New-York tribune., 1884-12-07
MACAULAY'S ENEMY.
THE CROKER PAPERS.

the, would contain great deal oil Eell onn'
caustio and unmcrcful criticism upor CroNoi '
tauporalics For few politicians ana "ii'''' ~
left behind them more pronounce" Por"'
+a,ion for gladatorial predictions '," "o
,.,6;p, the amiable efforts of Mr. jennings '"
,.or,c, fins impression and to show that 'io
-. of his memoirs WAS really lnpst gehlai aN"
nd,,annorcd person il cannot be adhl''eu 'haI
tbc General Judgment was wholly astray withr'gau
"a his character. His own work III me V"o'"y
Rsie,r indeed may be said to settle that question:
n is of ouolity now a GOOD deal less appreciated
than half a century ago Croker Uilar"' Lorn-
bort Ellis and a few more able men established the
Oaaytcr3g at a period when political poien''s anu
literary criticism were alike savage ana eNa@s''-
ated The hostile politician was then too com,
,,op,v treated with all the rgors OF real war ana
thr uufr;cndv literary critic vas not content win
exnospg an authors failures and blundcrs' o".
INNS, needs demonstrate his moral and inteliec'uai
dolciencies in the most destructive fashion
crolcr WAS Galway Irshman. with the pugnac-
ity of his blood. lie went through lie with Il emp
on his shoulder. and it must be Said that IL was
often enough knocked OIL. lie was unqucStohaoE
man of rare mental force, yet by no means oi 'he
first intellectual rank He was cmiousiy broad III
some things and curously narrow in others lie ieH
in with the stream of scientific progress ana kept
.h,.,s, of II oven sometimes showing himself IN al
vance of his time as when he proposed nteiha-
tional uniformity in thermometilcaI stahu'idS ="
measure which has not even yet pceh oio"E"'
ahont. though its advantages are conspicuous TN
the other haul he was behind his party IN ioryiSm'
", .,t r,,,.,.i,,. bi,,.rlf a rrophct possessed so
nm, '''"s" , i - ;,,,;u no g., ,,iti,j,,vy from
H',v ,i ,,ss nc the first Reform Hill
,.,., ,,,,s t.. h.l evrl that the ruin of his
country woull swiftly follow.
I'm, n. was deferred t. rs a safe adviser hy 'h'
Tn,r headers fnr many wears before this ani though
i"'' '. ''' ,i..',, ,,,,s, II, ,c,,,,,lrl os IN one
ms P''"','"' - ,..,,. -, a., ,,,i,,l iulc
thS' WV, w ... i., hi, o., ,,,,,, hiii,r ,,hirh
h'n'. WY '"' ,,,,i,,,ti,, i, ,Iu,s. ,opil
nhn'''' '. '. W. " ,i ala, i.st ti,,,,r ,,,,s have
,'''R 49,. h,,,,..,s al r,,tjs,
h'o'' WV" ,"' i ~ u.,.,i,s,, i,,i sha,,lt
Nh''' WV "''"' ,....i...i -. Al. i.,t a
'r''ir p''h s'''i'" .M, M .i...,., ut.,..,i,,i., u,
sa'tNn 'i' 's,i 49, ..ti,..i tis Ss.ti.ia.ss uoj
v na' wv ''''' ',''' ~ 4,,, hast etpp
hr '''''lT' - '.-,. t l.. f,,,ui tia was
49, ',t,.s i,e st,,ulest ch,mpi1a "a chat
i"'''' 'F',''l IN , ,yt.. .t.i i,i,..i,,,ii II n
'''1 WIN, 49, ,,u MAY. which bciieyri IA
..t ~. naval autb.tit, %; which ioubri
-, o,,.,,s.,u nf the suffrage a. a shooting of
~" ',,,.r t.i;..,I tlat the French Eeyolu-
,,n would not have occurred hal the mobiles OF the
a,cja,r.,,a. hela firmly to their privileges; which
rc,i,l,d the repeal of the Corn Laws as an act oil
wickel folly: which held Peel to be such another
leiraVer rs Judas lsCIrlOt; when may bd hi'N "
lyo Iiol sh,lin1 it4 Sc le head over the dreadful
ncr,cc.itv Of the generation and predicting collapse
",d ,,rr ~ the inevitable result of Liberal gov
e,r,ncot
= ,,,nar;.on between the Life and Letters Of
Lord Ma,aulay and the Croker Papers would
p.ovc an admirable study for young man, ioI
Nacoulav and Croker occupy opposite poles. lhey
are antplthctc in all things, and they neither
understood nor tolerated another when they
v..r. on tie same stage together. Macaulay demoI-
i,Lcd Croker's Boswell; Croker tore to pieces
Macaulay', History OF England. The NhiHgiSm
of the great historian blinded Croker 10 MS iaiehU
the Turysn of the quarterly reviewer oDscureu HIS
capd"i;y IN the eyes oi the hlStor'a'' po'" "oi'
Of great ability but hei.her was nv !" "''|"
the others literary OF p"I''lo'i IanN io' "
was by far the greater man OF inc t"o' anu ''ons
il has been the fashion for new school Vi HIS
toriaus, who have not ms brilliant luc"y' MS '"S'
memory or his power oi marShaii'hS iaclS al" ana
lying events, TO dcprec'9te ms car'iune9S an" az
curacy and question Ms eoHc'u'oiN ~ -
certain that the conspicuous "'oi " VI ".'
insure it' Iros'I'"'''" "' ' su.
of the productions oi 'n' "o" '"
into the pb,curtJ ther uulo'' ''i" i'0 " '''""''
destlnc them TO-
Croker might crtici>e Macau'ayS deiallS Dut ne
was not competent to pass Judgment upon 'he Oroa'
conclusions 0t the historian Ior TIC c"u'u n'' III
terpIot arie either past events or tho'o o MS own
time To intimate that MS review had any influence
upon the popular estimate OF Ma'Anlay MstorV' rs
Mr.. Jennings does here. is absurd Crokers lndg-
ment Oh such "A matter was ol 40 more real value
,h,, ,hc opinlon of the Duke Of Wellington on the
Reform bill Macauluy's view of history Is the
view which coincide, W TIA the progressive clements
,C ,h. noe II i, the Liberal view. that II 30 say