Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-12-29
@VennOr's prediction.
Lord Beaconileld's English Critics.

PltlaOelpnla Evening
While it is safe to say that if Lord Bca-
consfield had been all obsurc man hc would
have had difficulty in finding market for
his latest work, Ehdymion. it is still safer
to assert that if the book had come from
such a man it would have received from
the British press far different treatment
from that which has been accorded to it.
With hardly an exception the prominent
English newspapers, daily and weekly,
have spoken of it in the language of
eulogy and while some of the wecklies
which make a speciality of literary criti-
cism have gently and in delicate phrase
ventured to indicate that the book is not
absolutely perfect, even these have spoken
of it, in general terms, in such manner
as to leave upon the minds of those who
have not read the story the impression
that Eadymioa is IN excellent, remarkable
and in some respects extraordinary work.
The explanation OF this rather curious
tenderness Of the critics can bc found
only in one direction. Lord Bcaconstield
is an earl, and his story deals only with
great and rich people and with the highest
Of high society. Even English critics of
severe taste, therefore, have found it hard
to resist the fascination which people and
society of this kind have for their race,
and they have not been bold enough to
venture to deal with noble author pre-
cisely as they would have dealt with man
without a title, a position, or career.
Intelligent Americans who have read
the book will bc amused at these exhibi
tions of snobbery, if they are not dis
gusted. Many of them have no difficulty
at all in perceiving that Eadymion is merely
a gaudy and rather tawdry novel, whose
moral teaching is bad, whose characters
are poorly drawn, whose alteration of rank
and wealth is revolving, and whose bitter
and malignant assaults upGn at least one
great man who is dead arc shameless.
The author takes the most careful pains
to show that he intends St. Barbe to rep
resent Mr.. Thackcray, and he offers st.
Barbe as mean-spirited creature who is
consumed with envy of those about him,
who is eager to obtain admission to high
society and who plays the part of a flunkey
and a coward when he is admitted.
This attack from Beaconsfield upon one OF
the greatest and most beloved Of English
writer's, it would seem, ought to have been
resented by English men of letters who
are critics but it has not been. One critic
even ventures to justify it with the remark
that the facts respecting the earlier part
of Thackeray's life are perhaps not fully
known. But enough is known to supply
an assurance that Thackcray hated with
all his mighty soul the very things which
Beaconsfield worships as the best that ex-
istcnce has TO offer, and this is probably
the reason why Beaconsield hates Thack
cray, and malisns him now that he is deae
and unable to pillory Beaconsficld.
The heroine of the story, evidently IA
vorite with the author, is a woman wht
has soaring ambition, but not particle o.
principle. She marrics for money and rank
q man she does not love and when III
dies renounces her religion to marry Z
prince. Beaconsfield's idea seems to b.
that il a woman of humble rank can MARI,
q prince, it would he ridiculous to hesitat
because her religion happens to stand il
the way. This lovely creature is continu
ally pressing her brother to marry ricl
woman for whom he has not a spark o
affection, but tie brother meantime is des
perately in love with another mans wife
This brother, who is the hero, is con
temptible sort of creature, who is pushes
upward in life by the intriguing womt,
about him. He covcts the prizes whicl
Beaconsfield plainly considers the onl.
ones worth striving for, namely, wealth
and power, but he has not energy an
brains enough to try to obtain them D.!
his own efforts.
With two Or three exceptions everybOd
in the book is noble, rici, and naughty
The exceptions arc few common peOpl
who are, however, very rich, and nearl
all of them ultimately become noble
Common persons who are really poor ar
not admitted to the novel. and none of tn
scenes arc laid in humble places. Whe
tho men are out nf Parliament they ar
either present at an aristOcratic reception
or gorgeous dinner. II the leading in
cidents Of the story do not set probabilit
absolutely at defiance, they arc at lcas
highly improbable, and although the chal
acters arc intended to be portraits the
are very much more shadowy and unrca
than the purely imaginary characters il
the novels of the Thackcray at whor
Beaconsfield spits his malice and in tn
novels Of the Dickens whom the noble au
thor alludes to contemptuously a
"Gushy.' Excepting that the literar
methos are of the writer are superior, Ends
mion is precisely the kind of novel tha
may be found at any time in the Englis
fash wccklies which are favorites wit
footmen and chambermaids. Thes
stories also are filled only with lords an