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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 the Church
of Rome； despite what he deemed her corruptions； than to any of the
non…episcopal Protestant churches。 Henceforth his interests in life
were as much ecclesiastical as political。 For a time he desired to
be ordained a clergyman。 Had this wish been carried out； it can
scarcely be doubted that he would eventually have become the leading
figure in the Church of England and have sensibly affected her
recent history。 The later stages in his career drew him away from
the main current of political opinion within that church。 He who
had been the strongest advocate of established churches came to be
the leading agent in the disestablishment of the Protestant
Episcopal Church in Ireland； and a supporter of the policy of
disestablishment in Scotland and in Wales。 But the color which
these Oxford years gave to his mind and thoughts was never
obliterated。 They widened the range of his interests and deepened
his moral zeal and religious earnestness。 But at the same time they
confirmed his natural bent toward over…subtle distinctions and fine…
drawn reasonings； and they put him somewhat out of sympathy not only
with the attitude of the average Englishman； who is essentially a
Protestant；that is to say； averse to sacerdotalism； and suspicious
of any other religious authority than that of the Bible and the
individual conscience；but also with two of the strongest
influences of our time； the influence of the sciences of nature； and
the influence of historical criticism。 Mr。 Gladstone； though too
wise to rail at science； as many religious men did till within the
last few years； could never quite reconcile himself either to the
conclusions of geology and zoology regarding the history of the
physical world and the animals which inhabit it； or to the modern
methods of critical inquiry as applied to Scripture and to ancient
literature generally。 The training which Oxford then gave；
stimulating as it was； and free from the modern error of over
specialization； was defective in omitting the experimental sciences；
and in laying undue stress upon the study of language。 A proneness
to dwell on verbal distinctions and to trust overmuch to the
analysis of terms as a means of reaching the truth of things is
noticeable in many eminent Oxford writers of that and the next
succeeding generationsome of them； like the illustrious F。 D。
Maurice； far removed from Dr。 Newman and Mr。 Gladstone in
theological opinion。
When the brilliant young Oxonian entered the House of Commons at the
age of twenty…three； Sir Robert Peel was leading the Tory party with
an authority and ability rarely surpassed in parliamentary annals。
Within two years the young man was admitted into the short…lived
Tory ministry of 1834； and soon proved himself an active and
promising lieutenant of the experienced chief。 Peel was an
eminently wary and cautious man； alive to the necessity of watching
the signs of the times； of studying and interpreting the changeful
phases of public opinion。 His habit was to keep his own counsel；
and even when he perceived that the policy he had hitherto followed
would need to be modified； to continue to use guarded language and
refuse to commit himself to change till he perceived that the
fitting moment had arrived。 He was； moreover； a master of detail；
slow to propound a plan until he had seen how its outlines were to
be filled up by appropriate devices for carrying it out in practice。
These qualities and habits of the minister profoundly affected his
gifted disciple。 They became part of the texture of his own
political character； and in his case； as in that of Peel； they
sometimes brought censure upon him； as having withheld too long from
the public views or purposes which he thought it unwise to disclose
till effect could promptly be given to them。 Such reserve； such a
guarded attitude and conservative attachment to existing
institutions； were not altogether natural to Mr。 Gladstone's mind；
and the contrast between them and some of his other qualities； like
the contrast which ultimately appeared between his sacerdotal
tendencies and his political liberalism； contributed to make his
character perplexing and to expose his conduct to the charge of
inconsistency。 Inconsistent； in the ordinary sense of the word； he
was not； much less changeable。 He was really； in the main features
of his political convictions and the main habits of his mind； one of
the most tenacious and persistent of men。 But there were always at
work in him two tendencies。 One was the speculative desire to probe
everything to the bottom； to try it by the light of general
principles and logic； and where it failed to stand this test； to
reject it。 The other was the sense of the complexity of existing
social and political arrangements； and of the risk of disturbing any
one part of them unless the time had arrived for resettling other
parts also。 Every statesman feels both these sides to every
concrete question of reform。 No one has set them forth more
cogently； and in particular no one has mo