206 



The Review of Reviews. 



February 10, 1906. 



entertained by his constituents in Woodstock in 1864 

 the Duke would not attend the dinner, but sent Lord 

 Randolph in his place. He was then a boy of 

 fifteen. This was the first debut of Lord Randolph 

 in politics. 



Before going to Oxford he obtained some educa- 

 tion from a private tutor; in spite of these pre- 

 cautions he failed to pass the entrance examination, 

 but after more coaching and a tour on the Continent, 

 he matriculated and took up his residence at Her- 

 eon, under the tutelage of Dr. Creighton. During 

 the first years at the university he was much more 

 interested in the momentous task of founding a 

 pack of harriers, with which he hunted in the neigh- 

 bourhood, than in any classical studies. Lord Rose- 

 bery was one of his great friends at the university. 

 The two young men were close companions, ami the 

 two lads often met Mr. Disraeli when he was visiting 

 at Blenheim. Lord Randolph devoted himself to 

 chess, and played against Steinitz, the champion 

 chess-player of the world. He got into the cus- 

 tomary number of scrapes at Oxford, and it was not 

 till his twentieth year that he began to study. He 

 had read discursively, but there were only three 

 books that he had mastered. Of these he had a 

 .peculiar, exact, and intimate knowledge, ami could 

 recite whole pages at a time. These bonks w re 

 the bible, Gibbon, and "Jorrocks." In his twentieth 

 year he put away the Blenheim harriers — his " toys," 

 as he called them. In his farewell speech he said. 

 "Now that the harriers are gone, the future seems 

 rather a blank." At first he did not take kindly to 

 study, as he had a habit of going to sleep in his 

 study after dinner, often for hours, but he gradually 

 overcame this sleepiness, and devoted himself to 

 history. He passed at the head of the second class, 

 and only just missed the first class. After leaving 

 Oxford, he rambled (in 1870) for nearly a year in 

 France, Italy and Austria. The next two years he 

 was a fashionable young man about town. 



In August of 1873 Lord Randolph went to Cowes, 

 and attended a ball given by the officers of the 

 cruiser - Ariadne." Lord Randolph detested dancing ; 

 waltzing always made him giddy. But at this ball 

 he met Miss Jerome, an American girl. who. with 

 her mother and elder sister, was living at Rosetta 

 Cottage. He dined there the next evening, and that 

 night Miss Jerome told her sister that Lord Randolph 

 was the man that she would marry. The same night 

 Lord Randolph told his friend that he meant, if he 

 could, to marrv the dark sister. Next dav they met 

 " by accident. - ' and went for a walk. That evening 

 he again dined at Rosetta Cottage. That night — the 

 third of their acquaintance — was a beautiful night, 

 warm and still, with the lights of the yachts shining 

 on the water, and the sky bright with stars. After 

 dinner they found themselves alone together in the 

 garden, and brief courtship notwithstanding — he 

 proposed ; she accepted. 



The course of true love, however, did not run 



smooth. A ducal parent on one side, and a touchv 

 American on the other, made difficulties, and they 

 were not married until the following year. We have 

 one or two specimens of his letters to Miss Jerome, 

 to whom he wrote constantly. One of them begins : — 



I cannot tell you what pleasure and happiness your 

 letter gives me; it makes me feel quite a different being. 



But beyond this very moderate expression of devo- 

 tion Mr. Winston remorselessly suppresses the pas- 

 sages which, as he says, tell over and over again, in 

 the forcible, homely English, of which he was a 

 natural master, the oldest story in the world. It 

 appears from these letters how, even in the days of 

 buoyant unconquered youth, moods of depression 

 cast their shadows across his path. Capable of 

 leaps and heaves beyond the common strength of 

 men. he suffered by reaction, so he told the lady. 

 iits of utter exhaustion and despondency. 



The following passage from one of his letters to 

 Miss Jerome will be read with interest: — 



It is CUriona what an effect hooks have on me; I have 

 two old favourites. When I feel very cross and anerry I 

 read Gibbon, «ii'i-f profound philosophy and easy though 

 majestic writing soon quiets me down, and in an hour I 

 feel at peace with all the world. When I feel very low 

 and desponding I read Horace, whose thorough epicurian- 

 ism, quiet maxims, and beautiful verse are most tran- 

 quillising. Of late I have had to have frequent recourse 

 m\ two friends, and they have never failed me. I 

 m-'I.v recommend you to read some creat works or hir.- 

 tories; thej pose the time, and prevent you from worrying 

 about the future. 



before their marriage Parliament was dissolved, 

 and Lord Randolph fought and won his first elec- 

 toral battle at Woodstock. From 1874 to 1880 there 

 is little or nothing calling for remark. He made 

 his maiden speech on the proposed creation of a 

 military centre at Oxford. Mr. Disraeli wrote to 

 tin- Duchess of Marlborough that Lord Randolph 

 made a very successful debut in the House of Com- 

 mons. " He said some very imprudent things, which 

 were of no consequence in the maiden speech of a 

 young man, but he spoke with fire and fluency, and 

 showed energy of thought and character, with evi- 

 dence of resource. With self-control and assiduity 

 he may obtain a position worthy of his name and 

 mount." 



As a Member of Parliament during these years 

 Lord Randolph was of little account. He spent 

 most of his time in Ireland. He and his wife de- 

 voted much attention to London society, and lived 

 first of all in Curzon Street, and afterwards installed 

 themselves in a larger house in Charles Street, where 

 they continued their gay life on a somewhat more 

 generous scale than their income warranted. Lady 

 Randolph's mother lived in Paris, and thev con- 

 tinually visited the French capital, where Lord Ran- 

 dolph cultivated a taste for French novels, which 

 ended by making him a fair French scholar. 



There is one curious story told about Mr. Disraeli 

 at that period. It happened at a dinner party at 

 their house, and when the guest had gone, Lord 

 Randolph said to his wife, " I think that Dizzy en- 

 joyed himself. But how flowery and exaggerated is 



