THE SHY LORD SALISBURY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7543, 19 August 1902, Page 4

THE SHY LORD SALISBURY.

The head for many years of an overwhelming majority in the British constituencies, undisputed master of a great party, the chief figure in a somewhat noisy, turbulent, garrulous de" mocracy, Lord Salisbury still remains largely a Mokanha — a prophet behind a veil (says Pearson's Magazine). His habits continue amidst all the turmoil to be those of tbe student and tbe recluse. This is partly, doubtless, because, like most Englishmen, he is intensely shy and hates to converse with the ordinary man. And all his attitude is brought out to the average man by his habits.

Hatfield is just eighteen miles from London. Whatever tbe political crisis, you read two or three times a week — sometimes every day— that Lord Salisbury has gone down to Hatfield. During the full season he used to give occasionally huge receptions ; there are often housefuls of people at Hatfield, and there are great garden parties in the months of July and .August; but these are more or less formal and official entertainments, and Lord Salisbury probably hates them.

It is significant, too, of his shyness and seclusion that, when he is travelling down to Hatfield, he gets into a carriage by himself if he can, and if he happens to be unfortunate enough to nave some fellow-travellers, he buries his nose in a book and never exchanges a syllable with anybody. Thus it comes to pass that while he has been the foremost figure in England for many years be is little known to the man in the street.