Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-12-25

W e propose 10 SlNed ttiofC ieAiBth
ened notice of this work than is
customary with us i'm book notices,
for several reasons, but especially
because we suppose our readers to
be willing to take a respite from
politics this Christmas time, when
moreover there Is absolutely moth
ing transporting in the political
world. Another reason is that
many of our friends, knowing that
we lived i'm England at the time
represented i'm the earlier chapters
Of the book, frequently ply US with
questions about the persons figuring
Cor supposed to figure) in it.
The idea of our friends which
occasions these questions is that the
primary motive of the author has
been to give a series of personal
sketches which will be recognized
as portraits OF notable personages in
real life. This is not our idea de-
lineation of character has never
been a strong point with D'Israeli,
and there is not character in the
whole book, either portrait or COM
position, in the sense in which we
speak of the characters of Shake
speare, Scott or Dickens. There are
persons who by their relations to
the author or to public events neces-
sarily suggest certain men and
women whose careers are known,
but it is their position and not their
personality which makes the sug-
gestion; anything like the portrait
ure of bodily or mental character
istics is scarcely even attempted.
Let us take an instance. The
Lord MOntfort OF the novel has
been by different commentators said
to be a portrait of Lord MelbOrne
and the late Marquis of Hartford. A
character which to different readers
is recognized as resembling two
such different persons can hardly be
supposed to be a strong likeness of
either, certainly not of Lord Mel
borne, who was one of the keenest
politicians of his day and for some
time prime minister, while Lord
Montfort is represented as being in
corrigihly averse 10 political action.
To the Marquis of Hartford he does
present some traits of resemblance,
especially al that epoch of his life
when he lives i'm Paris, associating
mainly with artists and literary
men, carefully secluding himself
from the society of his own coun-
trymen but towards the latter part
of his life, Lord MOntfOrt resembles
in a greater degree the late Earl of
LOnsdale, whom, by the bye, DIS
raeli introduced in his previous
novel, "Lothair," under the title of
the Earl of Eskdale. Ut may be
here mentioned that the Marquis of
Hartford appears in several of Troll
lope's novels as the Duke of Omni-
um.)
In the same manner Lady Mont
fort, as will be presently shown,
represents more than one lady, per-
haps three, who have more or less
influenced the politics of England,
and especially the political career of
BENJAMIN D'Israeli.
1t is therefore only incidentally
that persons are more or less indi-
Gated in this novel, and what Is ev-
identity its real primary motive is
to shadow forth rather than to por-
tray the political career of the
author, showing how he was helped
and how he was hindered by persons
and circumstances with whom and
which he came in contact.
"Endymion," then, is theauthor's
theory of his own career, and it will
interest intelligent readers more as
a study of D'Israeli than as a study
of a literary work. His career is
adumbrated in that of his h erO
Endymion Ferrars; not that En-
dymion in person and history is
identical with his author. His very
birth, for instance, is quite different.
EndymiOn is the son Of tory states
man who commits suicide because,
having lived too fast when in office,
he is ruined when his party goes
out; while D'Israeli was the son of
a well-tO-dO Hebrew HtterGtelR who
died respectfully in his bed. 1t is
only the main incidents affecting his
political career that we are to seek
whatever there may be in the book
of narrative founded on fact.
As he makes his sister Myra early |
in the novel predict that he will owe |
much of his success to the influence ]
of women, we will make our first |
observations on the women of the
novel.
The two females most influential
in promoting Endymion's career
are his sister Myra and Lady Mont
fort, both of whom at different
stages of their lives personate differ
ent ladies of actual life, or rather
the Influences of different ladies on
the career of Endymion's antitype. |
Myra, the sister of Endymion, I'M
doubtedly represents Miss Sarah
DIsraeli, sister of the author two
years older than her brother, who
was devOtedly attached to him and
travelled with him in early life, and
who dOubtlessly exercised much in
fluenee over him. But she soon
takes position in another character.
Myra marries the Lord Roehanlp-
ton of the novel, who undoubtedly
represents the Lord Palmerston of
real life, and certainly after this
event the role she plays rs the social
leader of a party is very similar to
that of Lady PalmerstOn when she
presided at the grand doings of
Cambridge House. We are unable