The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1878-03-06

volmes were sold within a month of their an.
peaance. The sale is steady one. The
History is notone of those books which have
a tremendous run and then die out, but it be.
longs to the classics of the language, and is
always in demand.
Next to his History, Mscaulay's Essays are
best known, Some Of these were published
10 knights Quarterly Magsxine, but those
best known appeared in the Edinburgh Re-.
! view, Ia which Macaulay was Interested from
political sympathy as wen as peculiarly. col,
pensation. Several Of his best essays were on
themes connected with British affairs In In.
dia, subject on which he was specially quail
lied to write. Like his History. the style is
beautifully polished and complete, for it was
Macaulay's rule never to let an article 90 to
the press till he had made it as perfect as pos
sible. The popularity of the Essays appears
from the fact that more than sixty thousand
copies, In Eve volumes. we're published ID
Philadelphia alone, in five years.
Macaulay also collected his speeches into a
volume which has been popular in England
though perhaps not so well known in Ameri.
ca. He was esteemed one of the most olo-
quent orators of the age. The House of Com.
mons was always crowded when it was an
nounced that Macaulay was to speak. and
some OF his efforts in Parliament were thought
to be the finest that had been heard there
since the death of the great orators of the
Eighteenth century.
Poetry, too, could flow from the pen OF
Macaulay as fiuently as prose, though 1t
never received much of his attention. I have
already mentioned his winning tho prize at
the University of Cambridge. Among other
celebrated poems must be named sThe Bat
tie of Jaryo and " The Lays of Ancient
Rome" The latter is an attempt to throw a
bridge over the eighteen centuries that have
rolled away since the heroes of the Roman
Republic died, and reproduce their thoughts
and deeds ia such terms as they themselves
might have used.
CHARACTERISTICS.
We have natural desire to know the per-
sonal traits of great men, TO see how the tai
ents that win them a place on the rolls of fame
is exhibited in the little details of daily llfe
The knowledge of another's personal peculi--
arities and eocentrcities has always seemed to
me to throw food of light ON his written
pages, and his outward surroundings, station,
wealth, &c, is one of the most valuable COM
mentaries. We have time to mention only a
few of these little ct ceteras which abound so
plentifully in the life of Lord Macaulay
In person he was short and stout, with a
| Kindly IA ant -
ness Of health in early and middle life leaves
its traces in the product of his pen. His sens
Utilities were very acute at all stages of his
life he was easily moved to tears. As is usu-
ally the case with such temperaments he was
strong in his likes and dislilxes, faithful to his
friends and allies, and dogmatic If not over
bearing toward those who could could not en-
dorse his sentiments. He never married, but
he appears never to have fed on the acids which
generally appear so plainly in the pen and ink
sketches of old bachelors. This may be ac-
counted for by his devotion to his sisters, and
to his position in their family circles by which
the social instinct was largely gratifed. His
nephew and biographer has presented him to
us as big roicking school-boy in his hours
of leisure, and especially when in the com
pany of children, till disease had made sad
ravages in his constitution. But perhaps his
most marked characteristics were his ntens-
| ity of application and wonderful memory
What to others is the labor Of years by him
was performed 10 months. Frequently he
might be seen treading the crowded narrow
streets of London with open book in hand
picking his way among the throngs, and
at the same time grecdily devouring some
Greek play. A book read twice or thrice was
stamped indeliby in his memory, and he
could repeat whole pages without missing a
word. 1t was his boast that il Paradise Lost
and some other of the more noted poems Of
the language should be entirely lost he could
restore them from memory. Nor must his
honest integrity be passed in silence. Ho
appears to have been one of those straightfor-
ward honest heroes, gifted with the highest
sense of honor, who appear now and then as
cases in the desert of life. His biographer
has said but little Of his religious character
perhaps not sufficient to justify the express
ion of an opinion, but there is much ground
to fear that he failed to grasp the realities of
the Bible with the energies Of his soul,
though he certainly mastered them intellect
ually.
Lord Macaulay was an omnivorous reader
History, poetry, fiction, everything that falls
within the domain of literature, whether in
English, Latin, Greek, or the modern Ian
guages, was thoroughly his own The amount
of reading he accomplished was simply enorm-
Gus, and his habits Of reading such as are
possible only to genius of the first water
But he was not universal genius. Mathe-
MATES were thorn in his flesh when at the
University, and were never much esteemed
For metaphysics and philosophy he had little
esteem, though well read especially in the
mazes of theological controversy. In the arts
he does not appear as master. OF music he
was entirely ignorant, and the other graces
were not specially cultivated Modern science
was road which he appears not to have
travelled. But perhaps psall these topics Of
thought must make an exception to these
general statements. Wherever the exigencies