The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-27
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1866.
Historical Photographs OF Great Men.

tendency to make us believe, with "Iago,
that reputation Is most idle and false impo-
sition. The fame OF a representative man
Of any bygene age is banded about between
the demi god and the demagogue, apparently
inlaccordance with the personal views Oh the
authors. For long time we believed that
certain kings and statesmen were very bad
men. because they had been painted so to
us Inv ancient historians. But OF late, in
stead of vilifying, it has become fashionable
to "whitewash" their sins, and make them
appear rather as injured and DETAINED heroes
than as willing disciples Of his satanic majesty
Il is curious to note the changes which
come over the literary spirit Of any particular
time. One decade sees all the writers busily
engaged in tearing down the lofty James
those of another, while the next decade sees
them all al work mending their tattered repu-
tations, and seeking to re-orect the statues
almost demolished by their predecessors. AT
present the work OF cleaning the blackened
tablets is the order of the day, and unless a
check is speedily put to the practice Of what,
under the assumption of impal tialty, is really
gross adulation, we may expect to have no
bad men to hold up to our children as warn
iDgs. Some time since In fact, some eigh-
teen centuries ago-Seneca and Lucan voted
Nero a monster, and so recorded him in their
histories. But after all the world asserting
to that judgment for nearly two thousand
years, we of the present age have devoted
our skill to clealing the unfortunate royal
murderer, and to-day we can find thousands
OF people who scoff at the idea ol burning
Rome and Nero humming tune.
About the same time that Nero fourished,
another traditional bypocrite filed the same
throne. TibeIius Caesar is painted to us as
I" a man of great neutrality-suspicious.
dark, and revengeful." OF late, however, he
also has had his advocates, and we read
short time since an elaborate work tending to
prove that 11berius was man of deep eau
ton, but at heart very good fellow after
all. In late times we find, even among our
standard historians, singular attempt to
clear the characters Of men who have always
been reckoned among the worst of our race
Whenever an orator desired to terrify an
order-loving audience. and to nicture to them
the incarnate fiend OF anarchy, he would
invoke the shade of Robespierre, and achieve
a fine point. But some other type must now
be sought. The latest works are defending
Robespierre. A short time since a little
French pamphlet fell under our notice, which
exhausted itself, the subject, and the reader
an effort to show that the great leader Of
the Jacobins was shrewd statesman, who
did wrong rather by force Of circumstances
than from a moral depravity.
The name of Richard III has been handed
down to odium by the play of Shakespeare.
Now, while it cannot be denied that Shake
speare, with servile desire to gain favor
with Elizabeth, made the faults of Richard
far more prominent than history warrants.
yet, it was not until the past decade that we
have heard the doctrine advocated that
Richard was virtuous and absolutely excel
lent, but eccentric king. We think that Miss
HaIsted first originated the idea OF an i'm
maculate Gloster, but several more extensive
writers have sought to confirm the impress
sion. By keeping to the middle way, and
adopting a happy medium of judgment be-
tween the fend and the Christian, we can
make moIe correct estimate.
1t is worthy of note, also, to see how far
the prejudices Of writer will lead him to
exalt favorite hero, or debase him, to suit
his parpose. The case of the treatment OF
Oliver Cromwell is one in point. Macaulay
makes the Protector the grand prime motive
power of the Revolution of the Common
wealth of England while, on the other
hand, Hume states that, during the debate OF
the Rump Paliament, his influence and posi-
ton were alike insignificant, and it was not
until fortune made him the head of the army
that he was made to hold prominens posi-
ton. 1t seems, however, that the estimate of
his mower is unjust, and it has been shown
from the records that he held many positions
ON the most important committees, and was
the author of some OF the most vitally revolu-
tionaIy measures adopted by the Long Par
lament.
Probably, however, the most notable in
stance of an attempt to clear DETAINED
character is that attempted by FrOude in
his History of England work most ex-
cellent in dlction and clear in style-in the
case OF Henry VIII. Henry has been always
pictured to us as a bigamist and wife
murderer combination of the most despi
cable and Infamous characteristics in nature
II however, MIR. Froude is to be believed, we
owe that monarch an apology. He was in
deed peculiar, that must be acknowledged
else,how account for his series Of wives P-but
at the same time, he was a frank, genial gen
tleman, and not half so bad as many of hi