A "Chip" and the "Old Block
(Copyright, 1903, by T. C. MeClure.)
(1IKN Mr. Gladstone introduced Ills
w
second home rule bill on February
1J, 1S93, the House of Commons
was the scene of an extraordinary
scrimmage.
members," says one chronicler.
"The
"poured Into the chamber In a pushing,
bustling, vociferating crowd. One white
haired mcmlifr, of an age almost that of
the venerable premier, wan thrown down
under the feet of the crowd. The Irish
members engaged in a tussle for places
which resembled a foot ball srrimmage."
In that fierce struggle Joseph Chamber
lain, probably the strongest opponent of
the bill, would have lost his seat had not
Ills son Austen dashed ahead through the
crowd and kept ft until his father arrived
Austen, who became chancellor of the ex
chequer when his father and the preceding
chancellor. C. T. Kilchle. recently resigned
from iho cabinet, hud Just been elected a
member of Parliament. It was his first day
In the house, hut he showed an astonishing
ability to light for his own and his father's
Interests.
"Heboid a parable!" said an old liberal
politician, "lie's keeping Joe's seat warm
now, but some day he will sit in it by his
own right. Keep your eye on that young
man. He's a chip of the old block, and
some day he will do great things."
Kverybody remarked how wonderfully
the son resembled the father. He was his
double. The same eyeglass, the same
orchid, the same immaculate frock coat,
spotless linen and neat necktie, the same
pare, clean-cut, cold, expressionless face,
the same black hair brushed tlat on the
scalp as If it were plastered down.
"He's the very image of Joe." everybody
aid. "Will he be like him in character
and ability?"
Time proved. Three months after he
was elected a member of Parliament, Aus
ten Chamberlain made his maiden speech
In the House of Commons on the home rule
bill. It was a brilliant speech, and every
body then remarked how marvelously the
on resembled the father In expression,
mannerisms, style of speaking and trend
of thought, ns well as In face and dress.
Mr. Gladstone, who for years had been Cie
father's bitter political enemy, took occa
sion of the son's triumph to pay both of
them a pretty compliment.
"The previous speakers," he said when re
plying on the whole debate as prime mln's
ter, "have evaded the real point at Issue.
The only exception I remember was in the
axx-eh of the honorable member for Kast
(Copyright, 19u3, by K. B. Warner.
MOMUl.' mnul rbmarkuhlu Ititttitnnn that
w B I ever came to my notice of ursine
I vllulltv anil nf the rianeer of at
tacking a gTizzly, except under
the most favorable circum
stances,'' said the man from Wyoming,
"occurred recently in the Wind River
country of my state, amid the foothills
that lie at the base of the main range of
the Rockies.
"A bunch of eighteen head of beef steers
that had been kept in pasture had broken
the wire fence and strayed off into the hills,
and a party of six. Including myself, went
out to round them up and bring them
back.
"The cattle bad been gone a couple of
days before their absence was no'.ed, and
word from a neighboring rinchman in
formed us that we had a trip of at least
fifteen mites before us. A suggestion wan
made to take our rifles along, in case we
should run across a bunch of deer or
antelope, and the foreman of the ranch and
one or two of the cowpunchers had their
six-shooters with them.
"We had gone about twelve miles and
were on the track of the truants, when tha
trail turned toward the foothills, and we
have every reason to believe that we would
find the cattle on the other side of the tum
bling mountain stream that went, locally,
by the name of Teapot creek.
"While we were fording the creek the
bronchos began to snort and rear and giva
evidence of their unwillingness to go
farther. This was rather unexpected, as
the water was not deep, and we looked
about for some reason for their action. As
we clattered across we could hear, above
the noise of the rushing water, the snap
and clash of teeth and the peculiar hog-like
growl of a grizzly.
"Standing on bis hind legs, and strip
ping the servia berry bushes of their suc
culent fruit, was a big 'silver tip.' He did
not seem to be disposed to dispute pasrage,
although his objection to the Interruption
of his feast was quite apparent, in spite
of his belligerent growls he did not dis
continue his meal, but went on raking th
branches through his open Jaws and misd
ealing berries, leaves and twigs as though
all were equally toothsome.
"I'pon reaching the other side of the
creek we rode up the bank and over
a level stretch of ground that lay
at the base of the foothills. Borne
one had suggested taking a shot
at bruin, but the foreman discouraged
Worcestershire (Mr. Austen Chamberlain).
1 will not embark on any elaborate eulogy
of that speech. 1 will endeavor to sum up
In a few words what I desire to say of It.
It was a speech that must have been dear
and refreshing to a father's heart. It was
a speech that foretells a great career."
Mr. Gladstone was not wont to be effusive
in his praise. This compliment of his
rlvetled public attention on Austen Cham
berlain from the start of his career and
led the public to expect great things of
him. It has not been di-nppolnteil. He has
shown great ability In debate and in ad
ministration, and fairly earned the succes
sive government positions to which he has
been appointed. Kven bis opioupiits have
never alleged that he was unfit, or that he
obtained his promotion merely because be
whs the son of his father.
Austen Chamberlain is Ilie eldest son,
and Iihs never ru.trried, although he is now
4" years old. In that respect uil does he
differ markedly from his father, who had
been twice widowed when he retched that
age.
There Is a very strong bond of affection
and mutual risked between the two men.
The son still lives with his father. Though
he Is a middle-aged and wealthy statesman,
he has never set up un establishment of
his own. liolli men find their greatest
pleasure and recreation In each other's
society.
They go to and from the llou'e of Com
mons together arm in arm, twice a day
when the house is In sersion; they frequent
the same club, the Devonshire; they are
both fond of an evening together at the
theater, when the House Is not sitting; and
they both take great pains to elude the In
terviewer ard hide their private life from
the gale of the public.
It is curious how little the public knows
of Joseph Chamberlain the man. Because
ho Is keen and cynical In debate, a hard
hitter and a fearless foe, the impression
has got abroad that he is a Mephistophellan
kind of person. Ills son Austen, having
adopted the same public manner, is simi
larly Judged. Yet It would be difficult to
find two men with warmer hearts and
keener sympathies, two men who love their
fellow men in a more practical way. Their
private charities in Birmingham and Ion
don are countless.
"Good fellows, both of 'em,' was the ver
dict of an old Birmingham artisan, "I don't
agree with their politics, but they've done
a tremendous lot for this city. Joe was
always a good fellow from the time he en
tered the town council, when a mere boy,
Kennedy's Fool Fight With a Grizzly
the Idea, calling attention to the fact that
bear bides were not good in August and
that it would be necessary to find the
sieers lefore dark. Just then the trail
of the cattle was lost for a moment and
we stopped to look around.
"Although we were fully 300 yards from
the bear it was evident that his anger
over our appearance bad not entirely
cooled down. The same swinish growls
were borne to our ears, and the grizxly,
still standing un his hind legs and devour
ing the servls berries, could is? seen where
his bead towered above the bank of the
stream.
"One of the cowboys, Alf Kennedy, took
exception to the 'silver tip's' mood. With
the remark, 'I ain't goin' to have no silver
tip growlin' an' snarlin' at me!' he took
his rifle from its saddle sling and pro
ceeded to look at the magazine. The fore
man taw what was up and tried to dis
suade Kennedy from his intention, urging
the necessity of finding the cattle im
mediately. His pleading, amonnting al
most to a command, fell on deaf ears, for
Kennedy, although a splendid cowboy, was
accustomed to doing as be pleased on
most occasions.
" 'We'll go on after the cattle directly.'
he said. 'It won't take more'n a minute
to settle that bear.'
"Seeing that other members of the party
were also examining their llrearms, Ken
nedy spoke up threateningly, saying that
he wanted help from no one and that !f
a shot was tired by another man In the
crowd there would be trouble. Knowing
Kennedy as well as we did, his wishes
were complied with.
"Kennedy rode down until he was about
100 yards from the bear. There he dis
mounted and turned the head of his horse
away from the game. As a brave cow
puncher he scorned to attack the grizzly
except on foot, for. in" his code of ethics,
. he and men of his stripe disdained to do
anyth'ng that would savor of the tactics
of a tenderfoot. It takes a brave man to
attaik a b ar on foot, and Kennedy was
lint of the sort to shirk the task.
"He Mood by the Bide of his horde and
drew h's bead on the grizzly. The barrel
of the rifle steadied down for a moment.
Then came a puff of smoke and a sharp re
port. A second later our straining ears
caught the impact of the bullet as it found
the game. The bead of the bear went back
aa though it had been struck by a sledge
hammer.
" 'hight in the snout!' was the exclama
tion of the foreman.
and Austen takes after bltn.
"I remember when Joe first started out.
away back In the '7ts, to make Birmingham
a decent place. There was nothin' but dirt
and Hastiness to live In, then nothin' but
stinks and smells. The young 'una died off
like files, and the old folks soaked beer all
the time. It was their only comfort In that
'ell of a place
"But Joe got the worst streets pulled
down, and every place made decent, night
and day he went round the slums, looking
ufter the sick and the poor, giving away
barrels of money, finding Jobs for the loaf
ers and persuading men to go to work In
stead of getting drunk and knocking their
wies and children about.
"Austen does that kind o' work here
now, but we don't see the old gentleman
much noWHdays. I hear, though, that he
does a powerful lot o' good In London."
A slrnngtr would take Joseph and Austen
Chamberlain for brothers, not father anil
son. The former Is nearly 70, but does not
look more than .V. He has never looked bis
age.
Josse Colllnits, Mr. ha mlierbi In s po
litical lieutenant, used to be fond of telling
stories about how his chief was mist-ikon
for a young man even i.fter he became a
cabinet minister.
Once they were traveling together in
Spain. They missed their steamer at
Malaga and went aboard a small tramp to
try to arrange for a passage to Oibraltar.
The captain, who did not know them,
s.i id:
"I've got np accommodations for passen
gers; but the old gentleman" pointing to
Mr. rollings "can have my bunk, and the
youngster must rough it on the sofa."
The "youngster" wan a cabinet minister
over 50 years old, and less than five years
younger than his white-haired companion.
Shortly liefore Mr. Chamberlain was mar
ried a second time, a woman who met him
in Birmingham for the first time, ex
claimed In astonishment :
"Is that Mr. Chamlwrlain? Why. I bear
lie's a widower and a great man in this
city. He doesn't look as If be were old
enough to be married. He looks Just like
a clever, well-dressed boy." At that time
Mr. Chamleiialn was over 3D.
Although the Son Is the double of the
father, it must not he Imagined that he Is
a slave to his influence and example. On
the contrary, Austen is a man of great
independence of spirit.
Years ago, when he was a young man,
he presided over a debating society in
Birmingham. Now and then his father,
already a world-famous statesman, would
"The bear disappeared for an instant,
and a second later was seen clambering up
the bank. Kennedy fired again, but this
did not stop the enraged grizzly. He
started in a lumbering but surprisingly
rapid lope, straight for the cowboy.
"Kennedy did not flinch when he saw
what was before him. The barrel of his
rifle looked as firm and rigid as a bar of
iron, so little was It disturbed by the pro
cess of ejecting the shells and throwing the.
cartridges Into place. The smoke curled
upward from the muzzle In a steady stream
and the rifle's crack came with tho regu
larity of clock ticks. It appeared to us
that Kennedy made every shot count, for
he stood on slightly higher ground than
that over which the bear was coming, and
we saw no dirt thrown up by bullets, as
would have been the case had he missed.
"The grizzly presented an appearance cal
culated to Inspire terror In the hearts of
the bravest. He was covering the ground
at high speed, in spite of his apparent
awkwardness. His lumbering gait ren
dered him the poorest of targets, for the
reason that only a chance shot could strike
a vital part. At one moment he would be
doubled up like a Jack knife, with only his
hump showing; the next he would be
stretched out at full length, like a grey
bound. Blood spurted from nearly a dozen
wounds on hi head, hump, neck every,
where except a spot which would allow a
bullet to stop him. He was gnashing his
teeth like a wi'd boar, and from bis Jaws
dripped great flakes of foam which flecked
his crimson-stained hide.
"In less time than It takes to tell It Ken
nedy hud emptied his rifle, but still be
scorned to take advantage of his oppor
tunity and mount the waiting broncho and
escape. He cast his rifle aside and drew
his six-shooters, a pair of ehort-barreled
forty-fours.' As he threw his rifle aw ay
he struck his horse with it, and the unimal,
already nervous from the tiring and prob
ably scenting the bear, started forward
a few feet and then Mopped. The animal's
bridle rein hung in front of him, and the
well-trained row pony seldom moves until
the rein is thrown back over the neck.
"The foreman of the ranch had seen the
movement of the horse, which bad been
unnoticed by Kennedy, and shouted:
" "Step back with your horse, Alf! Step
back with your horse'
"But Kennedy was too busy with his six
shooters to heed the warping.
"it took only a moment for him to empty
his revolvers, but, so far us their effect u
drop In to "nmtise himself with the bo;r."
He would take part in the debates with
his usual keenness, but Austen delighted
In using bis power as chairman, to sup
press his father and "turn him down" ior
violating the rules of parliamentary pro
cedure. The other members of the society
would gasp with horror, but Mr. Chuui
lierlaln was h mused and pleased at the
boy's independence.
It would be absurd to contend that Mr.
Austen Chamberlain has ls-com a greater
man than bis father, or that lie Is een.
hs yet, the hitter's serious competitor.
But the son, at a comparatively early age,
has fulfilled Hit ambition which his father
was never able to gratify. He became
chiincilor of the exchequer -a position
which, by ancient tradition. Is the third, if
not the second, In Importance, in the Brit
ish cabinet.
Mr. Chamberlain has always wanlcd to
be Chancellor of the Kxchoquer. and bis
made in secret of his ambition, lie was
"slated" for thai post by Mr. (Hailstone,
but he left the liberal fold before he
could reach It.
When he lirst took otllce under Lord
Salisbury, he would hac been made ch.-iii-ellor
except for a vigorous cotiserval Ivo
revolt. The old-fashioned lories, who look
on him with dislike and suspicion, and
with whose views Lord Salisbury himself
sympathized, urged that Lord lioschen
(then Mr. Ooschrn) and Sir Michael Hick.
Beach had prior claims by reason of se
ni.rlty and past services. Mr. Chamberlain
had to content himself with the c.lllee of
colonial secretary.
At a bound Austen Chamberlain has
taken the position which his father has
coveted for many years. Those who knew
the two men well believe that the sou
la simply keeping the place warm for bis
father. They Bay that "Joe" hopes to
sweep the country on his new tariff cry,
and go back into the government after a
general election, more powerful than ever.
Then Austen wilt step down from his new
pedestal, and his father will become chan
cellor of the exchequer. In that position
he ran best carry out his new tariff
schemes, provided the country endorses
them. The son, bo the prophets say,
would probably take the father's old place
as colonial secretary In a reconstructed
cabinet.
That seems to be the present Idea. It
Is plausible enough. If true, it shows that
the two Chamberlains doub'e one another
In politics Just as they do In dress, in
speech and In manner.
stopping the bear was concerned, they
might us well have been loaded with blank
cartridges. The great. hulking lirutu
whirled up to within tight feet of the
dauntless cowboy and reattd on his hind
legs. With an Indescribable growl of rago
he waddled with uncertain tread toward his
foe. Kennedy tired the last shots from bin
six-shooters point blank at tho breast of
the towering beast, rendered more terrify
ing by the blood and foam which colored
bis hairy coat. Next instant he threw bU
brace of weapons at the bear and turned
toward Ids horse.
"it was then that we gathered the full
meaning of the foreman's warning cry. In
stead of grasping the saddle us be thought
to do, Kennedy merely struck the haunches
of the broncho. With a snort of terror tho
animal bounded away and left his rider lit
the mercy of the grizzly. The cowboy
paused, dazed, and then started to run.
He had taken only one step when the bear
seized him with bis furepaws and enveloped
him In an embrace as merciless ns the coll
of a python.
"A fusillade immediately began from our
party, all of us blaming ourselves that wo
had heeded Kennedy's Instructions tit
the letter. We galloped down to where tht
bear still stood, swaying to and fro with
the man in his paws. At last the brute
(lrnpis-d, lying In a pool nf blood. Kennedy,
too, was dead, the brute having ripped open
his chest with his paws.
"When we skinned the bear, although his
hide was worthless, wo found that he hail
been bit fifty-four times. The shot which
had brought him to the ground, the only
one which struck a vital visit, was from
the foreman's forty-four, and was light be
hind au tu"
Dicidedly Otherwise
The two young persons hud consented for
a consideration to stand on an elevated
platform In the open air and be married In
the presence of the Immense crowd at it
street fair.
After the ceremony was over their friends)
surrounded them. .
"Wasn't It dreadfully embarrassing?"
they were asked.
"Embarrassing?" echoed the bridegroom,
with a broad grin. "I should say nut. It
relieved the embarrassment. We'd have
been married a month ago If I'd had money
enough to pay a preacher "--Chicago Tribune.
