DISRAELI NOT OPPORTUNIST

Mr. Wilfred Ward, editor of the Dublin Review, delivered a lecture in Emerson D yesterday afternoon on "The Character of Disraeli," Disraeli, in his rise from the masses to the foremost place in England, in the power and respect he commanded while prime minister, was very like Napoleon. In spite of his frigid reception in Parliament, and the early discouragements of his career, he remained undaunted.

When Sir Robert Peel tried to abolish the Tory Common Laws, Disraeli opposed him as leader of that party. In that capacity, he succeeded in attaining his goal,--the prime ministership. After the passage of the Reform Bill, his party went out of power. But the year 1874 again found him prime minister, this time as the one who should develop the Imperialist policy. Yet, in spite of his apparent vacillation, he was never suspected of outright unscrupulousness, gaining as a leader both power and respect, and adding many new territories to the English Empire.

A Lover of Popular Favor.

Disraeli himself says that he entered politics from the love of popular favor, and from ambition to rise from the masses. He wanted distinction, power, and wanted it while he was alive. Did he, then, put political sincerity and integrity aside in his thirst for fame? That he wavered in his choice of parties, that he completely reversed his platform, aroused suspicions on this score. Yet he was less inconsistent than Peel and Gladstone; he was in constant sympathy with the people, as is shown by the tenor of the laws which he urged, and he invariably appears as the great and public spirited statesman.

He had a strangely sensative mental temperament, and his imaginative cast of mind often made him appear inconsistent or even insincere when he really was not. As he achieved success, and as he realized more deeply the burden that was his, in that proportion he placed public needs above private aspirations.

In personal habits and dress he was immaculate. His clothes--such combinations as a blue surtout, black stockings, and red shoes,--often attracted much attention, and he had a distinct costume for every event. As his carriage proceeded down the street, traffic was held up that he might pass.

Imagination Spelled His Success.

Though he often played to the gallery, and was frequently sensational, this sprang from a sincere dramatic instinct. Few have had more devoted followers, and few have been more wholly admirable in their attitudes toward their families. He stood unabashed before Victoria's rank, his boldness pleasing rather than disconcerting her. This was also the case elsewhere, the fact that he was outspoken proving attractive rather than repulsive. Perhaps his largest asset in achieving success was his imagination, which led him directly to his great schemes for England's territorial aggrandizement. In spite of his love for fame, he added too much to England's glory to be truly called an opportunist.