New-York tribune., 1878-04-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE FoRTNIGHTLY REVIEW. April.

THE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW April.
The leading article in this number is devoted
10 description of the political adventures OF Lo'u
Beaconsfeld illustrating the remarkable career OF tna
statesman in which eviuces more discri'nna
t,on than flattery In the opinion Of the anonymous
writer, Lord Beaconfed's political course "icn Id"
been accused of demorazing the national eharacter
has been unmoralizing rather than demorahzhg' Al
least careful survey Of 1t does not detect depraNe
influences so much as those OF negaUVe cnarac'er:
Lord Beaconsfeld appears TO De Onlslue lhe sPho0
moral Judgment is not amenable 10 the usual con-
ditions OF right and lie takes part In all that
eoncerns mems business and bOsOns wearing the dress
.peaking the language, using the slang and not exempt
from other vulgares Of ordinary fe bnt he seems 10
have come from another world and 10 be judged oil by
the law Of his dOmcile rather than by tho local rules
OF English morality. lie has no more cOhhec-
ton with the common prOsaic world thah
Robin Goodiellow or the E1n King II some fine Gay
he should east aside robes Of state aud make his a
pearance in blaze OF light as the Genus OF inc Gar
dens of Joy or descend in red fire through rapuoo
the transformation would not appear moro su"hSeo VI
theatrical than many incidents OF his history nc mas
not done so much harm TO tine political morhy o' E"5
land os might have been supposed Men have decIlneu
10 think of political morality in connection Wlth HIS
career. they have been unable TO associate the two
ideas; and therefore II has escaped injury lie mas dohe
most mischief by the sort OF charm when lie mas eAeI
eised over persons Of different sphere He has tempted
ungainly mortas Of respectable character snccessu
parliamentary. lawyers and country squires moulded
out Of their heavy clays TO initiate his wantoh anu
sportiye gambols On the other hand he has oeen OF
some use TO the British public He has helped them not
10 take life and politics seriously; he has stimulated
their sense Of wonder; and applied incentives TO INC
torpid Imagination of prosaic community FROM lnc
very beginning he has never failed TO pque curoSy'
He began his career by writing an autobograpmcai pre-
face 70 a life Of which scarcely the first pages
German
IN which Adam is introduced crossing the stage
going TO be created For fifty years since LORD Beacons-
field has been explaining himself to the pnohc' Ills
speeches and novels, and essays devoted to TINS Pnr
pose form small library But all without erect lOId
Beaconsfed can never be classified he stands alone IN
his own category hut himself can be his parallel
stu his strange character and fortunes will always
certain for the student of the eccentric
and whimsical developments OF human nathrc III 'ho
Gull succession of mcdocrities that for the most part
make up the list Of English prime ministers his fantas'c
figure Will always draw atteftOn Hebrew proYerO,
speakng of what is to happen in the fnness OF (e'
announces that 1--WE shall yet see an Ass mount
ladder" Remembering that in the East the ass is hed
In high esteem as very feet, spirited, and beautiful
creature the prOverb may be applied to LORD Beacons
field who uses it himself Of the wonderful elevation OF
his own AlrOy, who from being the prince OF Tue
captivity, became the King OF JUDAH L"Iu
Beaconsncld has not only mounted the ladder
md the situation were perfectly natuTa-In conclud-
Ing the present article, which is 10 be followed
by two or three Others the writer mischeV0usH SIG
gess that is Lord BeacOnselds fault that his ca
recr has not been its main features SO much that OF
an English statesman as of foreign political adven-
turer 1t unfair TO judge him by the same standard
which is applied to politicians of English blood and
training But among the Philippe Daims the Albero-
us the Rpperdas of other countries and other times he
may be SAID to holda conspicuous place Circumstances
made Lord BeacOnsed political soldier In the reign
pf Queen Anne he would probably have been the pam
pheteer OF faction. Under George ILL.,, he would have
been the parliamentary spokesman of great noble, as
Barre was OF Lord shebune. Under the reign Of Queen
Victoria, he has passed through both these embryo
stages as is the law with fully developed animals He
has been the pamphleteer of a party and the para-
mentary spokesman Of arstOcratic chiefs. He was
The Barre of Lord George Bentinck and of Lord Derby
No doubt he has brought the art of political adventure
to higher point than it has reached in England since
the full development Of parliamentary institutions
In another article of this number, Memorials OF n
Man of Letters by John Morley, some interesting de-
tails are given with regard TO the management OF The
Edinburgh Reriep during the edtoFship Of Mr. Macvey
Napier who succeeded jeffrey from 1929 TO 1S47.
portion Of the correspondence addressed Mr. Napier
during this period has been printed for private circua
ton which Mr.. Morley has been permitted TO make use
Of the preparation OF the present article There are
several letters parts Of letters among Others from
Carlyle, who at the time OF writing was III tne carry
dawn Of his fame, but not yet fully recognized as the
man Of and original genius who has since so bril-
antly legitmaed q high place in English literature
Here proposal from Carlyle to review the history OF
BOnaparte have been thinking sometimes likewise,
Of a paper on Napoleon, man whom, though handled
to the extreme of treness it will be long years before
we understand. Hitherto in the English tongue, there
next TO nothing that betOkens insight into him. or
sincere belief OF such the part Of the writer
should like to study the man with what heartiness
could and form TO myself some ntehbe picture OF hm
both biographical and historical figure, IN both
Of which senses he is our chief contemporary Won
DER and in some sort the epitOme OF his age.
This however was a task Of far moro difficulty Tran
Byron, and perhaps not promising NJ present"
Carlvles opinion OF Benham is erely expressed In the
following extract -" far finer essay were faithful
loving, and yet critical and in part condemnatory, de-
neation of Jeremy Bentham, nd his place and working
In this section of the worlds history Bentbam will not
be put down by logic and should not be put down. for
we need him greatly as a backwOodsman; neither can
reconciliation effected till the party understands
and is Just the other Bentham is denyer he denies
with loud and universally convincing voice his fault
Is that he affirm nothing except that money is pleas
ant in the purse and food in the stomach, and that by
this simplest Of all beliefs he reOrganize society He
can shatter piecesno thanks to him. for It's old
fastenngs are quite rOtten-but he cannot reOTganze
this is work for quite Others than he Such an essay
Benham however great task for any one; for me
very great one. and perhaps rather out OF my ROAD
at is touching" says Mr. Morley, "to think of him
whom we AL know as the most honorcd name among
living veterans of letters passing through the ye1ed
ordeal Of the young recruit, and battling for his own
against the warduess of critics and the blindness or
publishers. In 1881 he writes to Mr.. Napier: All
manner Of perpexes have occurred in the publishing
Of my poor book, which pcrplexities could only cut
asunder not unloose the Ms like an unhappy ghost,
still fingers the side OF styx; the Charon OF
street burst not risk it in his Sttilis eyra6d, so it
ieened osbore again. And three months later, Il
Ii