New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-12
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
IrTEPsRY HISTORY.


A SHORT HISTORY OF FRENCH Lit Eai 5xfdrl:
nv GEORGE SAlNIsBURh. oNo ~ Ah'' ''A' "
Al the Clarendon Press.
Ar Walsh. beginning with the principle that
Nations literature is the outcome of its whole me-
holds that our study of il ought to take In the opef
ation OF four capital agences-raoe surroundings
epoch and person This will perhaps REMIND tne
reader of the fantastic notion OF Iaine 'h"' 'ii0
writer is merely the product OF his ehViron'"on,'
but IL is founded rather on the much moro In'',
psophcal theory Of Saint Beuve. with when inuee"
Il is substantially Identical, that true cr''oS',
Must take account of the influence oi eN''i""'
circumstances upon an authors work ="
rordance with his rule Mr.. Welsh lays '"t ,'
treatise upon an imposngly systemauc P'"' =,
inAnence of race is contrasted in connection WIN
a. srst 49, ,,r,miti,e period under which he treats
~ The ORIGIN OF the English people, the sources ana
tnof the language the early conditions OF
soc;etv Governments and religion, and the begin
,ipcs of English literature In each OF the nine
,nbseou,nt divisions OF the book we have a de-
scrption of the salient characteristics oil the ume'
before passlng on to the discussion Of representa-
rive authors. The wIiters in turn are then suo
iected TO svsteu attic examination under the Deads
Of biography, works character, style rank ana
influence There is not much to he said against
this methodical arrangement except that 1t I'M
~
history OF literature successfully executed upon
these lines, with the required amplitude OF knowl-
pdc, breadth of vision, cathOlcity oil mind ana
nhosopblc Insight as well as with the union OF an
Intellectual power OF generalization and n literary
mower of fusing materials, would be maSter"orb
,pcn IS our LANGUAGE has long waited for 1t Is not
4 harsh Indictment upon Mr.. Welsh to say that he has
not accomplished what he designed. His obvious
merit is Industry in the accumulation OF vast
museum of facts and specimens his obvious iaalt X
aWcak grasp Of the extended and dihc1it SUBJECT
The account of the DEVELOPMENT OF the lngi'sh
loncuane is especially unsatisfactory. The sections
devoted to the condition OF society education
religion morals manners. etc, are long and often
entertaining. but they are by no means complete,
and their connection with literature is not shown.
If i left TO inference Mr. Welsh is not free from
the common error OF deSpsiug hls ancestors, ana
Judging old times b. the standards OF the new.
TINS shows a habit OF mind Incompatible WITH tfue
criticism Ia tho department of metaphyscs' I"
which he gives far too much attention, he Is as
tinguishel first by his unmeasnred contempt loi
the scholastic philosophy, failing to see beyond 'he
trivialities into which so many OF ITS followers were
BETRAYED by the tastes aud prcludlces OF TIE time
and secondly. bv his blind aud we must say. unin-
telcent ridcue OF the science Of dialectics, which
be calls a ceaselcss grinding of the air III meta
phvsical mills" We shall hardly wish to commit
ourSelyes in the mazes of philosophical exposition,
To Guide who sees no use in logic. Mr.. Welsh IS
extremely dogmatical in his remarks upon religion,
his attitude being apparently that OF RATIONAL
istc liberal, with conviction hat falth Is not
yrtne but vice, and creed inconsistent with
1norals-though we confess that abont tins we are
not onite clear OF the spirit of any OF the organ
lied relations which nave influenced English life
he has an imperfect apprehension. What could be
wilder than his statement that "the central doc
+rine of the medieval Church the carnal ma
ture of the sacraments ~ Or his surprising as
serton that the Church of England does not hold
ep,scopacy to be essentiali And how could any
one who had watched the character and practical
Tendencies of the Anglo Catholic, or Puseyte,
movement in England. misrepresnt It so grossly as
TO say that the High Church is the arstocratic and
ceremonial party opposed to the Low Church.
which is the more popular, more ardent. more
eager to renoVate the soul 7"
OF the authors critical faculty in the purely liter
aiy branches OF his subject it ~ impossible to say
much. He has aimed at exposition more than dis
cussion or anay SIS and his description of the con-
tents of individual works is often good and Use
fpl Bnt hIs comments sometimes highly rhetor
ical and ornate sometimes curt and dis Jlned, are
not precise aud his judgments OF men and books
are seldom acute weighty or even clear. 1t is
surely BY an unfortunate "dorangement OF cpl
tauhs that the characteristic OF Swift is defined as
"odditg" and the distinguishing excellence of
Spenser as "remOteDess' and the style OF Bede as
"aitless succinct and D0rI!" or that of Alfred as
artless practical and moral" MacauleyS en-
s,ga,ic impassioned tone is declared to be attrib
utable to his skill in the delineatiUn of char
acter" Walter Savage Lander is catalogued as
delightful essayist" and zone Of the most vel
safie among recent sngers-both descriptions
helm. cOnspicuously 'incOrrect-and the GOODNESS OF
his imagery is attributed to I" his habit OF first
composing in a foreign tongue" The page devoted
TO Lander is sInguarly weak so is the one that
follows. on Browning. The remarks Oh Charles
Lamb and Sidney Smith give a very faint idea of
either of those writers. But perhaps the most
signal illustration OF critical inielicty IS found in
the review of Dickens where eleven pages are
cupied IN a survey of his books and definition OF
his merits without an alusCn to the one quality in
which he is unapproached-hs humor.
MIR. saintsbury's survey of French Literature is
made in a much more modest spirit and with much
more satisfactory results He has not held very
closely to a pIearranged plan the contrary, for
reasons which he states in the preface, he has
varied his method of treatment considerably to
meet what he regards az the different require
ments of different periods. This independence has
its advantages and it has undoubtedly enabled the
accomplished author to present singularly vivid
and interesting sketch of q complicated subject
The volume contains very few specimens extracts
being reserved for a later publication Int in spite
of the lack of illustration it will give the student
A very clear idea OF the characteristics of schools
periods and authors. Mr.. Saintsbury has the
faculty of analysis and exposition in an eminent
degree as a critic his rank is with the first and he
is well known as a close student of the literature of
whiSh lie writes. Thorough adequacy is the quail
ity which first impresses in his treatment No
one can help feeling that here is writer who has
mastered his theme. HIS style is simple, his
manner is 50 easy and so quiet, that one may al