The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-04
SOME NEW hooks.
uomannc Relation. of Grent Men,

maWkish cNtrnuhliVn' llrfe ~ tact IN ifuth
telling as we'll as in truth hiding, although we
cannot compass It so easily. Heart histories are
not worth roriting after the manner Of Mrs.
Jameson's Loves of the Ports,' but thoro is
much 10 be learned from chronicler who would
resolve to be- dcrorous u he could. bat voraoious
nj all hazards Such work. however, We should
scarcely exp 'ct tO sec in English. yet -omothing
Of the Kind is now presented in the inonS
o Gredi Men. 10y Albert H. NANDAM Lion
don. TlnsoY. 1t is difficult TO perceive the
principle Of selection which hns guided the au-
thor. since although his great men are with
two exceptions 1il wr'rs hc omils such sug-
Rcstivs and ,ypi'a .uhJnris AZ Goethe and By
ron Neither wa. 10 worth while Ia tho face ~
moro fruitful material. to introduce a Flemish
paintcroi whom only si Id"nts Of art have heard
orn poet liz clement Marut. well nigh forgot.
BEN by his 'ountrymcn. and whusc ucuuaint-
nucc few English readers Of ninutoonth century
French can make without frequent resort
10 dictionaries. But whatever exception may
he taken to the choice OF themes for his portray
nl the authors treatment is quito acc1utablc.
In tracing the part which the sexual passion
has played In somr busy and splendid lives. Mr..
Nandam shows considerable insight and no
ordinary skill In communicating facts without
offending suscopuhlitics lie has striycn. on
The whole not yanly Ia reconcile the supreme
the result is unique and interesting book
Hero and there in classic history the sensual
appetite had wrecked great career. AZ In the
well-known instance Of Antony; or romantic
attachment had cxtorted incredible concessions
like the elevation Of n woman u questionable
character TO the throne Of Justnian. On the
whole. however. 1t is true enough that our con-
ception OF love In which the woman commands
an equal role, and In which she is regarded by
the lover M guide toward everything good
and beautiful did not exist among the anclents.
with the exception Of solitary examplc-the
couriship OF Ulysses and Penclopo-wc meet
nowhere with the poetical figure Of the
sweetheart in Greek literature until we strike
coarse scmhlance OF 1t in two or three
rudimcntary novels on the eve Of the Byzantine
epoch. As If well known. the philosophers hav-
Ing in view the status ana character Of the fe-
male Sex in their own day, denied the possibili-
ty of genuine love between man and woman
Thus. Putarch in treatise ON the subject de-
clarcs that. ms for true love. women have
neither part nor parcel In il. and | estimate"
ho continues. that YOU who are So attached to
women and girls love them the same as the fly
loves milk or the bee the honeycomb." So.
loo. Plato after nsttuting and colcbrat-
Ing with fervor the cultus Of love. pronounced
woman unworthy TO PROSTATE herself before
The altar of Platonic affection. to her
being reserved the base and grosscr feelings
prompted by the terrestrial Aphrodite. In "A
word, desire, not love, existed In q reece thc>gfo
WINS the oourteNlh leGalizeh. not the tenderly he
p'eu "phal' NOR can IL be said that at Rome
wo""h tVI" o''"nle more elevated. In the
verses OF Horace. Tibullus. Propdrtlus, and
Catullus woman is ascnsual. greedy being with
heated brain and bra2en front; her love is a
blight. her empire potent but malc0'ont II
needed not only new religion. but now world
10 teach men 10 look for, TO dream Of and TO
recognize in the object Of the sexual ycarning
abenciactress and not an evil genius. 1t was
Dante who first showed to us the new ideal
Of feminine influence. In place Of Eve IN,
emptress. Nenra and Lesbia tho accursed. mp
pears Beatrice. the angel Of light the beloved
type of an almost infinite perfection.
The writer OF this book. however does no, be-
gin with Dante but with the story Of Abailard
aud H6loise although their attachment was OF
he most earthly sort and has only been COM
mended 10 poetry by the msfortunes OF tho
lovers. But Mr. Vandam's treatment Of this
Ito theme is fresh and pleasing and the read
er's mind III stimulated by the scrupulous ndel-
lty to the letter Of the record without regard 10
tho effect Of its disclosures on tho moral at
tributes commonly assigned TO the eloquent
schoolman and his mistress. We incline TO
work. which IL concerned with the submnlcd
and long-livcd passion OF modern times. not
with appetites whose fires are soon burned out
IL IL plain enough from MIR. Nandams candid
narrative that what Abaierd and HeNlse mis-
took Tor love would have speedily deeaSed and
eeen forgotten but Tor Tie c"iani'les when over
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