Little Falls transcript., 1880-01-30

BufKe rap1dly tn1ouBu" Trinity College
and the first nine years of his life in
London,-a period ofThich Comparative
| ly little known, -Mr. Morley plunges at
once into the parliament career Of his
subject: He specially emphasizes such
important facts as Burk' theory of party
rule, his independe of his constituents.
his bold stand ID favor Of America, and
his astonishing attack on. the French
Revolution. But Burk s philosophy more
than his conduct has destinations for Mr..
Morley, and he examines the compost
tlons of that great mind, as literary works
rather than as political pamphlets. 1t is,
| indeed, strange that BurI's later writings,
intended only to influence the actions of
mankind, should have fallen ipowerless in
this respect ard risen again among the
choice parts of the national literature.
The reason for it may be that which
Morley gives for the poor effect of Burk s
speeches at the time OF their delivery-a
habitiof dealing in generahties, and. ap-
pealing to "the too rare love of wisdom y
alone. On this point Morley says further
.;Perhaps the greatest speech that has
ever been made was that on Cancellation
with America; the wlscst IN its temper,
the most closely logical in its reasoning,
| the most generous and conciliatory in the
| substance of Its appeals. Yet Erskine,
| who was in the House when this was de-
llvered, said that it drove away every
body, including people who, when they
came to read it, read it over and over
again, and could hardly think of any
thing else. Burke's gestures were clumsy
he had sonorous but harsh tones; he new
er lost strong Irish accent; and his ut
teranccs were hurried and eager. Apart
from these disadvantages of accident,
which have been overcome by men inf
nitely inferior to Burke, it is easy to per-
ceive from the matter and texture of the
speeches that have become English clas-
| slcs, that the very qualities which are ex-
cellencies in literature were drawbacks
to the spoken discourses. A listener in
Westminster Hall or the House of Com
mons, unlike the reader by his freside in
| the next century, Is always thinking of
arguments and facts that bear directly
on the issue before him. What he wish
es to hear is some particularly of event
or inference which will either help him
to make up his mind, or will Justify him
if his mlnd is already made up. Burke
never neglected these particularities, and
he never went wide enough to fall into
vagueness, but he went wide enough in.
to the generalities that lent light and
force to his view to weary men who cared
for nothing, and could not be expected
to care for anything but the business
actually in hand, aud the most expcdi-
tious way through it,
Some of the same qualities in Burke 8
"Ref1ectlons On the French Revolution''
made it literature rather than political
argument, powerful for the time and the
ends for which 1t was written.
Burke's theory of duty to party, and
his denial of any right OF instruction by
constituents, have vital interest for pol
itlcians Of eur own day. While not in
conflict with each other, it is su: :prising
that they should both have come from
one brain. It might be supposed that
the politician who would gladly surren
der his independence in one case would
do SO in the other; OF that, insisting on
his rights as against his constituents, he
would have them against his party friends
AS a matter Of fact he did have them
from his party, and broke with his allie
glance to it and the friendships Of hfe-
time the moment he thought his duty re-
quired him to do so. Inconsistency was
no stranger to Burke. The contrast of
his theories and actions is not more re-
markable than his defense of the Ameri-
can Revolution and fierce assault of the
French Revolution. Surely both were
justifiable in the beginning, if either was
and it was before the Reigu of Terror
that Burkes tremendous indictment
against the later was drawn up.
We have not the space to follow the
course OF Mr.. Morley's biography mi
nutely. The part devoted to the Ameri-
can War will be specially interesting to
American readers not less for the Burke
there is in it shan for the appreciation Of
the subject which Mr.. Morley shows
The following sentence may indicate the
drift Of the writer:
The War of Indcpendence was virtual
~ a second English civil war. The ruin
OF the American canse would have been
also the ruin of the constitutional cause
in England; and patriotic Englishman
may revere the memory of Patrick Henry
and George Washington not less justly
than the patriotic American. Burke's
attitude in, this great contest is that part
l Of his history about the majestic anG no
bic 7 wisdom q ! of which there can be least
dispute. ,. -. - S.
~ The great argument et: with. these
of the War party who pretended to a po.
litical defense Of their position was the
doctrine that the English Government
was sovereign in the Colonies as at home
and IN the notion of sovereignty they
found Inherent the notion Of an indeiensi:
BILE right which they took to be its natur
81 property. They saw no. step: between
! the existence Of an abstract right and thu
propriety Of enforcing It go. Now
tbe idea Of a right as q mysterious and
reverent abstraction, to Be worshiped in {
state Of naked divorce from expediency
and convenience, was one that Burke's
political judgment found spreposterous
and uncomfortable. j
| S1t7@13z-:-zL.A 81. So. ll,,....l..E.s.