New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-28

for Mr. Norton. The correction OF some VA mn
Froudes neutrality-suspicious. and m'squosstions VI
this correspondence. undertaken In the appenaiA
TO the present volume. may, indeed, DO dofendeu es
service to the of truth, rendered necessary
by the biographers transgressious, bat this plea
does not cover the publication OF other parts, not
used by Froude. even though Mr. Norton has been
careful TO omit those which had any specincally
private character. He would have done better
to omit all. Those which be has given relate prin-
cIpally to the direction of Miss Welshs reading,
and to literary projects entertained by her and Car
lyle together They are interesting: but they
throw no additional light upon Carye's relations
with his future wife OF upon the course OF those
busy and comparatively tranquil years whose fair
est aspects we have just been reviewing.
CarIyle's criticisms of books and men at this
period of his life we're expressed with c0mposure
aud deliberation foreign TO his maturer temper;
but they were often trenchant and long
before he reached the age of thirty his furious
extravaganza began TO show itself. as an aberra-
ton. not as a habit. Once we find him declaring
that he could almost love Napoleon. and praising
"his native sense of honesty. the rude genuine
strength of his intellect, his lively fancy MS
sardonc humor," and his simple attachments.
At another time nc gives "candld opinion ABOUT
Homer who. he declares has had his day -at 'east
the better part OF it; the noon was five and twenty
centuries ago: the twilight for he set in 1859 may
last for another five and twenty centuries-buti II
too must terminate" Some OF the strangest
of his remarks however are upon Goethe
We have beea accustomed to think of Carlyle as
an enthusiastic disciple revealing German genius
10 an ignorant and unwilling British public. But
IN reality his first important work in that enter
prse-the transa ion of "Wihelm Meister was
odar NJ ;,k an1 cd
dlsreish The book disguised him at the time.
lie recognized touches of the very highest. most
ethereal genus IN It, but with floods Of inspiditv
which even would not have written for the wor {"
He wrote to his friend tombstone: "Goetbe
is the greatest genius that has lived for
century, and the greatest ass that mas
lived for three. Icouid sometimes fall down and
worship him at other times could Kick MIN ont
of the room" When the translation was haIsheu'
he declared: " am going 10 write fierce preface,
disclaminl all concern with the literary or the
moral merit of the work; grounding my cams 10
rec mpense liberation on the fact that have ac-
curately copied striking portrait of Goethe's mind
the strangest aud in many points the greatest now
extant." But his feelings soon underwent gre
change and his preface was not at
al like his threat. letter IRON
Goethe entirely overcame him. flo sent it
transcnbe nv copy, and your own translation of
it, into the blank leaf OF that German paper before
Won Law 1t by; that the same sheet may contain
some races of HIM W n | most venerate, and her
VIII IN most love. IN this strangest of all possible
words"
After the com letioa of his Life of Schiller in
1925, CARLYLE wrote to ms brother John n letter
IN which, for the first time. bear a clear ring of
TIE savage and defaut pride which the world was
SOON TO know well AMI with this passage our
of the morning of Carvle's life NAV well close:
SO commit # 81 entity" either to everlasting
Time" everlasting oblivion. caring no lot about
what tn desp1cable gang of newspaper and maya
zine critics say Of il, or whether they speak of
II at ALL do find there Is nothing but this
for it: Convince yourself that your work IS what
call II, AZ nelTlv as ynur honest powers inId
make II; aud the who censures II either tells
YOU nothing that YOU iii NOT know before or tells
YOU lies both Of which sorts of Intelligence You
viii find il very sim he matter 10 hight vonr pine
with. There was ucslesS WI BIT OF an opium-odfe1
here. one De Quincy. for instance, VINO wrote a
very vulgar ani brutish Review OF " ester IN
he ondon Magazine | real three pages OF 1t ono
sick dav M Birmingham and SAID: Here is a man
who writes OF things which he does not rightly ~
derstand; | see clean the ton of him, and his
vulgar spite, and bis commonplace philosophy
and VIII away and have ride on (Bada usl ally,
and leave him to crv in the ears OF the siInpe. 80
| went out, and had nv ride accordingly and n
DE Q1incey, poor little fellow, mate anything OF
his review. he can pu' II IN his waistcoa' pocke',
and thank the god Mercurius. couner-crltlcism
IF Meiser GOT sonnet hing ike one) Is appear IN the
February number believe: to this also hope
shall present the same tolerant spirit