New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-11-09
DISRAELI AND HIS NOVELS.
The following preface will appear in the
.Au..4ad edifion of Mr. pisraelis works:

TSthar which have appeared the leading journals
organs there are in the Union 5000 newspapers and
not impossible that some notice OF Lothian, Inifh
opinions Of those which thus possess they appear 70
be sincere and point OF literary ability, taste. style
and critical acumen think they need not fear compet
ton with the similar productions Of our own land.
my English publishers also have made collection OF
notices OF this work in country and though
have not yet 5000 newspapers the aggregate OF III
tcles is in amount perhaps unprecedented nsEs
nothing 10 complain of in their remarks One ooia
hardly expect Vt home thestldcisl mpartality OF g.,
some degree with s1ch productions There are Sp,.ss
who a6straotedy do not approve OF styie social
Sausiniees also Of etteTed taste and especially co
temporares whose public life has not anid seize the
ocntomeS SppoPunity Of Welcoming with affected GS
elimination about nothing sne e' friend; and there is
sWays both i'm politics and literature he e race u them
es sSs tT y automatically ibeng some eminent per
sonage Of their times they nav ccncerned they have
to posterity; but, SO far as l "i' 'o"'ei"'O
distn Y gT'sesa a% OF NAV Collected WORKS might
give my views OF the purpor OF Lothair ~ strikes
"np,uous for an author thus TO be the sefcritc OF
volumes which appeared only a few months ago Their
nnrnort 10 the writer clear enough aud AS they
have been more extensively read both by the people OF
lie United Kingdom and the United states than any
work which has appeared for the last half century,
will even venture that on this point they are
nil of the same opinion as myself ,,
But on some other works, the youngest OF when
were written quarter of century ago II would per
haps be m me not mperHfnd nov 70 max form ,' real
frOgy that is to say, they treat OF the same suiett
and endeavor 10 complete that treatment. The origin
and character of our political parties, their influence on
the condition Of the people Of this country some picture
of and ply steal condition OF that people ana
some intimatiOn of the by which II might be ele-
waited and impI9yedi were themes winch Eau 'one eh'
Born in library, and trained from early childhood
by learned who did not share the passions ana the
on some subjects conclusions different from those which
GENERALLY prevail, and especially win relerenIe ~ .no
history Of our country. How an oigarchy had been
substituted for a kingdom, and narrow minded ana
bcoted fanaticsm nourshed in the name OF religious
liberty, were problems long to me lnsouble, put winch
carly interested But what most attracted my mus
ing, boy were the elements OF our ponuea par
was national in its Constitution had become odons, ana
"Wbat has mainiy led to this confusion OF public
thought and this uneasiness OF society If our habll
eareessness in not distinguishing between the excellence
of principle ana It's injurious OF ops0lce apiIeauG'
The feuda system have worn out but ite mann pm
of duty is the OF good government. The Divine
right of Kings may have been plea for feeble yrants
but the Divine light of government Is the keystone Oh
human progress aud without II governments sink into
police, and nation is degraded into mob. -.
tude against large estates exercising political power de
rived from limited class the Church was IN theory
and once it in practice the spiritual and intel
ectual trainer Of the people Inc privileges O the mu
ttude the prerogayes Of the Sovereign had grown
up together, and together they had waned Under the
plea Of Liberalism, an the institutions which were the
buIvarks of the multitude had been sapped weakened
and nothing bad been substituted for them The people
were without education and relatively t. the advance OF
science the comfort OF the superior classes Their con-
dton had deferiOrated, and their physical quality
threatened Those who were III theory were me
party and who sheltered themselves under the
institutions OF the country against the oLgarchy had
both by iscOnceptOn and neglect OF their duty, be
come and Justly become OdiOus; while the ogarchy,
who had mainly founded themselves on the plundeI oi
the popular either IN the shape OF the possessions
of the Church domains of the Crown, had 10y the
patronage of certain general principles which they Ony
Ineagery applied assumed and. To certain degree dc
auired the character Of popular party But no party
was national; one was exclusive and odlous, ana the
The peryerse deviations OF political parties from their
original significance may AZ first sight seem only subjects
alsrl lint hey
acter when they practically result IN the degradation OF
To- change hack the obgarchy into generous arts
tocracy real throne nuse life and vigOr into
the Convocation then dumb, wide basis and not,
has been since dome in he shape Of, Of RTe SECTION
fully by Lord BolinSeroke az Utrecht and
weTe snbssaaenty aud triumphantiy vndieased by h
political pupil and e ne OF aa az aud nei Of oNe
Cromweh; to emancpate the political constituency 0
tneE to elevate the physical well the moral cor
on Of the people by establishing that labor require
The use ancient forms and the restoration OF the pas
by political revolutions founded on abstract idea'
appeared be the which the circumstances
the country required and which, practically speaking
undertaken and accomplished by reconstructed lof!
hen | attempted 10 enter public life expressed
these views, long medtated 10 cOuntryIne but thel
met with little encouragement lie who steps out OF thu
crowd listened to with suspicion or with heeGlessness
and forty there prevailed singular ignoranc
OF the political history OF country. had no connec
ton either the press in public life incurred III
accustomed penalty of being looked a visionary
and what Knew % be facts treated paradoxes
ten years aerwdrd affairs had changed. had beer
some time in Parliament, aud had friends who had
tered pdblic lite with myself and who listened Away
with interest ana sometimes with sympathy TO view
which had never ceased 10 eors td LnaHg neh 10
of those who were then my companions have like my
SELL since taken some parl IN the conduct OF puDc al
fans two OF them ana those who not the least in
tercsted in our speeuatiOns have departed. One wa
George smythe, afterward seventh Lord strangford,
man OF brilliant gifts of dazzling wit infinite culture
anu fascinating manners. His influence over youth wa
remarkable ana he could prOmugate new faith will
graceful enthusiasm. Henry Hope the eldest son of The
a. W., iearn1d Ind argo"pIisbed possessed pcnetr,t
ing Judgment and an nhexibe viii. Master of vast
fortune, his house naturally became our frequent rem
devious the Deepdene that he firs urged
the expediency OF my treating IN literary form those
views and subjects which the matter of our fre-
This was the origin of 'Coniugsby: or, The New
Generation which | commenced under his roof, ana
which inscribed 10 his maine.
The derivation of political parties, the
OF the people which had been the
of them tine duties Of the Church as a main remedial
agency IN present state, were the three principal
topics which intended to treat; but found they
too vast for the space had allotted 10 myself.
"Tnese launched In 'COningsby ; but the origin
condition Of political parties the fret portion Of
theme was the only one completely handled in that work
Next year Qs45), III 'Sybll, or the Two Nations con
sdered the condition OF the people and the whole work
generally speaking was devoted 10 that portion of my
fresh In the public memory, and s repetition far
FROM improbable had mentioned to my friend, the
late Thomas DuucOnbe, and who my friend before
entered the House VI Commons something OF what
contemplating and he offered and obtained for my
perustl the whole Of the correspondence OF Feargns
OConDOr when conductor Of the Northern STAR with
The leaders and chief actors OF the Chartis movement
had visited and observed with all the localities in
trodueed and as all accurate and never exaggerated
picture OF remarkable period in domestic history
and OF popular organization which in its extent
completeness has perhaps been eQuaed the pages
of sybl may, venture to believe, be consulted with
confidence. .
In recognizing the Church powerful agent in the
previous development of England possibly the
Efficient means OF that renovation Of the national spirit
which desired, it seemed to me that the tme had
arrived when it became duty ascend to the origin
of that great ecclesiastical corporation consider the
uda Of thafra