Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-11
"LOTHAIR."
Letter of GoIdWin Smith De~nouneing Dis
rasIl for PicturiEg Him as the Oxford
Professor, in His Last Novel.

In our telegraphic dispatches from Lon.
don yesterday, we published the com
ments of the London press upon the let
ter of Goodwin Smith, at present Profes-
scr OF English History in the Cornell
University of New York, and formerly OF
a like position in the Uuive rsity of Ok
ford, England, denouncing the Right
Hon. Benz. Disrseli, author of "Lothair,'
for a description of him, as the Oxford
Professor of that novel. We, this morn
Ing, present the letter, and the passage of
"Lothair' to which exception is taken.
They are as follows:
May 25,ls7O.
To the Right Hon. B. DisraeLi:
SIR: In your Lothian" YOU introduce
an Oxford Professor who is about to emil
CRATE to America, and you describe him
as a "socisl parasite"
You well know that if you had ven
tured openly to accuse me of any social
baseness you would have to answer for
your words.
But when, sheltering yourself under
the literary forms of a work of fiction.
you seek to traduce with impunity the
social character of a political opponent,
your expressions can touch no mans
AOugI-bnFN arc Aut lQSUlLS OF a
coward. four obedient servant,
GOODWIN SMITH.
The passage in "LOthair" to which Pro-
fessor Goodwin Smith aIludes is the fol.
lowing:
Tine Oxford professor, who was the
guest OF the American Colonel, was quite
a young man, of advanced opinions on
all subjects, religious, sOci,l aud political.
he was clever, extremely well-informed,
so far as books can make a man knowing,
but unable to profit eve by his limited
experience of life from q restless vanity
and overlooking eonceit, which prevented
him from ever Observing or thinking of
anything but himself. He was gifted
with a great command of words, which
took the form of endless exposition, va
ried by sarcasm and passages of ornate
jargon. He was the last person one would
nave expected to recognize in an Oxford
professor; but we live in times of transit
ton.
"a Partisan man of science, who had
passed his life in alternately fighting at
and discovering planets, had
given Col. Campian, who had lived much
in the French capital, a letter of introduce
ton to the Professor, whose invectives
the principles of English society
were hailed by foreigners as representa-
i've of b sentiments of venerable Ok
- ~ AbAHSoCAf q " a. nOk SAILS
led with his home career, and, like many
men of his order of mind, had dreams Of
Wild vanity which the New World, thew
mink, can alone realize, was very glad to
the Colonies acquaintance, which
facilitate his future movements.
be had lionized the distinguished visit
,rs during the last few days over the Uni
and had availed himself of plen-
eOus opportunities for exhibiting to them
us celebrated powers of exposition, his
alent for sarcasm, which he deemed peer
ess, and several higby-fnished, pic
uresque passages, whic Ewere introduced
With e~xtemporary art.
1.-THE Professor was very much sur
'rised when he saw Lothian enter the sa-
OOn at the hStel- he was the last psrssn
D Oxford whom he expected to encoun-
er. Like sedentary men of extreme
p%inions, he was a social parasite, and in
tead of INDUCING in his usual invectives
gsinst peers and prineesses, finding him
elf unexpectedly about to dine with one {
T that class, he was content only to dazzle ]
amuse him."