New-York tribune., 1882-08-13
qHE D4NGER or BIOGBAPHY.
Fj'0m me london Spectator.


We have, on several occasions, called the attcn.
tinn of orr readers 10 what feel 70 be of tho
great dangers OF our timeits increasing disincllna-
ton 10 reserve. There ~ no department ol lie
which does not seem to 80 have lost something of
it's dignity by this tendency, but that hlch II has
hurt IL that III which we nave All the Aeenest
nterest.-tAe narratives Ol lie, either revealed by
those who the subjects OF tie narrative, or by
others Do not let us bc misunderstood Blog-
raphy, which IS but a part OF history, If II Is 10
have any value, must contain the materials Tor
moral Judgment; and II II Is not a transcript from
tact, these materials are worthless. We would not
only cOncede would urge. that the bioefapher
should give complete portrait; and ii .W0ald nOt
bc difficult to point to Instances where m interest
ing and valuable biography loses something ol us
1tere,t and its value because the biographer mas
resolved 10 only that part of his subject which
was noble and memorable. II we are 10 represent ,
mans ch lracter, should represent II fully. Bat
the question Is whether You do represent q mans
formation about HIM on record. We can imagine
literary condition IN which we should protest
AGAINST the timidit, which would curtain round
great mans character from any breath OIL cenSuIe
and the untruthtulDess which would retouch the
copy OF some actual features rom q cast Oa t,o
ApollO Beividere. Only thus conditlon, surely,
,youd be the very opposite OF ours. IL 10 possible 10
fal on the right hand. but when We are SO lar TO
the left t would be better TO get nearer tue dilch
on that side We should make "a great step, ~
Things are If we conceded that We are not miracle
lousy guarded against amy infringement OF the
sphere of silence when 1--WE me,dle With print. 30
body questions that, while truth Is always Vai"-
able. it is yet possible b tell one person what
should be eft unspoken, and We urge 10 more thah
that E is possible to do the like by several nun
dreds. There Is magic Ia printers lux that 10
should filter away whatever would pe leit unSu,1,
able for ordinary ink. Everyone VIII agree Win
us when we say that Rousseau shouid nor nS'u % ,h
lisned his ConessiOns and II decehol, ~. iiio ,u
ordinary sense OF the word ls 10 DC W., OS - 90
Ia n ustliable literary frankne's ". We ~ 1a,t,css I
why n .houll not De the only Ilht ~ Ii'' So -
tLat * moi literary also. surely thore arc sv,,,
''r',,nds on which true things Should 10 'o'' ~"
w should 20 SO far TO allow thar tA'rS a'o
so,'o hlngranhies and some Of much ni'r VI, Nn11n
sunp % oot 10 La,o peen written, though pr"pSoly
t onId never bc the with the biography w
s"p o,c,t man. The proportion OF objection chanscs
lss,,sther ~ hen II is question oi reFeaiih Huo %
"TaoTv 70 the world the character ot one WIZ u's'
oirsaJy opened the door TO such reN'ita.'o" t
Rvronis proligacy, for instance, would nave p'ou 80 "
,.on S arainst undertaking the biography OF 4 % lSn
Of lesser fame And there are other reasons " & ~
we sbould be propOrtonately more caIeluI, as SO We
meal fine lesser lives; the llte OF greaV nan ~.
"o adventitious interest but IL ~ Oiieh PVsenva'
,ot a more pryate career in picturesque l.sn%
p bint that unveils a vista which IL Is uoe ios.t
o, to ta cV nlore This is a kinu OF cheap ensctfc-
80 WHICH reviewers are quite as nuou III uahKer
S o,rsning as are authors; ana indeed, the Ten,
IS w Wa deprecate takes in tho neld OF petsohai
orrryL ad narrative IN the periodical literature 1t
The dav auite as much that OF literature properly
so-called. "