New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-19
SHELLEY.
nowners NEW BIOGRAPHY.

TIE LIFE wpxr IL d. Professor OF En gus nm Nv.
ns sH niysIs,y o. p xsssa Paul. sS. Trench
o. %SSd,,sSeipSiS: ]. B. Ldppincott CO.
The lives, sketches, and memo'is'' ~ 80.
.s-s,.,ta . voluminous literature. but there wac
-. room for the full and systematc o'osi"p
moo which Professor Dowden has spcns $50"
ear, Of industrious labor He has nAu ,no Use
= vast Quantity of letters, diaries anu o'n''
.,srt. not known to his predecessors. ana no nH'
-. constantly assisted by the Shelley iam''y'
srhn. n. has been enabled to supply a mul'i'u"'
80 ,r,.s;ne PARTICULARS Of the poets history, 70 COT
,-ct great many errors. and to exhibit WIN con
rleteness blsherto not attempted cArcer VI
A;narv flights and perplcxities we snsi n"'o
nav e.timates Of Shelley's genius. Win cnAns"s
v;aws Of literature and conducts out rroio''o'
,ovdeu's work will doubtless be permanently
cepted as the standard record OF sna' a'u"o
and cratic life. while as study OF one"o' :.
acter we believe that 1t VIII also eta"u =.
:. highly sympathetic. and at the Same time
controlled by goo1 sense "ui'" '""''
be of the first value
II c;ves beautiful picture Of Sheeys school days
. nsriod which in his case has far more than INC
mana, curious personal interest for at sion t'ou'o
Aoaaemv and at Eton manifested tne rui'"s
traits which made his after life Among sne So"e
barbarians OF a public,school he was singular io'
T.. .,trcme ssnsi,iiity and refinement. mingled
however with an andacious Independents. nc
vas not model student; but he was 1ascin~.ou "
che wonders of natural science for winch Jus' quo"
there vas a special enthusiasm. and no was .nu'"
taken up with chemicals explosions hre-oa,ioon''
,r,croscopes. and speculations aoout the universe
D-.h. ..rad nothing for the materialistic results
of useful knowledge" 1t was the romanoo =,
natural philosophy that captivated him. tie real
A. n. fairy tale Professor Dowden's language on
%h;. noint when we remember that 1t refers 10
.cbool.boy. seems overstrained, Jut there IS SUD
stance of truth in it. In the dawn OF q century
which science aud democracy have cihneu az
their own no moves q fsure Of the daw a. win INC
Yn:,ts still around him. yet struck by the hrst rays
of the rising sun. His interest in science conneo'u
itself on the one hand with free speculation L" ."0
regions of religion and politics. and on inc o'no,
hand with q world of imaginative wohder a"u
romancen In a word, before Shelley was OUT Oh
Jackets he stepped OF the solid eartn, upon which
he xxas never more at home, and began to hoat 10
reyions of the air The key to his errors ana MS
virtne, to what was most lovely IN his character
md principes and most unfortunate in his CONDUCT
A an deality which far transcribed the reaims VI
poetry and affected all his relations to the actua
affairs of life. Even child he moved among
distractions. Professor Dowden poiuts out PROOF
from his poetry that early as his schoo Gays ne
experienced two Ct those "shining moments
which in spirits like his sometimes erect as IL oy
miracle an intellectual or moral revolution The
first revealed to him the misery OF tue oppressors
ana the oppressed in the world in which he lived
and moved the misery of his own extravaganza ana
imnotent RACES; and with this discovery Arose
Che resolve hencoforth to be wise and gentle, aud
inst and free To dedicate himself to noble
purposes to be neither Oppressor nor Cypress d-it
was an exalted and generous VOW >" nighiy
strung so passionate nature as Shelleys coud no1
in moment attain the wisdom and the gentienoss
toward which he aspred but this was turning
point and much if not ALL wa attained before the
close" The secoud of the shining moments was
that which unveiled for him the pure spiendor OF
intellectual lovcliness and as at the former crisis
he had dedicated his moral being to justice.
gentleness ana freedom, so now he dedicated ms
Imagination TO the spirit of beauty.
"These two moments were the conservation Of
Shelley's boyhood Errors OF action, errors
of opinion, may justly be laid to lis charge; but
a. year followed year, while f'rtoltng neither ms
concessions the work. he grew more gentle 10 me ~,
freedom. and wiser in ms love- Meyer cond
itself with the gross stlmui ants oil MIND
less wonder; and horror 9na,lied Win
beanty Other poets have more faithfully repre-
seted the concrete facts of the world the charac-
ter of mauy m-n the infinite varlet! OF human pas
sions. No other poet has pursued WIN such oreIon
less peed or aerial heights The spirit OF ldea
heantv On tha, spring morning of self dedication
a seed put up tender shoot. and in after years the
tra e sheev might make his
demand, al Have not kept the VOW
The bent of Shelley's mind, however. was moi
determined entirely by Its inward forces, or the
sudden push of miraculous moments lie was q
yorac,ous reader. work which had strong anc
lasting influence upon him was the "foiitica
Justice of William Goodwin. From this pseudo
philosopher and stupendous humbug he was u
derive all through his life variety of speculative
opinions and practical distresses- Godwlns ration
aljsm no doubt xei his sceptcal tendencies; bu
the genesis of Shelleys atheism has not been fully
traced. We only know that soon after his matrcu
latiop at Oxford he judged 1t his duty to destroy
The religion of the University and that at the ag'
of nineteen he was expelled for printing and circu
lating his famous tract "The Necessity o
Atheism" 1t is certain that an institution gov
erned and maintained as a buwark OF the Estab
lished Church could not tolerate such an act
domestic revolt; but cannot help thinking
less OF the possible injury to the University iron
the young students manifesto than of the who'll
system of education to which Shelley seems Z
have been a victim. of education in the highe
sense of tho term neither Oxford, nor Eton no
Sion House gave him anything The Universlt,
was then in its worst estate. Men did as the
pleased, stunned the lecture-rooms, and CAV
their days and nights either to vulgar pleasure o
to such uninstructed reading as CHANGED to TAX
their tnomentary fancy. The schools devote
themselves t. the routine of constituting ciassica
authors and turning Greek and Latin verses The
made no attempt to train the mind. to strengths
the intellectual perceptions to supply any basis 10
right thinking UT right cOnluct They suited wei
enough the slow and steady heads Of the typics
British pnbIic-thst which Thackeray used to ca
sthe great big stupid but when lad Of resties
intellect and aspiring temper was turned loose 4
such scho Dis he a castaway without compass
on the open rea. Unfortunately Shelley's fathe
was the last mau in the world to supply the short
colniags of the boys masters. He had an exaite
ides Of parental authority and no idea at all O
parental duties. His cure for atheism was to shu
the offender ont of the house and cut of bis al.o