New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-07
NOTES ON BOOKS.
LORD WOLSELEY'S MARLBOROUGH
SONGS WITHOUT NOTES" BY MR.
LEWIS MORRIS-"THE STATESMAN,s
YEAR BOOK"-MR GLADSTONE
AND HORACE AND MR..
KNOWLES


AND HORACE AND MR..
KNOWLES
London, April %
Lord wolseley's two volumes on the great
Marlborough bentley & Coz are, though full Of
interest, a little disappointing. What the world
: or at any rate the English world, has been walt
ing for, more or less impatiently was Lord
Woseley's account Of Marlborough as Gen.
eral. But these volumes end before the great
period OF his career begins Now Lord VOL,
seley has not been known to have any special
competence for treating the history Of the end of
the 18th century. He is not known as a
! historian. He Is known a soldier and as an
acute and accomplished critic Of matters relating
! to war Nothing could be more interesting ana
instructive than TO have from his pen an an.
alysis OF Marlboroughs great campaigns and
an estimate Of Marlborough's military genius
| These we are to have later. The whole Life Is
I believe in fact, completed, but Lord Woiseey
has written 1t upon such scale that, like many
| another historical work, 1t is thought prudent
J 10 publish 1t in sections. The first two volumes
come down no farther than the Accession Of
| Queen Anne. They leave, however. little doubt
| of the TEMPER in which Lord Wolseley has
studied and written. lie is a hero-worshipper
| The book is, so far as some OF the more scam
da!ous parts Of Marborough's life are concerned,
a whitewashing book. He tells the story Of his
heros amours and corruption and the rest, with
frankness, but he has excuses TO offer for almost
everything. Even John Churchilrs well paid
| intrigue with the Duchess Of Cleveland Is de-
Tended: and many other things are d.
Tended Lord Wolseley has adopted Napoeons
canon--that he could not be Judged like ordinary
| 1goI i+ 70 NarlhOrOnOh Ha
Dukes Swift and Macauay because they make
no allowance for the temptations to which he
was exposed, for the thoughtlessness Of youth,
or for the character Of the beautiful and de.
PRAYED woman-so many years his senor-who
Iured and tempted him." There Is no novelty In
| that view One rather prefers the frank cyni-
| c,sm Of NJ Mason in Napoleon ct les Femmes"
who seldom troubles himself to excuse the trans
| actions he narrates with a freedom considerably
greater than any English writer could venture
! TO use-or could once have ventured, Tor the
new school has audacities OF its own.
Here. however, is one more picture Of one OF
the most complicated and perhaps the most
profligate period Of English history and the new
nicture has qualities Of Its own. II Lord Wose-
lev be not an artist in literature. nor an expert
! in politics. he is at least a man Of the world
| soldier. and a writer, who at times has both
| picturesqueness and power. His account OF
! Court and Society under the Restoration Is an
example 1t contains, perhaps nothing that IS
new. but it will be new to those readers who can
read only new books. The same remark might
be made on Sir George Trevelyans mastery
narrative Of the Early Life Of Charles James
Fox. The materials existed. The attraction
Of the book lies in the use he has made OF them.
! So Of Lord Wolseley. II he lacked the peculiar
literary gifts OF Sir George Treveyan' ne mas
other gifts Of his own: insight into the courseot
events an instinct for what is essential the
pont Of view Of the man OF affairs. and
! masculine judgment
! If Mr. Lewis Morris desired TO put an enc u
| the talk about his being successor 10 Aeh''!so"
as Poet Laureate. he could hardy nave uone !"
more efrectuany than by publishing the volume
| Of verse TO which he gives tie meaningless que
"sonrs Without Notes" Ci-ssrs. Kegan' raui
e. COZ. There had long been rumors tnat M
Gladstone might bestow this dignity upon A..
Lewis Morris The scoffer sometimes saiu
was Mr. Lewis Morris himself who put 'ness
stories into circulation. That Is OF course'
s,ur and SANDER upon his well-known moaesty
once however Mr.. Gladstone himself exuh-
gu,shed them. or caused them to be eXtingulshed.
A
official kind. appeared in the papers 70 'ie e".''
,bot tbere was no present intention Of filling inc
post left vacant by Tennyson's death. II haS
remained vacant ever since
Mr. Lewis Morris. meantime, has sough, 70
sarve his country otherwise, as memoer VI Wv
nopular branch of the Legislature \" 80
those honorable ambitions he has tailea' .a'
Gladstone left office without nominating "'.
au,s Morris or anybody else TO the coVs'e'
ofHce. n office II be OF Laureate. lie hao' ~
doubt. a kindly feeling toward the supporter WIN
had done his best TO be his supporter /" Inv
House of Commons, and had been prevented oH'
nv rho insensibility Of a Welsh constituency "
his claims and merits No. not oohs''ue".''
but only the Liberal and dominant "lns "a '
| constituency. Mr.. Morris could ho' eo"-f 80,
even a nomination. So once more u'opi""e -,
political pretensions. he presents niihseh =" ~
countrymen as bard . .
| Alas his reception as bard Is hardN NV
favorable than as politician. lie has
told with extreme plainness by critics u
thority that his verses are feeble ana Ha'"'-
II he had claims to be thought a poet '"''
ume dispels them. Here and there ~
charitable censor hints that his diction is pe''.
than his thought but even that can haru' ~
| deemed hattering II ever the gfft Of sohs Wv, >.
hiss 1t is his no longer. lie mas suis NM"
out There are excellent truisms IN 'ne W.
ume. says a fourth but the note OF poeUs -
unfortunately absent.
Need one quote more? II is. fear. KIM y.
duty from which the journalist cannot a's
escape 10 say frankly that failure IS ian'
There Is. however. another theory OF eil"''''
according to whicr the critic is oound u ~
other duty than that Of putting before the pu.
lie the material for forming its own Juds"'e"~
This method has its advantages. ana the'e "N
cases In which il can be practised with su''''
There Is literature even at this day. anu e''"
pace Mr. Howes--in England of an exceNe'S
so high and manifest that it may be LETT " '''
wayfaring man to form his own judgment Oh ~
His Judgment, though 1t WAIVER at first WI" W.
natelv he sound There IS literature 50 paa