New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-03
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.
GREAT BRITAIN.
THE QUARTERLIES-BIsMAR UNDER REVIEW
THE BYRON MYSTERY.


October of unusual freshness and interest. Live
topics treated by live writer's do not seem to be al
ways possible to English Review, whether month
ly quarterly, and in the OF the latter sodly
of writing is rather too often gained at the expense
of other qualities not less desirable Perhaps one
might say the essential quality of thing written u
be read is that it should Dc readable. Ihat Is
maxim the French, for instance, never forget Inc
leading periodical Of Europe is the heVHe aeS De"@
Afoudes. a big octave of some $50 PIP. coming out
fortniRntly. 1t deals with the graVest ana gayeSt
subjects politics. religion physical science meta
physics art literature current events ana To-
nance Often enough its Contributions 10 the
ann of printed knowledge or any special sub
ject uppermost in Europe are very considerable
(,opd one say as much of the English reviewsf Here
is this week an article in The Edinburgh Rerieo on
Count Bismarck; well enough written, interesting,
showing some signs Of industry and zeal; but OF
facts new to the informed reader, even so newly
stated as to be impressive, none. The main portion
deals naturally with the great events of 1866 and
what led to them; views given being those vehe-
mently held by Prussian Liberals before Sadowa, but
not should say, by any, many, reasonable Prus-
slams or other human beings since that day. For the
Prussan Liberals became the allies of Bismarck when
success had suddenly proved to them that, during
their four years of bitter contest he and not they,
had best known what Prussia needed; and what was
the first essential step to German freedom viz German
unity Flashes of the old enmity have since broken
out but on the whole the Liberalism of Prussia
well understands that Bismarck is its best hope. If
he goes worse comes The Tory party at court
knows the thing equally well, and its lntrgues
against the great Premier ceaseleSs In such cir
cumstances it is strange to see The Edinburgh revert
ing TO the old blind opinion about Bismarck. The
-. 4gaIn NRnVfR
German exile whose memory of old wrongs is too
keen to permit him to join with the Liberals of Ber-
lin in their support of Bismarck. The article is
Their carcature than portrait. 1t is, in most re-
spects a striking contrast 10 the remarkable papers
contributed some months ago to the RerUe des Dear
AOndes by Julian KlackzO, Polish exile on The
Preliminarles of SadoWa.' They are a good
example OF what l spoke of just now as the
additions sometimes made by the French review
TO the sum of actual knowledge. They told. as
nobody had pretended 10 tell before the story OF the
dplomacies that preceded the conflict of 1896. No
friendship to Bismarck was diScoverable in them,
but the narrative without passion or exaggera-
ton, and Bismarck appeared as human and not
supernaturally impossible kind of creature There
is much in the way he has often been described to
remind one of what Carlyle says about the other
great Prussian; his picture "mere epigTammatic
sputtor of darkness" in England immense igno-
rance" even as to the outward facts and phenomena
of Friedrich's lile Aud there is curious CORE
spondence in other things. First opinions in England
were the same, nearly respecting both. " Rob
Der and villain TO begin with; that one settled
point Have you forgotten what English journals said
of Bismarck before 1866? After and also during the
Seven Years War Friedrich got to be recognized as
one of the greatest soldiers ever born" After the
Seven Weeks War Bismarck as one of the greatest
statesmen; yet still Friedrich NOR Bsmarck) is by
10 means of the perftc; demi-gods and there are
various things TO DO said against him with good
grounds" but sin his way he is a Reality" which
some readers Will admit TO be an extremely rare
phenomenon"
And since in these days Caryle's credit as a
prophet is somewhat slight, would you like for one
moment To tun back and see what he thought about
Prussia when all tho rest of England hooting at
that Power; regarding that monarchy as mouth
full to be swallowed by Austria at some convenient
momentf
editors vaguely account this man tFriedrichl the
creator of the Prussidu Monarchy which has since
grown so large in the world and troublesome TO the
Editorial mind in this and other countries. He was,
indeed the first who in highly public manner, noti
fed its creation announced 10 all men that 1t was
in very deed created, standing its feet there, and
would go great way the impulse it had got from
still keep doing to lengths little dreamt of by the
British editor in time, whose prOphesyngs upon
Prussia and insights into Prussia in its past pres
ent. or future are truly as yet uconsiderable in
proportion to the noise he makes with them" Hist
Of Friedrich, v. ], PIP. D. O.
Written in 1856 ten years before Sadowa;
not merely English editors but all England re-
wiling and Gespsing Prussia We all know
how right Carlyle was; how wrong they
Not many years later they all went wrong
together but in respect to Carlyle this fact is worth
noting viz that he judged Prussia rightly because
he had studied and came to know Prussia as he
afterward said, che had long thought there was a
fine, silent talent IN the Russians He judged
America wrongly because he had not studied nor
known her. But / doubt whether Carye's opinion
about America be further from the true than the
popular opinion in America about Carlyle.
DR.. Smith seeIus 10 make point of bringing out
a sensation article in the October Quarterly Hope
he will not think the word sensational ill-appled to
the grave and respectable publication over which he
presides, and which he has greatly improved since
he became ITS editor. Ii always showed ability.
1t now shows tact which is sometimes better
than ability, or say fine form of ability. This
number has two articles which will produce two
very different kind Of sensations. The first, on
Islani,D is 10y Emanuel Deutsch, whose paper last
year on the Ialmud was of the most learned and
even brilliant articles ever contributed 30 an
English review. Dr. Deutsch, before known
only to the judcious few became at once
a celebrity, and was recognized, at least
in England, as the great authority in
Rabbinical literature branch not much cultiva-
ted in English circles. What the Germans think of
him never heard. They are not apt to think too
we'll of English scholarship. Yet good scholarly work
may come out Of England. and, beside, DR.. Deutsch
is a German or at least German jew He has
now done for the Koran something like what be did
for the Talmnd. and his article covers much wider