New-York tribune., 1881-11-22
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
WARMERS JOHN SMITH.


The series of Lives Of American WortnieS Vi
which tbjs is the first volume was undertaken Oh
n nlan wholly unlike that of any other bographical
enternrise now before the public. The subjects
were committed TO writers who have earned repu
,ation as humorists, and a curious paragraph III
the advertisements warned us that we might eA-
meet free and daring treatment OF persohages
whom history heretofore has always treated "l'h
decorum The scheme is characteristic OF the hreV-
erept quality of the most popular American fuh
Oddly enough, as we learn from the little Vollme
now before us, Captain Smith himself was the tather
of the long line Of our jollers In his General
Historic" lie thus refers to horrible story OF what
is known as the starving time; And one
amongst the rest did kill his wife, poudered her,
and had eaten part of her before it kDowne ior
which he was executed as he well deserved; now
whether she was better roasted, bOyled or carbon
AIDED know not but OF such dish as poudered
wife never heard Off Upon which Mir. warner
remarks: "This playful alluslon to powdered wlte
and speculation as TO how she was best cooked, Is
the first instance we have been able to find OF what
is called American humor,' and Captain Smith
has the honor of being the first of the 'Ameri-
ran humorsts' who have handled subjects OF
this kind with such pleasing gayety." Mr..
Warmers own humor is of much finer
and more delicate quality than this sort OF
facetiousness. 1t is mingled with too much true
feeling and literary taste for merely comic work,
if that is what was wanted. His Life of Captain
John Smith exhibits many delightful touches OF
drollery and wit; but it has none of the marks Oh
buresGue 1t is very serious book indeed; and the
publishers have even felt constrained TO promise
that the rest of the series shall be much less respect
able or laughable, just as one chooses to put
it, What the rest may turn out we shall see IN due
time Meanwhile we may congratulate ourselves
4Jotk kTp has
The importance of his theme, and has given us
performauce so much better than what was down in
the bills The life Of Ca"tain John Smith is one OF
the few romances that illulnne our early history"
AS it has been told by all that herOs biographers up
TO this time-includng the hero himself-it
is a romance in more senses than one.
Students have been aware for SONG years
that the Smith legend is largely he
ttious; but confding historians have gone ON
repeating one anOthers statements, while for con-
sccutive narrative of Smiths we have still
had to depend upon the entertaining volume writ
ten long ago by Mr. George S. Hillard for Sparkss
American Biography, a volume founded, like all
the other accounts of the jamestown pioneer, upon
Smiths tale of his own adventures. The Captains
lively chronicle was pleasant relief to the monOt-
ony of the colonial records and perhaps that is the
reason why it was accepted for two hundred and
fifty years without serious question: although II con-
tains Inconsistencies enough TO discredt 1t. even
without the testimony of the authors cOntempora-
res. Mr. Warmers task has been to compare
Smiths various stories with one another as well as
to test them by outside evidence; to show how the
narrative of his exploits grew in the telling how
his PocahOntas fable was developed, and
how it YVES interpolated In his Map and
Description of Virginia when the matter of
that tractwas transferred to his Generall Historic"
Smith had what our new biographer APPLY calls
:" a progressive memory" He worked his books over
several times. and his memory had the popularity
of growing stronger and more minute in detaist the
further he was removed in point of time from any
event he describes" The labor of clearing away
the superincumbent rubbish of exaggeration from
the substructure of fact has been a severe one.
Z" For the early part of his career-before he came
to virginia-there is absolutely authority except
Smith himself but when he emerges from romance
into history he can be followed and checked by con-
temporary evidence. If he was always and
uniformly untrustworthy, it would be less
perplexing to follow him, but his
liability to tell the truth when vanity prejudice
does not interfere is ANNOYING to the careful
student" And Mr. WarneS tnarks: my esti- |
mate of the character of SmtI is not that which his
bographers have entertained, and differs from his
own candid opinion. can only plead that coHtem- |
rorary evidence and a collation. of his own stories
show that he was mistaken. not aware that
there has been before any systematic effort to
collate bis different accounts of his exploits. II he
had ever undertaken the task he might have dis
turbed that serene opinion of himself which marks
him as a man who realized his own ideals" If the
bi0grapher does not actually prove the celebrated
adventures in Tartaria and Hungary, the gentle
Turkish Princess Tragabigzanda, the three Turkish
champions Grualgo, BOnny Mulgro. and the other
man, to be mere phantasnls of heros creative
INN ogir atio he q lnubf them
all that we can never read of them again with the
inspiring faith of our youth. POcahOntas dis
closed to years ago as jolly little girl of
twelve resorting to the fort at jamestown to get
the boys forth with her into the market place, and
make them wheel, falling on their hands, turning
up their heels upwards, whom she would follow and
wheel so herself, naked she was all the fort
over" 1t is true she was kind creature. and
good friend to the whites. Bnt NIr. Warner makes
il clear that she never saved Captain John Smiths
slall from Powhattans club, and that the doughty
captain was in danger during his captivity, be-
ing treated, according to his own statement |
with great kindness. Smiths early accounts |
Of his capture by the saVages contain |
not a word of the famous Poeahontas tale, and
quite inconsistent with it and thoTe can be no
sonabe donbt that he deliberately invented 1t IF |
teen years after the appearance of the first and
less sensational narrative 1t is disappointing of |
course to lose the stalwart and pathetic figure that
used to fill so great space i'll our early records,
fighting all sorts OF infidels slashing off heads in
single combat. teaching generals how TO capture
strong cities, winning the hearts of women, crack
ing the skulls OF bashaws holding red men at bay,
sustaining n dsOrdery colony single handed, Yet
If this and gallant person is taken away from
us, it is surely picturesque substitute which Mr..
Warner introduces in his place
If Shakespeare had known him. as he might have |
done, hc would have had a character ready TO his
haud that would have added one of the most anus
ing and interesting portraits to his gallery He
family suggests mOrd Falstah. if we can imagine
o Falstaff without vices. AS narrator he has the
swagger of Captain Dalghetty. but his actions are