov' saw him before In my life." Hero Is the favorite story of General 1L V. Boynton of Washington, a printed copy of which he always carries with him for the entertainment of his friends: A Ger man addreulng his dog said: "You vos only a dog, but I vlah I vas you. Yen you go mit the bed in, you shust durn round dree times und lay down. Yen I go mlt the bed In I haf to lock up de blace und vtnd de clock und put de cat oud und undress my self, und my vtfe vakes up und scoles me. Den de baby cries und I haf to valk him up und down; den niaype ven I shust go to sleep. It's time to get up again. Yen you get up you shust scratch yourself a couple of times und stretch, und you vas up. I haf to quick lite de fire, und put de kittle on, scrap mlt my vlfe already, und maype get some breakfast. You play all tay und haf plenty of fun. I haf to vork all tay und haf plenty of drouble. Yen you die, you's dead; ven I die I haf to go to hen yet." After if. M, Quay's sensational denuncia Wyndham, r 6 ! . t.vV- iK GEORGE WYNDHAM, CHTKT SECRET IMPERIAL CABINET HE FRAMED answer them he did with such vigor, wit and telling argument that In nine cases out of ten he completely discomfited their writers. Politicians of every stripe began to ask themselves who this "George Wyndham" might be who was defending Arthur Bal four's policy so trenchantly, and there was a suspicion In some quarters that the name . was a nom de plume which concealed Mr. Balfour himself. In fact, when Wyndham finally entered the House of Commons and made his first speech, Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman, leader of the opposition, rather sententlously complimented the young pol itician on having proved to the world that he was not a mythical personage, like the "Mrs. Harris" of Satrey Gamp, but a being of bone and sinew. Today George Wyndham's position Is one which can be described as pretty nearly Ideal. Through hlo own efforts distinction after Gleanings From the tion of David Martin on the floor of the United States senate, early in 1S95, follow ing the turning down of Penrose for the mayoralty nomination, Martin, it will be recalled, assumed the attitude of what la termed a. "goo-goo" In municipal affairs, and talked a great deal about pure poli tics and reform. A friend who had been through more than one strenuous cam paign side by side with Murtln asked him one day: "Dave, doesn't it take a lot of nerve for you to come out in the glare of day as a reformer?" , "Well." replied Martin, "It did at first; but I sustain myself by thinking of the newly arrived Celt who one morning re galed some friends with an account of the glories of a play he had witnessed the nlsht before." " 'How much did all that lux'ry cost yes? asked an envious member of the group. " 'Ntvver a clnt, was the reply. Ol Jist walked In backwar-rd an" th' mon be th' dure thought It wus goln' out I win.' " Among several amusing Incidents recite) by Judge Alfred C. Coxe of the United States circuit court in a lecture delivered to Columbia students, reports the New York Times, was the tale of a young law yer who came before the supreme court to argue a case In which he was both coun selor and defendant. "I once heard an old French adage," said he, "which said that he who argues his own case has a fool for a client Deaplto this, however, I propose to present the defendant's side In this case, aa I know more of It than anyone else." Then tha young lawyer went oa to offer the English ART FOR IRELAND IN THE BRITISH THE IRISH LAND BILL. distinction has come to him. The grand son of a peer, he began life like Lord Rosebery and Winston Churchill, with birth and fortune to aid him. He married a rich, beautiful and titled woman, tho Countess Grosvenor, and by this act be came stepfather to the young duke of Westminster, the peer In England, and connected with the marquis of Lans downe, the former minister of war, whose blundering Boer . war policy Wyndham, when under secretary of war, defended with such remarkable skill In the House of Commons. His gifts as an orator are not ordinary ones, for he not only speaks forcibly and gracefully, but he has the rare knack of presenting a subject in the clearest possible manner, and has proven his ability to make even figures interest ing. Under a fusllade of questions from the Irish and liberal benches he displays a snng froid that not even Mr. Chamber lain himself can surpass. So It is little Story Tellers' his argument. Before he went back to his h.nmo in St. Louis he left word wllh a friend to notify him by wire as soon as the court's declHlon waa handed down. A wetk later ho received a telegram which read: "OU French adage affirmed." When "Gibe" Bouck was representative from the Oshkosh district of Wisconsin, relate the Century, a tension bill came be fore the house to his great vexation of spirit, for, while his personal conviction were directly opposed to It, his political interests were strong enough to whip him into line. On the day the bill came up for final disposal a fellow member met Bouck In the space behind the last row of Feats, walking back and forth and ges tlculatlng excitedly, bringing his clenched fist down into the hollow of his left hand, to the accompaniment of expletives which would hardly look well In print. "What's the trouble, GabeT" inquired hit friend. "Why all this excltementT" "Trouble T" snorted the irate lawmaker. "Trouble enough! That pension bill is up and all the cowardly nincompoops in the house are going to vote for It. It's sure to pass sure to pass." "But why don't you get the floor and speak against It try to stop It," suggested the other. "Try to atop it?" echoed Bouck. "Try to atop t? Why, I'm one of the cowardly nin compoops myself." A former city official who la well known In many sections of the borough had occa sion to attend a concert given In a large hall the other evening, reports the Brook lyn Times. Ilia wifa and many friends Apollo wonder that he Is being hailed In Englan as the probable next premier. Notwithstanding all his political activity, the secretary of . state for Ireland haa found time to develop the literary gifts that he first displayed In his campaign with the pen against Mr. Balfour's Irish disparagers'. He has won much distinc tion by means of his essays, and introduc tions contributed by htm to new edltlona f Plutarch and Shakespeare's sonnets have gained high praise. He also has written some uncommonly good verse. Recently it has been hinted that Mr. Wynd ham was writing a novel, but the rumor has yet to be confirmed. It was George Wyndham who first drew general atten tion in England to Stephen Crane by a brilliant magaxlne article on "The Red Badge of Courage." Mr. Wyndham's career Bhows only one great disappointment. That occurred in 1S95, when Lord Salisbury was choosing a cabinet to succeed Lord Rosebery's official family. It was thought that the friend ship of the premier's nephew, Mr. Balfour, for Wyndham made him certain of a port folio. But too many of Mr. Chamberlain's friends had to be accommodated in order to make sure of the Birmingham chief's allegiance, and Mr. Balfour proved un equal to the task of bringing him Into the cabinet. The disappointment was a severe one. and many men would have sulked under it George Wyndham, however, did nothing of tho sort. To occupy himself he took up the study of the South African situation aa it was then and for some time made the southern part of the Dark Continent his specialty. Finally changes came in Lord Salisbury's cabinet, with the result that Wyndham was chosen to fill one of the vacancies that of under secretary for war, with Lord Lar.sdowno as his chief. To the young politician the honor waa a great one, but, In ordinary circumstances, the new under secretary would have had amall opportunity of attracting attention to himself. However, there began the war In the Transvaal, which completely changed the aspect of things. Wyndham found himself one of the most carefully watched men in the government. He knew it was ' his great chance and he took advantage of it. Soon his remarkable speech in sup port of the war office, when Lord Lans downe's blunderings were enabling the Boers to gain victory after victory, drew national attention to the young man who had practically saved the government from disaster, and his political future was se cured. When his old chief, Mr. Balfour, became premier, Wyndham wae made secretary of state for Ireland. . He is Just 40. an age that, in the House of Commons Is not uncommonly regarded as one of discretion. He is a member of Parliament for Dover, a fact that makes him also a director of the London, Chat ham & Dover railway, one of the most Important lines In the country. Although Mr. Wyndham has a handsome young son of his own, he is a great chum of his stepson, the duke of Westminster, a rather hot-headed, strong-willed youth of the kind that would not be able to get on well with the ordinary sort of stepfather. The young duke is a brother-in-law of Mrs. Cornwallis West, who, before her second marriage, was Lady Randolph Churchill. Pack were among those present During an In termission every one was somewhat startled to hear a stentorian voice ring out from the gallery. 'Ts the Hon. Mr. Blank present?" the voice said. Slowly and' majestically the aforesaid erstwhile official rose from his place In a prominent part of the house and faced the gallery in a dignified manner, as suited his station in society. "I am Mr. Blank," he replied, as he drew his rather stocky figure to Its full height. "Sit down, you lobster." called the volca with an emphasis that was as great as It was embarrassing. The dull thud that was heard Imme diately after the above sally was only tha noise caused by the ex-officlal's anatomy as it came In contact with his rather hard seat. During the laughter and confusion that followed the guilty one escaped. Dr. Patton was delivering a lecture re cently In his course on ethics at the Prince ton Theological seminary and experienced much annoyance because some of the stu dents ate peanuts Instead of attending ta him. Finally he administered this re buke: "Gentlemen, I have delayed starting the most Important part of today's lec ture hoping that the stock of peanuts would be consumed and a restful quiet be restored. As the quantity seems ample to meet the demands and the supply appears inexhaustible, I feel constrained to request that your appetites be restrained until the conclusion of the lecture. I would be greatly pleased If n the future anyona wishing to conduct a B o'clock tea In tha classroom would confine tha refreshments) ta sponge cake."