New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-26
THE LION OF THE NORTH.
GUsTAvUS AND THE CAUSE OF PROTEST
ANTlSM


+hor or this book possessed few special qualtcs-
,ons and some serious diSqualhcati0ns for the
work he has undertaken. To write the HE oil
military hero without knowing anything OF INC
art Of war is almost TO invite bunders' IL may ~
said and Mr.. Fletcher not only Acknowledges hl'
lack OF KNOWLEDGE of this subject, but even con
feses that he has in several instances been uhap'
10 understand The battles of GusttNus AdoiPhus
as described by biographers ana historians well
vcrsrd i'm military matters. IL is given 10 so'"c
man of rcnius 70 seize and comprehend facts be-
yond their own field Of study, or TO master IN
familiar arts rapidly, and make use of them Tor
special descriptive purposes and Of this gift Car
lyle has afforded striking illustrations IN IlS
Frederic the Great" his Cromwell, ana MS
French Revolution" Mr.. Fletcher, however Is
not and does not pretend 10 be n man OF genus,
,nd in such a case the least satisfactory results
might not unressonably be apprehended lie
has. moreover. as he candidly declares, been I'M
able from linguistic and other dchclencleS 10 eN-
anime any original documents bearing upon MS
subjects. though there is ground for believing that
such documents exist and are by no means mac
cessibe Nor has he personally gone over the
ground whcreon the action Of the history he was
to relate took place but has cOntented hlHreu
with a partial and imperfect survey of the scene,
and has relied mainly upon the statements OF pre-
Nious writer's few of whom were eyewitness or
even contemporaries.
Judging from such admissions In preface, it
might be thought that Mr.. Fletchcrs book must
be of comparatively little value. Yet such CON
clnsion would be erroneous In the fuSt place
IL is we'll m bear in mind that modest and frank
writers are usually better and always more con-
scicntious worllmen than they themselves arc
ant TO realize In the second place, IT. must DE
remembered that the eXtant accounts Of the wars
battles seqes and other events and adventures
Of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries arc
nowhere recorded with such precision that grave
doubts do not exist regarding the most important
details Take for example, so impressive an
event as the sack of Magdeburg, in 1851. Inc
accounts of the number of persons that pcrlS!cd
in tie massacre vary all the way from 2OoOo 10
10000. There is even uncertainty as to the
date of the capture of the city. Rchellen III MS
Memoirs gives it as May 20. Other authorizes
say May 10 both old stylc and similar amer
cnccs occur in a hundred other cases. 80 THAT
the hest nineteenth century scholarship, research
and knowledge Of the AFT of war NAV Very easily
be at fault in dealing with this obscum period.
and all that can be hoped for in any case is an
oD,royirnation - the truth. But more important
than exact statement concerning details is per-
ception Of the significance and scope OF events.
In reading the life of such a man rs GuSt'NuS
-bc irdicious student must desire TO know what
lie actually accomplished what influences he com
mandcd what were his relations 10 his con-
temporarics how he affected his age and time
Now I'm respect of these problems Mr.. Fletcher
is safe guide and luminous cNpoStor, and
that is great deal. He has succeeded in show
ing his hero very much as can believe him to
have been. and perhaps for the first time he
is in these pages prese lted realistically, and in
NAME, which, while partly disluSionizinc, leaves
The importance Of his lifc-work undminiShcd. ana
rather STRENGTHENS the general impression OF ms
greatness.
II Is the foible of most historians 10 imagine
,nocial Providcnccs and 10 conform history there
h.. In the case of Gustavus AdclplnN this tempta-
ZION was unusually strong. for obviously the Lion
Of tie North appeared in crisis when mt ior
lis advent must have eliminated diSaStTousy
Tor the cause Of Protestant san in Europe. Yet 1t
has LOT bcca generally recognized tia, lichelieu
who at least os'cnNhly represented Catholicism
in France was quit as indispensable TO the rescue
NJ Protcstautisn as was Gustavus; nay, more 50.
since the arms Of the Swedish king would have
been paralyzed and all his plans frustrated but
Cor tie subsidies the neutrality and lastly the
active alliance Of Catholic France. Tie situation
WIS one in which religious anmositieN were neu-
trali7ed by dynastic ambitions and international
Latrcds Louis the Thirteenth ana his great
Minister cared very little for the triumph OF the
overthrow q the German Empire. They CON
s,suent'y welcomed the appearance" of Gasiavus
il. Germany and they assisted his efforts to create
= loayue Of Protestant Princes 10 oppose TO the
arrogant intolerance Of the Emperor. As % The
motives Of Glstovus in entering upon this dllcMt
and by 10 means hopeful enterprise. Nh Fletcher
Is no doubt right in concluding that religion has
no; much 10 do with them. The interests OF
Sweden first, and Of his dynasty next CON
trolcd his course. lie was led into Pomeranh bS
the necessity Of crushing SgiSmund' whose cI'i'A
u the Swedish was perpetual menace
and possible source ot civil as well as foreign
WAY once on the track events succeeded one
another 50 rapidly that he became committed l"
= far larccr programme; and each step IN
advance seemed demand another. II only 10
secure what had been gained the extension OF the
campaign WAS inevitable
I-nbaupilv for GIstavus he had 10 deal with Il
most impracticable, selfish and ignobe family Oh
princes. The German petty rulers OF the seven
,ec,th century appear 10 have been quite "lVAouu
n.triotisn or principle Even those who had de
clared most cnphaticaly for the Protestant Gauss
seemed Incapable of keeping faith, and instead OF
uniting with the Syedes Tor the common cause,
,ho,. held aloof. regarded both GuStavus ana each
other with jealousy and suspicion, and wasted
lime in imbecile and dishonest intrcucs and con
s,,iracics When lilly aud Walensteln were
making head in The country, the Protestant princes
for the most part dalhcd with them. When Gus
tayls was driving the Imperial forces before him.
these innrm rulers turned to him with the same
caioery and insincere professions OF allegiance
The beginning of the Thirty Years War was, IN
fact. general revelation of perfidy and dnPIicIY
and il is hard to determine, with all the fact, be-
fore us on which side lay tie more iniamJ Inc
fcrooitv which speedily cane 70 characterize tn'
so-calied religious war WAS no doubt lecture OF
the prevailing civilization, or, as II might more
truly I've called. the prevailing barbarsm I'
estimate this it is only necessary 70 read con
,arnuorarv comments upon those episodes IN th'
war which appear most horrible 10 us Of the pres
-. ..