New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-11
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
,o,.nn py,NsI.Fy SHERIDAN.

RICHARD BR1NS1ILt
syrrpIDAy Nv Mrs. OLIPHANT Engnsh ueuo O'-
ters series 16mo pp 1872 Harper Dio'"'
A. O,nbant has written what is more criti-
<;sm of Sherldan's character tnah u p'os'"on' 70
taa dramatist and orator. THERE'S curious ven
of bitterness aud pettIness runhing thIousu 'no
.tetcb. Ii is as if Puritan maiden aunt were
..E.;,;n, a character OF Charles Surface. Poor
Sheridan's fondness for company LOT wine anu ~,
eating into debt, this carelessness, ana
e. want of business ability are al
oe.,sva 70 this clever lady, and IL
IS mnossible for her TO give over her disapprovng
tome If she struggles to some grace OF goodness
in him il is bui for q moment, and she presehtS
1rons INTO q carping mood which curIousiy hf'I@VeS
and repels the reader. The general hnpieS''oN
which she manages to give OF oheriu"u Vi
witty selfish superficial lrishman' WIN u's'
able tendency for contracting DEBTS WIN" u
could not expect to pay; WIN ~, ~
more capable Of an occasionai Vi
fou-de-force than of good continuous worAi a" -"
yenturer all dazzle rather than suos' amman ma,
of mark Sheridan had, perhaps, some Vi 'no f"1i'
ties of an adventurer-thatm must DE sdiu Va LIN "
a, seventeen was a plebelan and unimportant youtn
xtrolino about Bath without n penny I'D us poo"-
=, ord ~ tventv.6ye was darling of London so
.;e,v the nossessor of beautiful wife aud Deal-
,,fu bome-but he had wlthal, gifts oil more Soii'
hind for which Mrs Oliphant do -snot give Nun cIe"
IT. Her low estimate of him as politician anu y, u
tor is one which hardly justified by the iac' VI us
career. and will hardly stand as rcaSohaoie ooN
elusion. She finds little to admire IN nun III ei'Ne'
>capaclty and has little to say concernlug '"0 N0"
able record of this "adventurer" VINO went ou' Vi
noitics as Door man as when ne ehtereo III III
Mrs OIiphant continually quarrels with her suoiocV
for not being and doing something else. ne was
no, nc industrious as he might have been; he bad
Of ia he
his nlays were theatrical rather than dramatic
in short. be was Sheridan in the time
of the Prince Regent instead of Gladstone IN the
oce of Victoria She has not entered into the spirit
of rho brilliant and joval days In which tue DRAM
otis, lived and worked and has been so lll-adVised
as 70 apply 10 one of the most pic uIesque uguo'
IN literature aud politics the modern cohmeIcIai
ideas Brinsley Sheridan taken out OF his 1entiuI
.,,;no noolas hnt n oiteous spectacle. Yet, though
Che wouid have him other than he was, Mrs.
Oliphant is ncredulous as to the possibility.
He had never been trained to devote himself 70
anvtbInr and the prodgality OF g0Od-lOrluue
which had fallen upon MN turnou MS ncau' an"
male him believe, no doubt, tnat cVeI .hue was
TO De as easy the beginning. GaIrch , nav 1 NC
a GREAT fortune from the theatre, anu theie was
every reason to suspect that Sheruan; 80 easl!y
nroyed the most successful dramatist OF MS day,
MIGHT do atill more. But Sheridan, alas had none
=, Inc on lies wi ich we're requisite Tor tins achieve
meut even in composition he had sooa reached
the length of his tother Twice he was aoe ~ me-
mn brilliantly by an almost moiheIl"Iy eHOIt 'Oi
the had effects OF his carelessnesS III every pdcbCal
wav But it is not possible for any man 10 20 on
DONG oS rsachsd If hr had kept to his own easy
trade and sphere and refrained from pnolc NE
and all its absorbing cares, would he nave continued
Mechanically to renaKe his Own fortune ana nat OF
taa theaIre by new piayY Who can tell IL is al
WAYS omen to the spectator 10 oeileVe thaC sucl
might have been the case, ana lhat ohtIluah; put
into harness like iew greater splits. might IA {
malntaiped an endless stream Of productl"e, as
Shakespeare did. But here are Indications Ol ah'
other kind which may lead critics TO oeciue Ulnei,
emily Sheridan's view uf lie was not profound
one Ii WAS but P vulgar sort OF drama pI"Oeui
without ny depths--to be solved by plenty OF
money and wine ana pleasure, by yOuth ana hi2h
snIrits and An easy lavishness which Was called
hberality or even generosity as occasion served
But to Sheridan there was nothing 10 ma out IN -
apy moro than there is anything 10 nnf OUT id Vne
ch racters of his plays. He had nothing to say
further Lady Tcazles easy penltence, her nus
hard,s pardon achieved by the elegant turn Of her
Sead seen through the open door. aud the entry OF
Cnariss Surface into ali the good Things oil TINS me
10 rscompenso Tor an insolent sort OF conoesceh1,
ing gratitude 10 his egotlstcal old uncle, were all
ne knew on this great subject. And when that was
said he had turned upon the stage. the auol-
them ana made fun of them ali with the broadest
inlrth and easy indifference to what might come
after. What was there moro for him TO say me
Critic 30 as the ispulse OF creative energy, OF
what for want Of a better word We call genius, was
concerned. was Sheridan's last word.
1t Is evident throughout that his bioGrapher
regards him as hopeessly superficial and heshly
person, and resents as If il were persona injury
the combination OF hghtness of heart, Incidence.
and sbortsightodness that revealed Sherdan's IRISH
blood II is not from such point of view that ade
onate sketch of the dramatist be written. and n
is possible that If Mrs Opbart had given more time
and trouble to the preparation OF her volume bel
judgments would have been less grudeing sno
severe. A boundless capacity for pouring fortt
hooks is not always the most fortunate OF gifts az
IL "a. ndu hnrn