The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-06-29
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Charles Sumner. (New York; Dodd.
Mead & Co. !; Portland: Loring, Short and
Harmony The latest work issued in the
Makers of America" series is the life of
Charles Sumner, by Miss Anna Laurens
Dawes, the accomplished daughter of
Senator Dawes, of Massachusetts. This
work has been quite severely criticized
by many who believe that it belittles the
fame Of Charles Sumner; land some crit
les have not hesitated to attribute to
the authoress the unworthy motive of
endeavoring to add indirectly to the
reputation of her father by detraction of
one of his greatest predecessors. But it
is difficult to understand how the i'm
partial reader can be party to any such
suspicion. 1t is true that Miss Dawes
does not make Charles Sumner out an
ideal statesman. She attributes to him
some faults which seem petty in a man
of undoubted greatness. She does not
conceal the fact that at periods of his
great career he was in fierce opposition
an opposition sometimes dictated by per-
sonal reasons-to other great leaders OF
his party, Lincoln, Grant and Fessenden.
But of how many of the great names inthe
political history of this and of other ma
tions, must not the same thing in candor
be said? In one of the most dramatic
passages of his essay on the trial of War
rem Hastings, Macaulay contrasts the
brotherhood of that group of great states
men who stood together as prosecutors
when Hastings was arraigned at the bar
of the Lords, with their sad condition OF
separation and personal hostility when
they gathered sevensyears later to heal
the verdict. But neither Burke, Fox,
Sheridan nor Sumner was an abhorrent
or unusual exception to q general truth
of history.
Miss Dawes has told the story of Sum.
ners life in pleasing style, and with an
accompaniment of anecdotes and remi.
niscence that her exceptional facilities
for a knowledge of public affairs have
enabled her to supply. The young
reader, who has been born since
| the anti-slavery agitation closed, will
be surprised at some of the re-
Violations of this work. Charles Sumner
was by training, if not by birth, of arts
tocratic, tendencies. A long sojourn in
Europe, during which he moved exclu
sively among the highest classes, deep
ened this tendency and made him well
come in that upper section of society
which has been termed the "Brahmir
set 1t may not seem strange that Sum
ner, when he determined to devote him
self to the cause Of the slave, should have
been ostracized socially; but another
| fact which Miss Dawes calls to mine
seems incredible. After Brooks ha6
made his infamous assault upon Sumner
the latter was rendered reception il
Boston at which there was general illu
| mination. Yet the fine residences o.
Beacon street were, with two exceptions
shrouded on that evening in disapprov
ing darkness.
Speaking of the selection of Andrew
johnson as Vice President in 1864, Miss
Dawes attributes it to President Lincoln.
wish. "Mr. Lincoln" she says, "always
an astute politician, knew that in the DO
litical crisis which was upon the country
the wagering support of the Democrats
must be held to the administration. anc
he believed it necessary that the Vice
President should be identified with thai
body" Sumner also supported johnson
on account, Miss Dawes thinks, of his
hostility to and consequent distrust Of
Fessenden and Fessenden's friend. Han
| nibal Hamlin." Yet Summers hostility
to Fessenden was intermittent rather
than constant; and when the great Maine
Senator died, Summers eulogy was the
expression of an admiration which hat
survived all their differences