New-York tribune., 1875-09-18
A BRITISH CRITIC.
CHARLES WENTWORTH DILKE's CAREEE

KEATs-s,GF COUNSEL OS TRAVEL, THE STUDY
OF LANGUAGES, AND TIE Use OF BooKs-iSDE-
PKNDENCE AND JoURNAusTIC FORESIGHT OF
ME. DuKE-CRITICIsM ~ THH LAST GENLEA-
TON.
lrnoN THE RFGUrAR CORRESPONDENT or TIE TRIBUNE ]
LONDON, Aug. 20.-lt Is refreshing III these days
of hasty and superficial literary work to come upon
some traces OF a who, though almost beoneing
to this generation and "A journalist beside, did so
much work to which neither cpithct can he applet
say upon some traces OF him. for tic memoir when
Sir Charles Dixie has preixed to the papers ne has
published of his grandfather is one OF those narra
tiyes which appetite bat does not satisfy
it. Charles Wentworth Dixie was the real founder
OF The Ath.ndHHi-a paper which for good ana Tor
ILL., lut more for good than for I'll, has had an IN
portant influence on the Development OF modern
English literature Tho life OF the man who
made il the power it was tand ~ must, II
fully written be- full of interest and fnll OF
information about Tie literary history of the period.
The obvious difficulty in the way of Sir Charles
Dilkcs doing this is that he is nowt the owner OF inc
ffhtHGua, and The advantage OF being III possession
of all the materials for such work II oniW"lshed
by an unwlngnc-s To use them freely. This me-
NOR fills less than ninety pages, and of these ninety
there are many more occupied With hir ullkcs
friends than with himself. Itmay he that his grand
u
publication. He always writes Of his grandfather in
a tone of aa. ctionafc reverence. He has gathered
up these critical papers in spirit of pious care for
his moInorv. In what he SAYS of him he speaks an
der his breath! a. if fearing 10 say too much. lie
closes his brief notice with Il number OF extracts
from notices If Mr. Dilkcs death III periodicals. r.
marking that ho quotes the words OF others Only
because lie can find none of his own that w0uld be
fitting to record all he owes TO the subject OF TINS
memoir This is admirable in spirit, but it is not
quiie tie spirit which gives good biography of
man. Thcw0rd IN general viii 20 geanlns through
this sketch for bits about Keats and ltocd JcTrod
and Thackeray Landor and Dickens. 1t viii be
hard TO bring away a clear notion even finn out
line Of the who inspire his cctemp0raics viii
respect and his grandson with love.
All the Diihcs for three generations have had
passion for Keats, and il strcn, in The writer oi
tais memoir that Keats gets rather more than his
share Of space. The grandfather's friendship was
most ai.cctionate" and the grandson takes pains
10 tell lis thai he has still IN bis possession great
number of Kcats's letters; his Ovid, his Shakes
peare. and his Milton with marginal notes; thc
pocket book given him by Leigh Hunt with the first
daftS Of many ot the sonnes in il the locks OF hair
mentioned in the Life; his medical notebooks; and
Keate's own copy Of EIdymion, with all the sonnets'
and many Of the other poems copied i'll Oh note-paper
pages at tie end in keais's writing This - SET
down with all the minute pride OF the true collector
4 few extracts are given from Keats letters, OF
which this is the Ecst interestng-date, 1919:
Vow have had oppor,rneso Of passing nights anxious
ana awake nave iO.ld otlcr thouEits nrHe uponnic
y si,OlA die. sad 10 lnNS"N, " Lave lclt no HI
noFt3! work hcnind ne; n9,nAs % 20 iiTe M ,y figf ~
beauty ai. things. &nd Il had had time Wohid nave
made is sell relnciibcr-d."
And tire writer who 50 loves him recor's-proudly.
L.. af,r hot iiru
mined only Us bis personal friends and lay Shelley;
land eyeu ten years after his death when the first
memoir was proposed. The woman be had loved had
So little rhef in his poetic reputation that she wrote
10 NJ Dixie: The kiudcst act would be to let him
rest forever in the obscrty TO which circumstances
have condemned him.
For want of an attempt to draw complete ror-
trait OF Nh Diie the reader is lclt to make 1t up for
himself from =iimpses OF the man caught from his
own letters. from those of bis friends, and from
touches now and then thrown in By his living grand
son. Plainly, he man of much force OF
character student all his life. hut yer>ed IN affairs
and in the wars Of the world. aiiectionac to rare
dcgrce-his love for his son and grandson has all
The tenderness Of wOna. s-conscentious, truth
loving. He would have the Jad truth; nothing
short of that in the least contcnted him. He hated
sliu-shod people. He Lad courage and thought for
himself in many matters: matters of qnte different
nature: in business for instance, and also IN re-
ligion. Touching he latter he writes 10 his son:
From the first hour never taught you TO believe
what did rot Iu9scii believe. have been thousand
tE.t dared put my faith IL and in y1u.
lie was not without political sagacty. Forty
years ago we find Linn writing:
Ia.ree with yon. and love the French; but If my
Judgment hc worth anything, the Germans are me hFrt
,rnI. in r,,,nc nat rxrrniiug our own country
hase
1t was not till 1866 tina, many Engshmen could
have been found of HAT opinion What struck Mr..
Dixie was the amazing industry of the Germans.
That is the way to acquire knowledge 10 make al
sacrifices 10 it, This is from a long letter 20 his
SON. full of good and excellent hints Oh knOw-
edgc-gctting on books, and on other topics What
ever Mr. Dixie writes purely literary subjects Is
good often admirable. His advice TO his son about
learning languages is almost precisely the same
winch So great man as Mr. Lowe was lately giving
10 the students ia the University Of London, think,
and was much praised for giving, a. for something
new and useful:
The way t. read Latin with facility s first 10 read with
great care with yoar master ana then % read great
deal with less care, not waiting or stopping ior every
word phrase yOu do not rccolect hut satisfied you
perfectly Gnaersand the general selse
The son is in Italy when this is written 70 him. and
the most rcsOute enemy to classical education the
most invcterate Gradggind. would find parts Of 1t
practical enough to suit him:
Keep your mind always awake to what Is going on
about yo-fO the habits Ol the people, especially tn"
country people Gc' into talk with them. observing th'
manner OF cultivation the rotation OF the price OF
land both for purchase and This Is EaOiciedgt.
and knowcdg. gained hy merely opening your and
vOur eyes. IL costs time no labor money. When
Won walk t. Fiesoc you admire the fine view. That s
one thing worth walking 10 FiesOlc for But i viii not
drrct from the you descend from looking at tie
works OF God 10 look the works OF Observe ~
what the view IL made uphOw much of nil, how much
of valley how much OF cult yaed how much Of barren
land OF the cultivated how much arabic and how much
pastiIre Ask yourself why this or that crop grown
here in preference any other This is walking with a
object instead OF without one.
Having given which good precepts TO his boy, the
,c;.o fat tnar adds the reason-that If he homes to