New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-12
NOTES ON BOOKS.
NJ LEWIS NAPOLEON INTIME' -IHE
n,-,,r> OF ARGYLL AS POET-THE
PSEUDONYM LIBRARY-M1SS GU
cd,

nublishjng NJ. Arthur LeVyS NdpOic0H i'
anneored in French as a single octave 'o'"ii'c'
loosely printed in large type, at the resu'a''o''
French price Of seven francs and haii-say ''N
shillings and three pence. or 81 90. IL nus peei'
translated padded out by devices VI '''e
nrintcr till it fills two octave Volumes an"
is offered to the confding British pupic a'
% shiIIipcs or more than four times the cost
of the book in its genuine form why No''
7 annrehend from mere cussedness. Inc Ehs
lsh pubsher has perhaps no more OF thal
than other people have. He has reason ana
rho roa con Is Nude 1t is the kind Of book which
neonle are more likely. he thinks, to borro"
from, the circulating library than to buy. There-
FORE II Is issued In a shape which suits the
library and does not suit the private buyer
Nor can there be a>esseat number Of private
customers for such book translated from the
Erencb If the book Is bought, 1t is bought
in the original
The original Is now think, in its eighth cdi-
ton. and ever since its appearance mas pseh
the delight Of the Napoleon idolator; species
which includes the great majority OF the freHch
nation 1t is avowedly panegyric; aVowediy
an attempt to present the more human siue
Of Napoleon to prove that he had ahectiohs'
generous impulses, domestic qualltlcs-nay'
that he had honor uprightness, and truthfui-
ness, and something which might De called
heart To this end NJ. Levy collected with
diligence. from memoirs ard from every KiNd
of biographical record, all that made for THIS
view of his hero; emitting the SHADOWS ana
dipping his pencil. as Wendell Phillips used 10
say in the sunlight only. 1t Is not history II
Is not biography; IT Is hero-wofShippins' pure
and simple and not in the sense winch
Carlyle found profitable. and rashly rec"m'
mended to persons Of less discrimination than
himself Such n picture may be well enough
to glance at after Taine or Lanfrey. in both q
whose portraits OF Napoleon the shadows arc
strong as in any true portrait they must be.
But whoever looks at Levy. and at Levy only.
will see but caricature, and OF all caricature
iattery is the least useful
IL u.s. however. remarkable that book so one
sided as his should have been praised, with
many qualifications. but yet praised-by his
torian with a mind so judicial as Mr. Lecliy's.
Whether in the interest of Messrs. Bentley's
translation or not. MIR. Lccky reviews Levy for
an entcrprisng evening paper. That he should
testify to the absorbing interest Of the book Is
natural but he might have warned his readers
against the determined onc-sidedncss Of 1t in
terms much stronger and clearer than he bss
chosen to employ.
There will always be men. some Of them men
Of 4 very high type. for whom Napoleon has
fascination. SO long the fascination is purely
intellcctual-if such a phrase may be used-no
great harm is done. The mischief begins when
admiration Of his unequaIled mental powers ex-
tends to his character. Mr. Lecky IS open 10 no
such charge as that lie Is so far impressed by
Levy to admit that he has shown that Napo-
leon possessed stronger affections and more ami
able cha acteristics than il has of late been the
fashion to assign to him But lie redresses. in
great measure. the balance when he traces the
failure Of his life, not to any failure o, his
facuitics-though that is a theory for which.
denied though it be by Mr.. Lccky something
might be said-but to the selfish and Unsuitable
ambition Of which ultimate failure was the d.
rect. natural inevitable result. such judg
ment Is no. novel. but ii is and Will forever
remain. accurate and irreversbe.
On Mr. Murray's October list Of forthcoming
works appears book entitled "Crux Mundi
and Other Poems" by the Duke of Argyll.
What influence or impulse is it that leads men
eminent In other branches Of mental activity to
write and publish vc-se? The mcst recent
ample was Mr. Lecky. who having
honorable fame as a historian. tempted fortune
with n volume OF metrical exercises Fortune
and the Iublic said no. There had never been
in Mr.. Lecky's prose any indication that prose
was an insufficient medium for the expression
OF his thoughts emotions. Their. was none in
his poetry
1t is not necessary to predict that the Duke of
Argyil's poems Will Disclose none. But ii may he
said in advance that If he prove To have any Of
tho faculty divine. without which poetry Is
naught he Will surprise those who know him
best. He is a very dignlfed ard admirable figure
in the public l!e Of this country and perhaps
the finest of living English orators. in which
latter fact may lie some hope OF unsupported
poetic faculty since to the best oretory the quail
ity Of Imagination Is seldom wanting.
But the Duke Is, above and beyond all other
things. hard-headed Scotchman; 4 statesman,
an economist, n student of science. a theolorian.
and in none Of these capacities is there much
room for latent poetry. Probably the truth is
that he cannot be content to leave any broad
field OF Intellectual effort UNEMPLOYED. There are
people who consider that poetry may be writ
ten by anybody who sets about 1t resoiutcly
All through his career the Duke has shown that
10 has confidence In himself II has been al
most always a just confidence but never be-
fore has he made experiment $40 hazardous
~ thht upon which he is now about 10 enter.
Mr. Fisher Irwin continues the. issue OF his
Pseudonym Library. which maintains a good
average of interest. The volumes which during
the last year have attracted readers in search
Of something new have been those by John
Oliver Hobbies. Whether they gained anything
by appearing under that name. raj her than
under that of Mrs Craigie. is question which
may be left to answer itself. Ii you contribute
to a Pscudonym Library you must, 1t would
seem, have pseudonym. though the rule If
recollcct rightly. IL not irvariab!c
Mrs Cragc was in either case, sure of a
hearing She has not been welcomed with a
blast Of trumpets. but she las found readers in
England among the criticel-miadcd men and
women to whom tie ordinary three-volume
novel. written for the circulating library, is a
IL not an abomination. 1t Is not
question OF length. though the ten
icncy Of the hour is to shortness 1t is ques-
ton of ntolerable dulness and of lntolerable