New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-15
LITERATURE IN LONDON.

II TIL
60 o,o.o, p,nxFTT SMITHS BIOGRAPHY VIZ -
npn,su sTAfEsMAN-A WORK ~ |
pp,vc1pArIY FOR ITS UNWokiiii ~ -
pptGuT's SPEECHES TRIMMED OO ,.,,pr |
cptTIcIsED II A SPIRIT OF PAl"oN 49,, -,
go, srATFMgNTs, sLovENLY NAEHAl''E' ~
coppycr GRAMMAR AND GENERAL NoAf' -
y,,,cr ONLY A FEW VALUABLE FEATURES
,o., Tur REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE lhinoF
LONDON Nov 3.-The custom OF "rl'lns il'00 -
- 80, y are still living is not custom 10 DC COM
o,dcd Snch a work can be at best only rag
mont II can hardly aim at importantly IL can
not he written with the freedom, or with the Juul
cal spirit which are essential traits IN reaiS s"o
biography, nor can man OF rst rare ao'h'' -
eypected to occupy himself with klnd oil conPo',
ton which gives this limited scope TO sincere eioi'
Yet suppose one must admit that snch ooo 90
Mr. George Barnett Smith compiled ABOUT w
Gladstone and this other ]uS' p -
about Mr.. Bright, have their uses
Is well done. but each supplies much information
-,ot conveniently accessible elsewhere. A certain
,n,ourt of acknowledgment is due TO Mr.. Barnett
citb for tle trouble he has taken in collecunglt'
lint II 10 difficult to carry eulOgy much turthr IL
10 aouallv dilicut not TO express some lmpa'lehee
with a man who rushes prematurely into heIu oi
which the harvest not vet ripe, ana VINO occupies
ground which better men might by ana ny ouV lol
his intrusion claim their own. THIS book Is hot
n biography of Mr. Bright. but it may prevent
or postpone the writing of true biography MI
Barnett Smith treats his work at one moment a7
biographical at another as mere materials lor
biography. The latter is the right view Oh tncSo
two milky volumes but 1t does not recohclle
one TO Mr. Barnett Smiths way OF HANDING his
mater Is. .uo
Mr. Bornett Smith explains in his preface that 'he
rea,er is left tc form his political personal ana
historical estimates of Mr.. Bright. ms is con-
siderate but not quite true. Mr. onlitn IIe"',S
iudged in the outset that MI. brlght couI"
dispepse with Mr.. Smiths enlogy. Win respect 10
his own work Mr.. Smith forms more MODEST anu
I doubt NOS equally just, estimate lie uoes hoV
tbink il can dispense with Mr.. Smiths eulogy. 1t
Is he tells u.s. in respects more interesting 'h
IN. one which preceded it. In Mr.. Gadstones life
Mr.. Smith had to devote much space'to MI Glad
stones ten Budget speeches. which he obviously
thinks duU reading; and in Mr. Smiths summary
4bev no do BIT are dull But all Mr. Briehts speeches
"possess a strong human interest," StIohg
enough TO survive even the treatment to which MI
Smith has subjected them-he thinks. ms Is
questionable. 1t is perfectly true that all MI
Bright's speeches delivered after his powers hau
reached maturity have permanent interest lhere
is not one of them that may not be read eagerly anu
iutelligently through from end to end Dy ANYBODY
who has moderate acquaintance with the political
nan of taking these great oratiOns to pieces, sum
marizug parts of them, and giving other parts,
which in his opinion are the finest, In full whether
ANYBODY will succeed in reading a speech dealt
with on this principle can only be determined
by experience. Most readers viii prefer to
;ndce for themselves which passages of Mr..
Bright's oratory are finer than other passages
Mr. Bughts reputation an orator is not OF
Lind which stands in nee1 of a certificate from Mr,
fQcn. ats nnIEI I4h
helps TO a due admiration of ii as are here supplied.
The student has still the three volumes edited Ivy
Mr. Thorold Rogers to turn TO- Whoever desires TO
form inst conception of Mr. Bright's capacity and
character will do far better to read any volume
of his unmutilated speeches than this so-caed Lie
of him. Nay from almost any single speech better
notion of the man may be had than from Mr..
Smiths volumiuOus accumulation of facts MI.
Smith refers to the speeches as edited by Mr. Rogers
with something like sheer. They have not had
the advantage of his manipulation. But Mr.. Bar
nett Smith may reasonably hope 70 be read when
the originals which he has mangied are read no
longer.
The business OF summarizing speeches Is one that
cannot be done satisfactorily when the object of the
summary is TO reproduce the effect of the speech
itself This is what Mr.. Smith aims at. But IN all
il-aimed efforts there degrees of badness, ana
it is probable that Mr.. Smith has done his condens-
ing as badly as il could be done. He has done 1t
Extensively as well as clumsily. OF criticism III the
right sense of the word, there is none in this BOOK
Mr. Smith has taken for his subject man whose
distinguishing characteristic is his lifelong loyalty to
priDcplcs but his bographer does not seem to under
stand what Is meant by principle whether of action
or of iudy ment He has not formed for hims If an
idea of oratorv. He does not praise or blame Mr..
Bright's oratory with reference TO any standard.
He has heaped epithets upon the orator and his
oratory until a: last he produces the impression OF
patronizng MIR. Bright. Out of many examples |
quote few only; of which the first will
serve also as a specimen of Mr. Smiths style
The occasion is Mr. Bright's speech on the Foreign
Enlistment bill, December %, 1854. Mr. Smith.
with his usual precision, says the third readlng OF
the bill was moved " on the ODD" and neither the
month nor the year is to be found anywhere in the
same page:
His speech on this occasion was not very lengthy
one hut It was amongst the most striking and pow
erfu addresses which Mr.. Bright has ever delivered.
Jt bore evidences of being almost entirely i'm
promptu and this makes 1t the more remarkable IT
sprang from the white heat Of CONVICTION, and the
ffalne-tipped words with which ii closed touched
the spirit of every man in that large assembly.
All through these 1.100pages Mr.. Smith is forever
bespattering Mr.. Bright with praises as common
place and awkward as they are fulsOme. Mr..
Bright then rose and delivered a speech bristng
with sharp points and phrases" At another time
ain trenchant language he traced the course OF
the reforms which had been achieved" Another
speech is every elaborate" another had an "elo-
quent peroraton" or "a very fine close" and was
received with almost frenzy of enthusiasm" y; an
other contained whitening rebuke" At one time,
"Mr Bright spoke with great vigOr" next be was
"very fecitous and effective" At times Mr. Smith,
though compelled to praise shows himself not lit
Tie alarmed by tie audacities of his hero OF an
attack on Mr.. Disraeli in 1868 Mr. Smith says:
.'Even at this distance of time and when Lord Bea-
consfed has passed away, it will be admitted that
there are many truthful lines ~ in the above port
IL l. 4. 49, ..llI.aL. ..1..