Sketches in the House: The Story of a Memorable Session (1893)O'Connor, T. P. (Thomas Power)
History
Sketches in the House: The Story of a Memorable Session (1893)
O'Connor, T. P. (Thomas Power)
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1837-1901; Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons; Home rule -- Ireland
Of the remaining speeches I need say little. Lord Brassey, in a few
manly and straightforward words, expressed his entire sympathy with the
principle of the Bill; Lord Cowper gave another very melancholy and
inaudible performance. And then came one of the most remarkable speeches
the House of Lords has heard for some time. From the Treasury Bench
there stood a tall, slight, and rather delicate figure. The face, long,
large-featured, hatchet-shaped, was surmounted with a mass of
curling-hair; altogether, there was a suggestion of what Disraeli looks
like in that picture of him as a youth which contrasts so strangely and
sadly with the figure and the face we all knew in his later days. This
was Lord Ribblesdale. Lord Ribblesdale holds an office in the Royal
Household in the present Administration. Up to a short time ago, he was
unknown in even the teeming ranks of noble littérateurs; but an article
he wrote on a conversation with the late Mr. Parnell gave indications of
a bright and apt pen, a great power of observation, and a shrewd,
impartial mind. On Sept. 4th, he surprised the House by showing also the
possession of very rare and very valuable oratorical powers, His speech
was excellent in diction, was closely and calmly reasoned, and produced
an extraordinary effect, even on the Tory side, which, beginning by a
stony silence, and a certain measure of curiosity--ended by giving an
impression of being moved, and even awed a little by this speech.
Altogether a very remarkable performance; we have not heard the last now
that we have heard the first of Lord Ribblesdale in the fields of party
oratory.
[Sidenote: A striking personality.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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