New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-14


sfr. Hamerton, and of winch he speaks in
such warm terms of praise. We may note, in pass
ing. n curious blunder of Mr.. Iamerton's. where
speaking of Durer he says: 81 believe the only
mistake he ever made in drawing an object that be
could handle was that odd blundcr i'll the plane IN
the 'Melencolia' which could never take OIL one
shaving as the cutter ls put in IT the wrong way
and would glide over the wood without biting"
This is good example of Mr.. IIamert0n's cocksurc
way of settling all difficulties He is entirely mis-
taken in his fault-fndng. The plane is all right as
Durer drew it, and indeed Mr.. Hamerton might
have been absolutely certain he was night Tor
Durer never makes a mistake OF that sort. we
ourselves, on reading Mr.. IIamerton's criticism,
took the Melencoia" TO a German cabinet
maker and asked him if he had ever seen such
plane as the one that lies at the feet Of the Melcn
cola. Oh, yes" he said, " / was brought up, so
to speak, with such plane "And how do you
use it 7" We asked. "Why, you seize the handle
and push it strongly from you, steadying it this
way with your arm" Just So" we said, 81 and
now see what Mr.. lamertOn says" Oh" he
laughed, Z" this writer has never seen such plane
but they are very common in the part of Germany
l come from"
We must not leave Mr.. Hamerton's agreeable
book however, without cheerful acknowl
cuSlncul VI us many EoOu IL
will he none the less liked for its
writer's omniscience and whoever reads it with
a free mind will get considerable good from it,
But, for the student we think it will be best if, after
closing the book, he should follow tho advice we
once heard of Mr. Whistler's giving to a lad whose
mother introduced him 10 the artist with the in
formation that the child was taking lessons of
drawing-master. Are you. indeed, my little
chapw says Mr. Whistler. "Wcll now, I'll give
you bit of advice Whatever your master tells
you to do-don't you do it,"
AMERICAN POLITICS CNon-Partisan) from the Begin
ming to Date BY the Hon. THOMAS V. COOPER and
delphia: Preside Publishing Company
Senator Cooper is Mr.. Camerons chairman of the
Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania, and
Mr. Fenton is a Philadelphia lawyer. They have
undertaken to present in this large and capacous
book impartial history of American political
organizations since the foundation of the Govern
ment; a sketch Of public movements controversies
and scandals which from time to time have been
the topics of excited discussion; a collection of
documents, such as bills resolutions platforms and
speeches. the text OF all existing political laws y
a register of officers, with their salaries; and
large mass of statistical information in tabular
form. The cOmpilers have achieved n certain
measure of success in their scheme, less in the in
troductory section than in the documentary parts.
Perhaps nobody really expected of them non
partisan" history Of American politics nor is it
possible for man with convictions on the serious
issues which have divided our people to write an
account of the formation and progress of parties in
the United States without betraying Lis sympa-
thies. 1t is curious fact, however, that the per-
sonal opinions of Messrs. Cooper and Fenton are
least conspicuous just where we might have looked
I'm ha 70 ,l,o
the chairman of the Republican State Committee of
Pennsylvania is an ani-slavery man at least but
he has dsscmbed his love for the friends of free
dom almost to the point of kicking them down
stairs. The reader will look in vain in this book
for an adequate account of the greatest political
struggle in history; the writer's have not the
breadth of view to take anything like a compre-
hensive survey OF the course of the irrepressible
conflict and even in describing particular incidents
connected with it, such rs the Missouri Compromise
and the Kansas rascality, they cOnfne themselves
to such loose and futile statements that their pages
are of little value for reference. They pass over
the Fugitive Slave Law with an accidental allu-
sion, and they do not entOn the Personal Liberty
bills, or the John Brown raid. The defects in the
historical part OF tie work principally the
result of n want of literary skill. The writer is
not one of those dam literary fellows He lacks
the art OF arranging ideas, laying out plan of
labor, digesting materials constructing n clear
narrative even persuadng verb TO agree with
its nominative case. But we suspect that the
meagreness and naccuracy of his account of poll
ties before the war is also attributable in no small
degree to the fact that his mind is engrossed with
politics OF different class and Il later date He has
succeeded in saying nothing to offend the ghost of
James Buchanan, but he is quite frank in his CON
tempt for President Hayes and Civil Service Re
form, and Wayne MacVeagh. demand for civil
service REFORM he says, was once fashionable" y;
but it was not such an issue as could live in the
presence Of more exciting ones; and while to this
day 1t has earnest and able advocates it has from
year to year fallen into greater disuse." The
reader will be surprised TO nd III an account of the
Civil Service Reform bill, statement that oppo-
nents denounced it as little if. any less obnoxious
than the old sedition law of 1898, while the Repub-
licans claimed that it TO meet state of grow
ing war in the SOuth--a war of races-and that the
form of domestic violence manifested was in the
highest degree dangerous to the peace of the Union
and the safety of the newly enfranchised citizens"
This startling assertion is due to a bunder of the
printer, who has caused a paragraph on the Civil
Service to change places with one on the Force Bill
Naturally Messrs. Cooper and Fenton are warm
admirers Of the Hon. Simon Cameron and il is not
difficult to see what they think of independent
movements in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and
revolts against boss-rulc" They have the highest
opinion of the policy of President Arthur. which
has already resulted las mankind will DC pleased to
learn in the healing of all differences in the Re-
publican party, and the establishment of era of
universal prosperity and good feeling. :" 1t has
thus far been the effort Of President Arthur TO alay
whatever of factous bitterness remains in the Re
publican party In his own State of New York the
terms Half-Brecd' and Stalwart are passing into
comparative dsuse, as the terms Regulars
and independents in Pennsylvania" President
Arthur we are assured regards fitness recognized
ability and adequate political service" as the chief
claims to office, and his appointments are fairly