Mr. Gladstone also held a three days' fete this week
in the grounds of Hawarden Castle,—the last of which must have- been somewhat spoiled, we fear, by Thursday's rain,—in aid of the building fund of the Hawarden Institute and the annual show of the Buckley and Hawarden Horticultural Society, and this was attended on the first day, Tuesday, by some visitors, to whom Mr. Gladstone delivered a brief address in returning thanks, on behalf of Mrs. Gladstone,. for the gratitude expressed to her for her distribution of the prizes. Mr. Gladstone apologised for speaking on his wife's behalf, remarking that he was a very indifferent substitute for her, and that, in his opinion, women bid fair to> beat men out of the field as public speakers, unless men look very well to their laurels. The warning seems only too much' needed, but Mr. Gladstone probably intended to address it quite as much to women as to men. If women take to public. speaking, they will probably lose more than half their in.- fluence; and if men take to holding their tongues, we suspect that they might easily double theirs. Except in the case of speakers of real genius, as garrulity grows, power and per- suasiveness shrink.
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