The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-18

o.
the l'4st than by political revolutions founded
on distract IDEAS appeared to be the course
VIII, Ia the circumstances of this country re-
qn't ed, and which, practically speaking, could
oily, with all their faults aud backslidings,
be undertaken and accomplished by a recon-
structed Tory party.
The derivation and character Of political
parties, the condition of the people which had
been the consequence Of Them the duties Of
the Church as a main remedial agency in our
present state, we're the three principal topics
which / intended to treat, but L found they
we're too vast for the space had allotted to
myself.
These we're all launched in "Coningsby;"
but the origin and condition of political par
ties-the first portion of the theme-was the
only one completely handled in that work.
had been in Parliament seven years when
the trilogy was published, and during that
period had not written anything but in
1887, the year L entered the House of Com
mons, had published two works, Henrietta
Temple" and ''Venetia." These are not po-
litical works, but they would commemorate
feelings more enduring than public passions,
and they were written with care and some de-
light They were inscribed to two friends
the best ever had, and not the least gifted
One was the inimitable D'Orsay, the most
accomplished and the most engaging charac-
ter that has figured in this century, who,
with the form and universal genius of
an Alcibiades, combined a brilliant wit
and a heart of quick affection, and who,
| placed in public position, would have dis
| played a courage, a Judgment, and a COM
manding intelligence which would have
ranked him with the leaders of mankind.
| The other was one who had enjoyed that
public opportunity which had been denied to
| Count D'Orsay. The world has recognized
ba fha
and the masculine elsquence of Lord Lynd-
| burst; but his intimates only were acquainted
with the tenderness of his disposition, the
sweetness OF, his temper, his ripe scholar
ship, and the playfulness of his bright and
airy spirit.
There was yet barren interval Of five
years of my life, SO far as literature was con-
cerned, between the publication of 'Hen-
rietta Temple" and ''Venetia," and my earlier
works. In 1882 1 had published "Contarina
Fleming" and "Alroy." had then returned
| from two years travel in the Mediterranean
regions, and 1 published "Contarina Fleming"
anonymously, and in the midst of revolution
| 1t was almost stiliborn, and having written
it with deep thought and feeling, 1 was
naturally discouraged from further effort.
Yet the youthful writer, who may,
| like me- be inclined to despair, may learn
also from my example not to be precipitate
in his resolves Gradually, "Contarina
Fleming" found sympathizing readers;
Goethe and Beckford were impelled to COM
municate their unsolicited opinions of this
work to its anonymous author, and have
seen criticism on it by Heine, of which any
writer may be justly proud. Yet all this does
not prevent me from being conscious that it
would have been better if a subject SO essen
TALLY psychological had been treated at a
more mature period of life.
had commenced ''Alroy" the year after
my first publication, and had thrown the manu-
script aside. Being at Jerusalem in the year
1881, and visiting the traditionary tombs of
the kings, my thoughts REQUIRED to the mar
vellous career which had attracted my boy
hood, and I shortly after finished a work
which began the year after L wrote ''Vivian
Gray"
What my opinion was of that my first work,
written In 1926, was shown by my publishing
my second anonymously. Books written
by boys which pretend to give picture of
manners and to deal in knowledge of human
nature must be affected They can be, at
the best, but the results of imagination acting
on knowledge not acquired by experience. OF
such circumstances exaggeration is necessary
consequence, and false taste accompanies ex-
aggeration. Nor is it necessary to remark
that total want of art must be obser we'd in
such pages, for that is failing incident to
all first effort "Vivian Grey" is essentially
puerile work, but it has baffied even the
efforts of its creator to suppress it. Its fate
has been strange; and not the least remarka-
BILE thing is, that forty -four years after it's
publication / must ask the indulgence of the
reader for its continued and inevitable reap