The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-11-16

MeCartAy's Misery q The Fssr 0ssrsss.


1.-Two with an account Of the times Immediately
preceding tho Victorian era. His now book-oi
which flrst volume 10 now published by the
Harpers. and which Is to b completed In four
volumos-is called The -Four Georges, though
tho author must OF course intend TO bridge the
interval betwoon tho death OF George ". and
the accession OF his niece with an outline OF
the reign OF william w.. superlativcly memor.
able for the passage OF the hrst Reform bill
To Mr.. McCarthy's second venture in tho
field OF tho historian lot US concedo
frankly all the merit in respect OF lucid
method and animated treatment that his
frat experiment aave proof or We're II true.
as somo vood-nntured critics. and apparently
tho author himself. took for granted. that his
success upon tho former occasion should DO
attributed primarily and mainly to the quail
ties just mentioned. an equally cordial recop-
ton might be looked forward to with conf
donce for tho book before US. But we cannot,
for our part. recogn izo tho grounds for such an
nnxnry. Whatever breadth OF requirement.
depth OF insight. aud literary skill may havo
boon attested by tho History OF Our Own
Times are present here. on tho whole, In
ampler proportion and moro sustained effl-
cheney. Tho author. In brief. has kept the
promise OF his Gntecadcnt work such as II was.
but the promise had It's limitations. and it re-
mains to DO soon whethor he did wisely to lose
sight Of them.
a concurrent. II not n controlling cause OF the
hearty welcome given to the authors former
book. lay in its subject matter. which was at
once ominontly useful. and almost wholly FREQ
from literary presumption. \ connected. clear
wall-sitcd. yet sufficiently exhaustive account
Of the times through which we are now pass
ing. or OF evonts which every middle aged man
remembers. il eagerly desired for practical
s.,, al
tude OF persons who would not profess to ilg-
ure rs profound students of history or rs tho
osoteric votares OF high literary ideals. BY
the practical Legislator the newspaper writer.
the man OF business-indecd. by oil directly
Interested N legislation and nl intelll-
gent readers OF INTERPRETATIONS conven-
lent and effective means OF refreshing
and verifying their own recollections Of
public persons and events is most urgently re-
CURED and yet Tor the most part least easily
attainable by them even n dry compend of
date and facts il it b. but full and accurate
will 80 gratefully accepted: how much more II
the service longol for bs performed in an en-
gaging. genial. and yivacious way 1t was Just
such useful office that Mr.. Mccarthy under
tool; in his " History OF Oar own Timos" and
II may seem unsracious to cayil at tho tito Of
that book. though the torn history in any largo
and lofty sense was iuapp,icable. For history
implies not merely tho faithful presentation
but an authoritative and final Interpretation OF
the facts :; II no. only collects yerGa4 c,nssiNes
and submits evidence hut IL pronounccs iudr-
mont; rnl h. al1un Is worthy TO sit in tho
tribunal from whose dccis Ions we seldom hcar
of an appeal or al discourse. to be sure facts
mus, DO the yg5.,rn,url. but II ia by tbcun-
challenged aud conclusive weight of their
opinions ,hgt historians. viewed collectively.
Il fr-,. ba g,,fv tnl
dcyterYrlg iltr-yrvsial.st Yhiie one h istorian
cc!i;,ses another inst as onB stnr differs from
another S,nr in t.iorc according 20 the intensity
Of the hight sl:od ulon tho field OF vision,
Now II MAY be- rs ,pltot boldly that no man
om7atert 70 discharge tho ar,,uous and high
functions Of n genuine historian would. with
the present standards and models of excellence
before him. md unler the complcx conditions
Of modern life pick out his own times for Il
theme Ho would rot 10 led as,ruy by the i'm.
aginary rrecednnts OF Thucydiies Xenophop.
Cesar. and Tacitus. being restrained not only
by the sage reflection that. although he might
be pulling in the snme boat with these imlnor-
tails Il would not DO with tho same sculls, but
also by tho conviction that oven their abilities
would in day provo impotent to
stem ard gauge tho rushing. whirling
fathom!ess, resistlcss flood OF contemporary
events On the ether hand Mr.. Mccarthy. a
journalist BIZ profession. and one OF uncommon
readiness and de xterity. did not scruple to rush
in whore Gibton or Hume or Macau!ay or
Carlyle would fear to tread. and in q field
whore kinrlais has found u lifetime too short
to adequately deal with single episode. But
he had been for years accustomed to work UP
and throw of. at II few hours warming from his
chief, acceptable leading articles upon the
most profound and serious, rs well as the most
fugitive of subjects and when the schome of n
history OF tho Victorian era was suggested to
him. no doubt Of its feasibility seems to have
crossed his mind. All his lifo long ne supposed
himself to have been showing the time its
form and pressure in newspapers and
magazines. aud 10 him the project Of a history
wore the familiar guise of II wel!-compacted
series OF loading articles. That is lust what
ho gave US in his History OF Our Own Times"
Most OF the important facts are there. and the
comments are intelligent, inoireusiye. emf.
neutiy readable; but you look in vain for tho
specific difference between bright Journalism
and substantial history, for of tho judicial
power and decisive authority of the historian