New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-01
.CARLYLE's RICH LEGACY.

f,appvspoypENCR AND sKETChbs-EA'A"AA -
TRAITS OF cARLYLE-pUB1sHED EDITIONS We
u,s vonKs-PRoFiTs OF THR BooK-TRADE.
- -, nrou1 AR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSE.J
Io.,rny Feb. 14-Mr. Froude's statement Win
..s.r.noa 10 the biography Of Mr.. Carlyle VIII IL
49,, he bo,ed have some effect upon the lowering
g. ~ volunteer life-writers who were understood
n, be ready to swoop down upon the memory Oh 'no
Great author Everybody who has known any 'nine
about Mr. Carlyle during the last ten years KNOWS
that Mr. Froude was his most trusted ana intiin"'o
friend. He was more than that. de was tne ir'enu
in whose literary Judgment MI Cariyie h"u n'v.'
confidence: whom he had long since designated MS
literary executor, and who to the emu Iehia'nou
the depostary of his wishes az to what Should pe
dane after his DEATH Mr.. Froude, aware, no douDt'
90 so,oe of the MANY unauthorized biographies IN
.o,teu,ulatiou and of the intent OF some
of the hacks of Paternoster Row to connect tner
names and those OF their employers WIN NIL
Carlyles has rightly thought int topuolish auenniVo
oooonnt of the purposes of Mr.. Carlyle, and OF the
duty devolyed upon himself. Ten years ago. nc
tells U.s. it was Mr. Carlyles wish that no piograpuy
of himself should be written, considering 'n"' A'
true life so far as the public was concerheu' was !"
he fouud in his works, and that his private nisUoiS
Ivaa thing with which the public had no concern
at,ar while VA changed bis mind on this subject
He reflected that there would be possibility OF pre-
vomiting the writing of his life by somebody or other;
"andD saws Mr.. Froude, "since it must be, so nc
made over to ME all his correspondence his JOURNALS
uriyate papers and unfinished manuscripts WIFI
neruission to use them or destroy theih do
I might see ft.o No beQuest couiu 10
more complete than that, or could more coWpioOoy
Indicate Carlyles own wish in the matter OF HIS
desire that other people should respect bna' WISH
and hold their hands from such pseudo-oioe-
raphical violence as they might OTHERWISE nave
,neditated to his memory. Among the Iolumlnous
materials thus at Mr.. Froude's disposition were
several thousand letters, CarIyles own letters 10
members of his family. and letters from the most
eminent of bis contemporaries to himself. With re-
snsct ia this mass of invaluable material. Mr. Froude
has not vet decided what he should do, or now
b,should deal with it. HesayS-and every man WHO
cares for English literature will agree with Hill
that Mr. Carlyle's own letters are SO uniformly
admirable that none of them ought TO lie losI
Everybody will make haste to thank Mr. froude lor
that decision and for the pledge implied Ill IL that
these letters shall be gwen sooner OF ater lutacV
TO the public. Less, but only less VIII De inc gen
eral gratitude for the letters he promises us Wrten
10 CARLYLE letters from Goethe. Mil, jeffrey, Stir
ling. Emerson, Leigh Hunt, Dickens, Thackeray
Varnhagen Won Ense, and many other famous per-
Sons. Saws Mr. Froude: Paper and ink should
least be spared over the biography of remarkable
man. Unjust try and discover the fit limit between
the too much and the too little" man OF MI.
Froudes trained discretion and fine natural tact is
not likely to err either way. But L THINK we shaI
all hope that if he it may be on the side OF the
too much ! Judge from his letter ne means TO use
all this correspondence for the purposes OF Llfe
embodying it in the narrative which he Will himself
contribute.
But what about Mr.. Carlyles autobiography 1t
has long been supposed that lie left an autoOlog-
rauhy in more or less complete state. know as
n fact--I heard him say so-that the latter years OF
his life were much occupied with the preparation OF
this autobiography and that lie meant it to be his
final legacy to the world he had otherwise so much
enriched by his life and work. 1t is of course con-
ceiyable that toward the end he changed his mind.
There appeared the other day an anonymous para
graoh to the effect that this fragment was to be pup
hshed as he left it, and published very soon. But
Mr. Froude saws nothing about it in the letter from
which sm quoting, unless it is understood to be
included in the " unfinished manuscript"
One thing however we are to have at once; and
thing only less full of interest than the autobiog
raphy Mr. Carlyle some years age completed
series of "Reminiscences Of his father whom to
the last he used to speak of as. on the whole the
most remarkable man he ever knew; of his mother,
TO whom he attributed no small part of such genius
M he had; of Edward Irving; of Lord jeffrey with
whom be had been in early life very intimate and
of Jane Welsh Carlyle that admirable wife OF whom
Mr. Carye's earlier friends speak always with such
respectful and affectionate eulogy. These heml-
niscences says Mr.. Froade, appeared to me far too
valuable to he broken up for purposes OF biography
therefore told Mr. Carlyle that thought that De-
fore anything else was done they ought TO De pub
lished as they stood" To this he assented. and
Mr.. Froude thought eighteen months ago they
might be printed mot publishedl while Carlyle
was still alive, so that be might revise
them. An attempt was made apparently. but
relipnuished because he found the task agtated and
excited him. These, therefore, like all the rest
were left in Mr. Froudes hands TO bring out In such
way as he thought proper after Mr. Carlylee DEATH
Apdthese it is which Mr.. Froude proposes to publish
at once; ain few weeks" that is The first three
sketches--of his father of Edward Irving and OF
Lord Jeffrey--will be printed exactly as Carlyle
left them. The account of Mrs. Carlyle, however,
is fragmentary, and contains many things
obviously not intended for publication, and Mr.
Carlyle himself directed in strong terms that it was
moi to appear without careful examination and re-
vision" Mr.. Froude has, therefore, used his dlscre-
ton in making large omissions.
Everything Mr. Froude says this subject, it
will be obvious from the foregoing, must be
taken as authoritative as the expression OF Car
yles own desire and last testament with respect to
his literary remains. ] do not know whether 1t
be too much to hope that the statement now pub
lisbed lii appears in the form of letter from Mr..
Froudc to The Tines will be accepted as final by the
two OF three would-b bographers who were prepar-
ing to dispute the ground with Mr.. Froude. But
this at least is clear that the public is warned in adj
vance, and has the truth now before it, and knows
what to expect. Those who want an unauthorized
and necessarily imperfect biography of Mr. Carlyle
may buy such a one when 1T appears. with theii
eyes open. Those who care more for the authentic
and complete story of Mr. Caryes life, told by bis
nearest friend, and based on the material supplied
by himself Letters included, will prefer to wait fol