Page:Eminent English liberals in and out of Parliament.djvu/153



HERE is no better example in Parliament of what is called a "self-made man" than Anthony John Mundella, the irrepressible representative of Sheffield Radicalism.

An apologist of the late Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, once urged, in the hearing of Thaddeus Stevens, that "Andy" was at least a "self-made man." The retort of that bitterest of politicians was crushing: "I am glad to hear it; it relieves Providence of a heavy responsibility." Now, one has at first a little of this sort of feeling with respect to Mr. Mundella. The edifice which the self-made man erects is apt to appear so much more elegant to the architect than to the public. Besides, the honorable member for Sheffield is a curious combination. His coat is one of many colors. He is half Italian, half English. He has been every thing, from a "printer's devil" to a "captain of industry," and each avocation has left some traces of its influence on his character and sympathies. He is half workman, half employer. He is a churchman, and a warm advocate of religious equality; a Radical, and a supporter of the royal grants. He is 139