New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
MACAULAY.


Mr. Morison's brilliant essay seems 10 hs'o
o,cht n certain glow and animation from itS SUI
;oct We do not mean that tie critic mas uau 'io
not Uncommon experience OF unconscionsiF i,u
tot;,o tn. STYLE ho has set himself to review ho
has none of the rompous and imposing oi"'o1i'"
manner by which Macaulay has innpehecu inoi0 y,
legs permanently so many writers upon n'''o'' "DO
hiogra ohy but his pages reflect the clearhesS' oi
nhao,s and rapidity of movement when are AIMING
IN, hest and most readily communicative vi .no
,itorarv characteristics of tn" Essays ana 'ne
aUistoryp Perhaps Mr.. Morrison wouia DO sorry
e. think that Macaulay had affected him at all lie
is careful and candid. On many points MS JUG,
,nsnt will he pronounced sound. HIS admiration
nj Macauay's character and achievements 10 uo
clared with freedom which sometimes amounts "
for.or Aud vet. although eulogy is literally
MINGLED with his censures tho drift OF ms CRITICISM
ia extremely depreciatlve. We have read lew hter-
rv ;,acments 40 cordial In the praise VI particular
ms,;ts and vet so severely unfavorable in the gen
oral conciuson at is an error" SAYS ME- Morsoh'
apot ALWAYS corrected by age and experience W
ask of men aud writers what they cahho' si'0
Nocaulay can give us sumptuous ana priiiano pio'
tures of past times which so far bave not hau 'ho
canals His narrative power among historians 70
mite unapprOached. and on level WIN 'h"' -
tho greatest masters of prose fiction. Here we may
tiously 20 further On tho other hand he mas "t'le
a. 900, o;tbar IN the mind or the heart" He had no
intelIectual depth no appreciation Of the scientinc
crit;cism which made such remarkable reform III
b;storical studies during his time. no respect ior
,bilos,nhical specuation, no capacity ior aruuou'
thinking OF for generalized synthetic Views ho
has not grasped and reproduced IN "eh-weieueo
general proportions the import aud HISTORICAL mean
ing of the Stuart period. which was his real OBJECT
lie has painted many phases OF IL WIN aiiho''
redundant ILLNESS But he has not traced tno CIV
lu,ion OF those ideas and principles when marA us
peculiar character. He rarely or never accounts
for phase of thought, institution or line oi po''
+racing il hack to antecedeEt causes, and showing
how under the circumstances, IL was tno n"' "
and legitimate result. what lie uoeS 10 " "'''
with often wearisome prollxlty.
i, will seem to "a great many readers that MI
Norison has forgotten his own dictum " IL ~ "n
error to ask OF men and writer's what lnoy oan"v'
oiyer He LAYS so much stress upon the iiS'oi'
undeniable deficiencies that be VIII no 'hous "
nnderyalue-though he docs certainly enunie'"'o
the counteI yailing excellences. lie haroiy lows
at its real Importance, either IL literature vi III ~
torjeal scholarship, that extraordinary power VI
telling "A story and reproducing the IeisohAses an"
so,ety of past times of which he shows he'eIAo
Less 30 keen perception In one Instance al leas'
49,. rsr,.sessions ha ye led him to the commission
~ cross iniustics In. considering how far Macsu-
laws convention of history deserves 10 10 CON-
,nandsd in itself irrespective of the talent with
winch he mt il into execution Mr. Morrison has the
following strange paragraph; In iet'er u
Maeyey Napier Macaulay wrote: i have az last DC
Uuu nv historical lab0rs. The materias ior an
.'ur.i,y narrative are immense. shall not be sat
isded unless produce something which snail loi
few DAYS superscde the last fashionable mover on
" I'D naQIf
;n,,mation to mako us acquainted with the chief
object which the writer had in view but it is salts
factory TO have It, as now no doubt remains on the
.,I;.c, TIM, then was Macaulsys pole star by
which he guided his historical argosy over the
waters of the past-youDg ladies for readers laying
down the novel Of the season to take mp his his
to,y of England. His star led him to the port Tor
xrhich he steered" Aud few pages later. In speak
ing of the historians prolixity. the critic says;
GBut it would be rash to assume that IL was MS
tie from his point of view The young ladies on
whom he had fixed his eye when ne began " "rite
had TO be considered a Sallustian brevity OF ex-
,rsssion would easily drive them back to their nov
NJ. and this was danger to avoid" This is very
had indeed The monstrous fallacy of confoundlng
n familiar sign of success with the ultimate OBJECT
of epdeayor,-of assuming that because MacaulaV
wished to make history 50 interesting that even
young ladies would read II he had therefore no
higher aim than to please young ladies' IS 81 course
obvious Mr.. Morisons I'M Justice here is worse than
n mistake; it amounts to a Misrepresentation. 1t
10 one of three passages in the book which fill us
with astonishment. A second Is this extraordinary
specimen of English, different from the Surround
inu sentences that IL Ike huge blot on fair
mage: "Tbe reason was that those assemblies were
not wise Ike the English Parliament rds" The third
Is the soothing review OF Macaulay's temperament
with the doubling inquiry. whether natural pre-
disposition the carunal virtues is the best outht
for the prophet the artist, or even the preacher "
Macaulay according to this estimate. was too de-
corous too gentle too estimable 700 unseliish and
too prosac to stir our hearts. lie had not enough
of the dable au corps to DO writer of impressive
Individuality and real power" He might have
been better historian II he he'd been worse man.
Ard vet with all its positive faults and its imper
feet appreciatIOns Mr.. MorsOns efsay presents the
hast apalysis of Macaulay's manner that
member 60 have seen. Historical narrative in
Ills hands is something vastly more complex and in
yolved than is ever was before. Indeed nara
tive,isa weak and improper word TO express the
highly organized structure of his composition.
Beneath the smooth aud polished surface layer I'M
aer LAYER mey be seen of subordinate narratives
crossing and interlacing each other like the parts
I'm the score of an oratorio One OF the most inter-
eating parts of the book il devoted to showing how
this work is accomplished, and how, through the
skill of the artist the conplcxty results not in
fusion but in the most admirable clearness and I'M
fty of G Acct The review of Macaulay's oratOry is
also excellent Mr.. Morrison laying great deal of
emphasis upon the historians success in al art
with whch-at any rate in this cOuntry-his fame
has teen less intimately associated than it deserves
TO be. His judgment of the Essays" is discrimi-
mating and satisfactory OF the intrinsic quality Of
the Poems" he pronounces high opinion; and
vet he rates their Importance In the work of the