was in him too much vehement sternness, of hard Scotch granite, to make
him a pleasant talker in the popular sense. He was the evangelist of
golden silence, and though he did not apparently practice it himself,
his genius will never diminish.

Gladstone was unable to indulge in small talk. His mind was so
constantly occupied with great subjects that he spoke even to one person
as if addressing a meeting. It is said that in conversation with Queen
Victoria he would invariably choose weighty subjects, and though she
tried to make a digression, he would seize the first opportunity to
resume his original theme, always reinforced in volume and onrush by the
delay.

Lord Morley is attractive though austere in conversation. He never
dogmatizes nor obtrudes his own opinions. He is a master of
phrase-making. But although he talks well he never talks much.

The story is told that at a recent dinner in London ten leading public
men were met together, when one suggested that each gentleman present
should write down on paper the name of the man he would specially choose
to be his companion on a walking tour. When the ten papers were
subsequently read aloud, each bore the name of Lord Morley.

Lord Rosebery is considered one of the most accomplished talkers of the
day. Deferential, natural, sympathetic, observant, well-informed, he
easily and unconsciously commands the attention of any group of men. His
voice is said to recommend what he utters, and a singularly refined
accent gives distinction to anything he says. He is a supreme example of
two great qualifications for effective talking: having something worth
while to say, and knowing how to say it.