The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-11
SOME NEp BOOks.



uucuhcd to Henry W. Longfellow, Francsv
Bach, and Edward J. Pierce, as trustees MI
his papers manuscripts and letter books a. do
with them what they thought best Thoy havo
dea,, " scly with the trust Ivy deciding 10 make
over tO the public the greater part Of this notn-
bio inheritance. and first instiment If now
before rs IN the Memoir ard Letters Of Cha,ies
S,Wuue'. by EDWARD ]. PILRCB uiObers Brnsl
IL In with II frcling akin to aston ishmcnt that
we Inspect n rcpcrtory OF information con crn.
ing the most distinguished Europeans Of the
second quarter of this century. with which no
other published work can pretend to vie in
range. minutencss, intimacy, and novelty otex.
poriencc. Whom Talleyrand's memoirs SIC tho
light but not till then. can tho student of Social
life and the amateur Of authentic anccdotu ox-
poet TO see its parallel
These initial volumes end with the Grafton Oh
tho Grandeur OF Natious," delivered at the
fremont Temple in 1919; that is to say, with
Summers Introduction to the people of M,.ssa-
chusotts. Hitherto. except among scholars his
name had been little known. and, as his bio.,ra.
phcr justly says. had no died before that event
his memory would have been only a tradition
with the few early friends who survive him.
The reader. therefore. IL not prompted TO con.
slider nj this time the place which the subject Of
this memoir came to I'LL in the history Of this
country but will value the record of Charles
Summers early years not 80 much for what Il
tells Of himself as for the light throws tha
lives Of other men already eminent in the po-
litcal and literary world As "a contribution 10
the anecdotical annals OF England. it IL espe.
cially valuable. and here at the outset question
IL presented
How dii IL honncn thnt n vounp Amcri.
can, OF no marked claims to recognition,
acouired n moro tborouab ncouaintanoe with
the varied and brilliant phases of English III,
than has fallen TO the lot of any foreipncr-w.
might almost add Of my nntivo of Grent Hri,.
aim Certain il is TINT in respcct of interesting
personal rcminisconce these volumes sunni,
more material than has been furnished by the
notebooks and letters of three persons 60 con.
spicuous in diycrse ways MS Macnulay Jnmes
Scarlet. and Harriet Martin.au.
when Won ask me" writes Abraham HAY
ward who saw n creat deal Of Sumner during
the latter's Wait to England iu Is3s "whcn you
ask me To recall the qualities which account fo,
his success I must frankly own thnt II was and
IL 10 me n nuzzle." We do not find "A solution Of
the nuzzIn suvuested bv this biorrnphy For
many vears Sumner's father had boon n deputv
sheriff and although inst before Charles motric
ulated at Harvard College the father was ap.
pointed sheriff for SUFFOLK county TINT Office
was scarcelv calculated 10 invost tho holder with
social distinction. That the son made no mark
In seholorsbin at Cambridge IA evident from
his non-el,ctiun tn tho Phi Bctn- Knppa il be-
inc the ruln ,hon. ma nov to supplnm,nt tho
nnrmol ouo,a ~ sixteen with certain mon
choson ui,hout rafere,ca In their nlaco u,on
the r,nL lie, II ia known indeod that snm.
ner,s cl.s.ioal o,,.inmants ,vnro tn the last l.ss
occpro,e tbop wide and nssurcJlv In 1913 tbov
wore far holo,v ,ho standard Of the mon ,vbo
welcomed him IN intimacy in England During
IN. f.,v veors which elans.d bntween prn,lua-