A few wise words from William Gladstone

The UK statesman and former four-time Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone has been mentioned in a few articles, including one about his enemy and rival Benjamin Disraeli's rise to political power.

I knew very little about Gladstone at the time; unlike Disraeli, he had never caught my interest or appealed to my imagination. I did know though that he is mentioned many times in Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books, the wonderful fantasy trilogy that features London, magic and alternative history.

This extract is from The Amulet of Samarkand, the first book in the series:

"...Gladstone...was the most powerful magician ever to become Prime Minister. He dominated the Victorian Age for thirty years and brought the feuding factions of magicians under government control. You must have heard of his duel with the sorcerer Disraeli on Westminster Green?”

I suddenly remembered the Bartimaeus references recently; it then occurred to me that if Gladstone had inspired Jonathan Stroud enough to be featured in his books, the great Victorian politician might be worth a quick investigation.

I soon found a few good quotations to highlight here.

Feeling versus thinking
I have found this statement to be very true – and the examples I have seen very annoying:

“Men are apt to mistake the strength of their feeling for the strength of their argument. The heated mind resents the chill touch and relentless scrutiny of logic.”

These words may seem unoriginal and to state the very obvious, but they come close to home. People who get all emotional, won't listen to reason and ignore the evidence are a big pain!

The love of books and reading
William Gladstone is said to have been a voracious reader and great scholar from an early age.

A few words about disowning unworthy people in favour of books

This post was inspired by a striking passage in Jonathan Stroud's fantasy novel The Amulet of Samarkand, the first in the series that features magic, alternative history and the amusing djinni or demon Bartimaeus.

Here, the young apprentice magician Nathaniel mentally disowns his master, opts out of his position and transfers his allegiance elsewhere:

“...Nathaniel did not regard Arthur Underwood as his true master any longer. His masters were the magicians of old, who spoke to him through their books, allowing him to learn at his own pace and offering ever-multiplying marvels for his mind. They did not patronize or betray him. 

Arthur Underwood had forfeited his right to Nathaniel's obedience and respect the moment he failed to shield him from Simon Lovelace's jibes and physical assaults. This, Nathaniel knew, simply was not done. Every apprentice was taught that their master was effectively their parent. He or she protected them until they were old enough to stand up for themselves. Arthur Underwood had failed to do this.”

This is a very good description of what can happen internally when someone permanently loses respect for and faith in the authority figure – or parent – they are dependent on. They may indeed mentally reject and disown the person who has let them down so badly.

A disillusioned victim of betrayal who has no other options in the real world may try to fill some gaps by reading. If they can't get what they need, want and expect from the people around them, they will turn away from them and get it from the world of books instead.