Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-14

yery naturally found ourselves peset by All the
dangers and difficulties incident to the craft who fol
low what is called the art Of criticism. We are
not at all disposed greatly to magnify the critics
Office, for it seems to us about as useful as our
readers may remember it did to Robert Hall, who
wished that reviews and reviewers might be both
done away with together At best, the critical
brotherhood, as conceive, are nothing more than
sort of police in the republic of letters, whose
duty it is to apprehend the literary felons who con-
travene the statutes and canons which compose the
"common law of literature. 1t Is true they have
sometimes assumed much higher prcrogatives, and
have claimed to be regarded as the legislators Of
good ia te and the intalbe judges Of literary merit
but as it seems to US these pretensionS have beer
more ambitious than solid. The candid and i'm
partial reviewer must bear witness TO the merit anc
delnert of all arragned before the bar of public ap
probation, without fear, favor, or affection; ano
that man must indeed conceive himself very para
gon of mpeccability who entertains no modest and
conscientious msgivings lest he may be wrought
upon by extraneous influence or internal bias.
Two things have especially combined to vitiat<
the reliability of criticism we mean political sym
pathes or antipathies on the one hand and persona
friendship or hatred on the other. 1t was unfortu
late that, from their very inception, the leading re
views of Great Britain were regarded as the organs
respectively of great national party, or in defau
Of this, as the opponents of noisy faction How
often. have political intolerance, churchly bgotry,
and personal luminosity given their color and COM
pexion to grave critiques which adern the already
Anticipated pages of the I" Foreign Quarterly or
the Edinburgh" How often have the changes
on the chess board of politics converted in the critics
eyes paltry pawn into very king in literature,
witness Byron and Tom Moore in their relations to
the Scotch reviewers. Jeffrey conceives dislike
for Wordsworth, and henceforth his poetry :" will
never DO" though he lived to cry Peccari Hazlitt
quarrels with Coleridge, and slashing review of
1.-THE Chr;stobel'' finds its way into the Edinburgh
oracle Of criticism. The Tory Croker is ampooned
by the Wing Macauay, and hence it is but a IA
tural ana legitimate consequence that the London
Quarterly" edited by the former, should vilipend
the History of England" written by the latter.
Such modern instances 90 far to weaken the popu-
lar faith in the candor and fidelity Of all periodical
criticism. Who can trust an Edinburgh reviewer
if he has usy old Tory under his dissecting knife
or who can trust Blackwood, gentle Maya" though
he be- if any but Tory Of the deepest dye come
under his ken? Who expects to find z Uncle Toms
Cabin fairly reviewed and discreetly praised in the
sAnti-Slayery Magazine" or who would expect
that sold fogies" Ike Washington, Hamilton, and
Madison should find fair play-at the hands Of tie
Democratic Recte,c?
We have already intilnated that the works at pre-
sent under our notice combine nearly every element
which tends to preclude an impartial estimate of
their general bearing and influence Their author
Is living statesman, and man Of mark on the
high places of the land Ever able and eloquent
IN the advocacy Of his own opinions matters of
public debate and national controversy, it would be
strange if he had escaped from the scenes Of excited
discussion without engendcring those partialities
and antpathies which cling to men of decided views
on subjects Of moral and political moment. We
agree with the editor of Mr. Stewards works in
thinking the present proper time for the pubca-
ton OF these Volumes for, though they may not a.
he hopes, entirely escape " the suspicion Of personal
and partisan objects" we deem the present state
and temper Of the national mind and conscience
such as to ensure for him candid hearing from
many whose prejudices, if not extinguished have
been allayed partly BY the lapse Of time and partly
by the moderation and ability which have charac-
terzed the latest efforts of the distinguished Senator
Nothing" says Mr.. Seward in letter Of very
modern date 9 that can do or say or that can be
SAID or done by my friends is suffered to pass with
out exciting alarms lest it may have an ambitious
design that almost despise" 1t would be too much
to expect that he has as yet lived down" all such
imputatons, that multitudes who have hereto
fore scanned his course with jealousy and suspicion
should cordially unite with Mr.. Baker in all that
he has "written with heartfelt admiration Of his
subject" a result which he seems in no way to have
stunned, since We are expressly informed, as in a
very wantonness Of candor, that nothing has been
left out Of the edition [of Mr.. Stewards Works. on
account Of any peculiar sentiment or opinion it ex.
pressed; but, on the contrary, every thing which
has been particularly obnoxious to controversy has
been carefully included" If ST Augustine found
it needful to publish "Rebactioas," Mr. Seward il
seems is in no mood to initiate that good Father
example He abides by the record Of all that he
has said or written though determined at least tc
buy that jewel, consistency, and to sell it not a
course always admirable for its boldness even when
not for its wisdom.
But the embaTassments in attempting a. fair con
saeranon OF these volumes are still further cnhanc
ed oy the fact that their author has more than once
sued out an appeal from the ccnsorous criticism a
the present age, and openly avowed that he Looked
for the vindication Of his actions and nr;nc;rIos
not 70 the verdict Of the passing hour" when the
public mind Is disturbed BY conflicting interests anG
passions, but to the period when time shall have -
its seal OF irreversble approval on the good and ~,
true. He hopes 1t would seem for "a GOOD tim
coming" when our devious and Giraffe rol;t;oa
world shall wheel into some more genial and VIII.
some atmosphere, less subject than the present ~
TO parallax and refraction. In the not uninteres
ing book of the Pulszkys, husband and wife. civin
as their joint views and specuations on Ameri.o
Society,"" as seen during the progress Of Kossut
through our land, we find this same political for
cast imputed to the Senator as an admitted and ch
racteristic trait. Mr.. Seward, they inform us, " Ii
the instinct Of the future, and never shrinks fro
taking up measures because they are unpopular,
he foreseps that IN tima tbov will not the