The sun., 1879-02-09
SOME NBIY BV1KS.


the ilfr ~ OiireT HoidstaA by WILLIAM BLACK,
and that " Dorid Hip,e by Prof HUXLEY In
those yo'uuca the Intrinsic interest Of the sub
jcois is sinluiury enhanced by fehcitous
cnoicc of hioaraphcrs. e'ho ln spirit and train
ing Nv the direction of their studies. and oven
tno ,i.t md temper " thcir literary faculty. nrc
prculiurly adar'od 10 ihcir tasks. Among the
living wriicts of pure. sweet. impid, and grace
ful Encl'sh perhaps rono. il we except Ruskin
and Matthew Arnold. hnvo caught moro CON
tricuousy than W lliam Black the soft charm
which Addison bcuucathcd 10 Stcrnc and Gold
smith, and Of which tho latter transmitted
share to Tnackcrnv. And. M regards tho sc-
lection of Prof. lIuNiny. wo may point out that
linnc's abiding clnim uron postcrity rests
rather on his rcasoning powers thnn on his pic
torial compositions; ihat philosophy belongs to
the domain Of science. not Of letters and that
within the former province few Englshmen
unto to a keen. disciplined insight and cN-
haustvc knowledge Of the subject matter tho
capacity OF lucid and captivating exposition.
IL other evidence were wanting. this little book
would demonstrate how credtabc n place Prof
Huxley might command in the ranks 81 men OF
letters II he had not preferred u moro homcly
and aborious but moro fruitful vocation.
Humn and Goldsmith were contcmpo oraries,
although il does not appear that they ever SIT
eyes on ono anothcr. Neither. Ms IL happened.
was nm Englishman. although they were TO
write the English language with grasp. II pre-
cisiOn. and nm exquisite refinement which none
Of their own day except Laurence Stcrnc taR-
other Irshmanl could rival. The ons was tho
son OF u needy Scottish gentleman. the other
was the sou of poor Irish parson. and each
acquired the insignificant amount Of instruc-
tlon which his independent genius was dis
posed to receive from others at the university
OF his native capital. Zach tried aud fuiiod to
"a fxf L., ho All r.
rendered hmsclfto his natural apttudes. and
sank ot drIftcd into the vocation OF letters.
zach had passed moro than half OF his ap-
pointed term on earth before the public were
awakened To- recognition Of his abilities but
each lived 10 taste In its sweetest most un-
stnted form. the admiration OF his fellow men
Both were men Of gentle placable. kindly dis
position, quick 60 feel sympathy. Rs we'll ms
tenacious OF attachment. fond of kindred. true
TO friends. and yet. curiously enough with
such temperament and character. neither
Hume nor Goldsmith was ever married
Un the other hand. considering the parallel
in their circumstances and proclivitles we are
struck by some odd contrasts in the ordering OF
their lives. Hume was one Of the most frugal
and thrifty Of men; Goldsmith one Of the most
needless aud cNtravagnnt that ever helped TO
Justify the Phistine seorn of authorship. The
sammy Scotch philosopher would owe no man Il
penny. and whether straitensd or well 20 do.
was sedulous to keep the odor OF respectablity.
Goldsmith could never keep q shilling. and was
always ready TO borrow one: knew the dis
reputable side Of life in iails and sponging
houses; and though be earned apparently
more money from booksellers and managers
hRn any writer Of his time. WAS all his days an
object Ot aversion TO his tailor. of suspicion to
his laudady, and Of charity to his friends In
word, one seems 10 have eyinced in his peou-
mary dealings the virtues with which common
reput' has invested the Scotch character while
.ho other betrayed all tho failngs which the
satirist Is fond Of attributing to Irish
men. Yet the brilliant circle in which
Goldsmith had figured held the spend
thrift in such hearty affection and esteem
that they were fan 10 attest his sterling and
touching. no lcss than his shining. qualities.
nnd prevailed on johnson himself tho most
intracHble champion 81 Phlistia TO infusc into
his cpitaph profounder tenderness and more
poignant sorrow. And it was Of the same gentle.
reckless. incorrigible optimist that a century
Gfterward another great artist could lind 1t in
his heart to write: You come hot aud tired
from the dar'- ls4iiI~, ana tnis sweet minstrel
tings 10 you. Who could harm the kind. va
grant harper; Whom did he over hurg" He
iarricS no weapon. continues Thackeruy. save
the harp on which he plays 10 YOU. anI with
which he delights great AN humble. young and
Old. the captains in the tents or the soldiers
round the ir', or tho womea and children in
the villages AT whose por,hes he stops and sings
his simple songs Of love and beauty
Goldsmith was born In u poor little village Of
Longiori County. Ireland. and thus came upon
the stag Of life seventeen years later than
Hume. though he WIS 10 quit il two years ear-
lier There wns little in the circumstances Of
his curly years TO lend him into n literary ca
tr ia n - "a xva lnk auf1 ba
tlsetn literature until he had tried nearly cvcry
nther mems Of self-support. No doubt his
L.ih"r meant him 10 enter tho church and he
got su II education AT home or from the VII
Inge schoolm!stress and in one boarding school
or another ~ qualified him 70 enter-wth difli-
cn'ty Trinity College. Dublin. He had been a
duh boy at school" stupid heavy bockhead"
one of his pedagogues called him-and he
Seems to have got moro abuse than learning
In his life as sizir ut Trinity to which his
fathers sranty income had condemned him
Yet 1t Is recorded that he gained an exhibition
Of the value Of thirty snillings which were in
stantly expended in irolic 50 uproarious that
tutor bursting into the chamber knocked the
lucklsss sizlr down. At the age Of q. however
Goldsmith managed TO take his degree. though
b" was lowest IN the list, aud thus went forth
into 10" world with ever a smaller outfit Of
lnuwelS" thnn most graduates. He proposed
to 20 into tho church. but the Bishop. who had
hoard perhaps OF the applicants fondness for n
s1'ial glass aud pack Of cards declined the
MD Of his edilying example. Then he tried
teaching. and got u tuiorship which he held
long enough 10 amass some thirty guincas
nfter which he determined Ia resign an irksOme
situntiun and visit Cork where his savings
could be disburscd agrecably. BY and by his
Uncle Con,arni. who seems 10 have discharged
for many years the good -nntured function Of
puryeyor gave the young man chance to
launch himself in the profession Of the law
Goldsmith reached Dublin with fifty pounds
lent MIN lur this purpose. but in remarkably
brief space Il time had ganbled away the last
shilling ana was on his way back
TO Ballymahon, where his uncle forgaye
him and WAS ready to start hirl in life again.
This time it was medicine, ana the funds being
once more forthcoming. Goldsmith set out for
Edinburgh, and now Q7j2l saw Ireland for the
last time. At Edinburgh he lived and informed
his creduous uncle that he studied. for year
and half at the end Of which period it struck
him that his knowledge Of medicine would be
improved by foreign travel. Having got an