The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-11-03
GLADSTONE ON HECTOR.

We have read the opinions of the Hon
w. Z. Gladstone On the treaty of Berlin, on
the contrasts and resemblances of Eugland
and America, on the necessity of ias effec
tive organization in the Liberal party, on
the wisdom of the lower classes touching
great political questions, on the Afghan
| war, on the faults and virtues of the reli-
gious movement in the sixteenth century
and various other topics, content to wonder
how one small head could carry all he
knew, and careless what policy he advoca.
ted 30 long as we might study with appro
val the ability with which be defended it.
But there in point beyo which perver-
sity in opinion cannot be excused by aG :
miration for literary skill and ingenuity in
argument. That point the British states
man has passed. The base ard unpro-
voked attack which he has made upon the
character of Hector, Prince ~ Troy, in the
last numb of the Nineteenth Century is an
outrage which no friend of that hero can
endure with patience. This slanderous arti-
Gle is written under the pretense of vindi-
eating Hector from the criticism of GER
tain Aberdeen professor who has put for
ward the theory that the great Trojan was
two persons at once. To accommodate these
two imaginary Hectors tho Scotch critic
had slit the Had into two imaginary
poems, the Achilleid and the Ulysseid, in
the former of which the son of Priam is
fierce, insolent, boastful, impious soldier,
rous, courteous gentleman. Mr.. Gladstone
adduces many excellent reasons to show
that there was only one Hector, and then
proceeds to knead into his character the
incopgruous attributes that the Aberdeen
professor had given to the hero and his
counterpart. He seems to have preserved
the character in it's integrity merely for
the purpose of venting his spite upon it.
His political bias breaks over the boUnda
rles OF hls scholarship, and he takes singu
lar delight in degrading Hector as a type
of Asiatic manhood. The Trojan Prince
was, in the opinion of the ex Premier,
variable, vaipglorious, easily dismayed aud
lightly elated. Sarpedon and Glaucus, it
is said, rebuked him "for backwardness in
fight" His boasting after he had slain the
wounded Patroclus ls pronounced "simply
con ntemptible," and it is asserted that he
could "even descend to be a coward"
Much stress is laid upon the fact that he
was foiled twice in single combat with
Ajax and never cvercame Grecian hero
of any reputation. 1t is proclaimed,
that either Diomed or Ulysses
or Menelaus could have knocked him into
futurity as far as the middle ef next week. |
SIN truth" says Mr.. Gladstone, with a |
portion of the engagements of Hector are |
with Insignificant persons. Not only does |
he never kill but he never wounds any |
Gteek- -PeFseDaee- -itstporta1ce t
than Leitos. His greatest success is in cut |
ting with his sword the wooden shaft of
of the spear Of Ajax" Farther on the |
critic adds that che territies nobody in
particular that is of any note" and ridi.
cules the hero for slaughteriug the riffraff |
of the Grecian army. In fact 1t is asserted |
in set terms that he was largely Overrs
ted mana second rate warrior, padded |
by Homer for poetical purposes, 80 that he |
might play first t-rate part. There is con-
coded to him q strength of domestic affec- |
tion which served "to redeem and elevate |
an aggregate which might otherwise have i
had u somewhat mean effect,' and Mr.. |
Gladstone closes his article with sum-
mary written in that tone of judicial i'm
partiality which he often assumes when
giving scope to his worst prejudices
ITO treat Hector as merely or mainly bully
is much farther from the trn tn than the school
boy dream which figures him as the pink of
vAlor. He remains for ne, pioture interes ting
in himself. vital to the effect of the piece in
which he stands a character in many points
6ne and even noble, but in all mobile; ewayed,
however. not by the breeze, but only by the
bfst. For great gifts of i'm sgination, intellect
or enthusiasm we must not turn to him any
more than for the primacy Of war but we
may for the grave, the serious. the right
minded, growing freely in q kind aud~affeo-
tiouate nature, ever desirous to repair its
casual error or excess. He is the tolerable
rival of the Aohsian chiefs, but their admira-
bly, effective foil"