New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-19
THE LATE JOHN RICHARD GREEN
AUTHOR OF THE "HIsToRY OF THE ENGLISH
PEOPLE"
Erom Tne london Tfines.


From the London Times.
A small, sickly and precOciOus boy, he seems
20 have passed most OF his childhood alone with bis
books avoiding sll games aud spending the play hours
in company with Gib6on and Hume. thus forming and
developing his extraordinary power of RAPID and omDiv
Orous reading fifteen he 6ad learned much the
school teach bin, and he passed the next three
years with private 1t by the advice of
lege-Oae Of the three scholars that lime
open to Ensshmen at the Welsh Colese 1t was an un
there; aud having early taken a dislike to
Of hOnCrs Meantime he read widely. chiefly on his
toreal subjects aud while yet an undergraduate he con-
papers "OxtOrd iu the Eighteenth Century" which
aterwsTd reprinted. Immature they are, they
afierward eeebTated-the power OF Selling the
sental features of past epoch and presenting it In
through historical studies which nsd led to his writ
ing these papers that he brought only
oxford who al that early date appreciated him
Arthur stanley, then Professor OF Ecclesiastical His
tory II was partially OWING 10 staneys influence that,
Immediately alter taking Dis degree in 1850, he
was ordained To become cuTate Of st. Baruabas's,
kng-square f. c. Here be renamed TWO years. dividing
his Time between the watchDaRt of that poor aud
popuous parish and the readingrOom OF the British
Museum. In 1862 Bishop Iait-wnO from this time to
very END OF his e entertained towards him very
warm afectOn-apponted linn % sole charge In HOx-
ton presently to the vcaraee OF 1T Philips Step
ney lie brought this parish into high state of eff
cienCy and III oOiGg NOle out mort OF tue little strength
h. had; Tor as was often said OF him. his oind as foo
large for his body and # the virtues Of which he
was ignorant was that Of moderation In work For
sides his parish dutes-duues made infu ely aIduOus
by the visitation OF cholera in the year lS6S-he still
read immensely. Soon after the cholera time Mr. Green
resign ed his living, and Dr. TAFT then Archbishop ap
pointed him to the post of Lambeth Librarian success
sion Professor SIuDbs.
Henceforward he took no more clerical work, partly
because his health could not Der Snd partly because
LIE had begun TO feel the intellectual difficulties his po
sition He lived Tor long time tue life OF journalist
for The work Of Lambeth ade small dcmands upon his
tilne-whe at the Same tune collecting ara throwing
1870, after attack OF illness, he was for the
first time orderedto the South by Dr. Andrew Clark the
devoted friend 10 whose may be SAID many
years OF fe. Bni spite Of tnese ecmpsory wipterGt
papers tue hIsofy went on ahu three or Tour years
alter appeared under tne Of "A short History OF
the EDghsl People Its success was instantaneous 1t
closely printed, bulky little volume not at ali one
OF which the outward form would tempt idle people
everybody bought and read IT, and Tor long time
critics could ind language strong eIOugh which TO
praise book which treated the old familiar theme a
manner so new, original, and 50 full OF genius. What
al oIce surprised ana charmed lac reader was 10 find in
this book both Al amount of knowledge which.
stately library work in eight volumes" and a com
preheDsiveness ol view, novelty OF method. a
Clements OF hsio so as 10 make the past start into lie
together with freshness of style Of which historian
decd some voices were heard the other side and IL
was pointed our by one or two reviewers that
the 500 pages aimed good many slips in detail
daes wrongly gwen, names wrongly spelled, and such
body admitted readily tuau Mr. Green aud had lie
been In better health. had he been q little mpa
they would have been corrected. Attacks. differently
directed, were made also from other quarters. The
Quarterly Reriew taking alarm at what II Thought
tue too democratic turn given to our history spoke
seriously against tho book; The author of article
being the late Professor Brewer learned historian and
saneh Conservative among whose post LUMINOSITY col
ected essays IL was reprinted but while history
inues 10 be writteB people will continue differ about
Its political aspect; aud II expect complete
agreement as 10 the origin OF Paramens and tue char
OF Cromwell about the burning questions of our
Dwn day. Certainly tue pubic verdict has vindcaed
him against ME crltlcs whether those attacked his
tetals or ms principles Up 10 the present time
900 copies OF The book have been sOd EnglandLe
Issues OF course, containing very many corrections
~ the small inaccuracies which rat charged
l9ainst hm-and IL the United States, wlefo he was
appreciated from the first, the sale has
,eeu very large indeed. Tue demand stll
inues. believe. " DC perfectly STEADY and regular
ND, tndeed Ils dltcut TO imagine any revolution In
opinion advance in gpowledgs which will relegate the
ohOrt History" 10 the class Of superseded books
During the summer Of 1881 he extremely Ill. In
be auuhD he went 10 Msntone AID there rallied won
erfully; While great had been ais energy that
Dle year ago, 20 publish tue remarkable volume on
ae beginnings Eugsh history, which he reviewed In
hese columns at the time. Jhk book, called Tine
iaking OF England" appealed 10 a somewhat different
audience from that which had delighted ia the "ShOrt
history for wnlc It's essential excellence lay Ia the
DsSlt when II showed into tle real life vi the pss
as oiOre piotesse learned than the other volume had
lace IN the forefront only OF literature but mis-
orcs scholarship. IL has been attacked by school
historians o. tue ground that in discussing questions
race Mr.. Green pays too little attention 10 The
lrOpulcgcal ysideuce which, according to some OF
hose WHICH,, upses Ms theory OF the determination or
lo Celts by he English Possibly this objection may
snaDie but IL Is certainly not universally admitted by
rose no ought 10 KNOW. Aud whether this side Mr.
rsea fs ornt theirs CAD be no question about the