New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
PHILLIPS BROOKSs LETTERS.


LETTERS OF TRAVEL BY Phillips Brooks r. late
Bishop OF Massachusetts, $40, PIP " $50. ". +.
Dutton & Coz
These letters present and winning side or
Phillips Brookss character They prove that he was
at once an acute and sympath4 etc observer OF men
and things that he had keen sense OF the lu-
dicrous as well as a large fund Of bubbling and
spontaneous humor; and that in spite OF all the
honors that TO him. his fear: remained as
simple as that Of a child. We know OF no letters to
children published during the present generation
more delightful every thu those included In
this volume. n flashes Of unexpected humor. and
In their genuine and uns;udied humanness, they are
charming He writes to a little niece from Jeypore
India: THE town Is all painted PINK, which makes
It the queerest looking place you ever saw; and on
the outsiaes OF the pink houses there are pictures
drawn Of them very SOLEMN. and some very
funny which make II very pleasant to drive up
the street All the little girls when they get to be
about your hang jewels in their noses, and the
women all have their looking beautiful in this
way. | have got a nose jewel for you, which snail
put in when / get home and also a little button for
the side of Sisie's nose. such the smaller chill
dren wear. Thnl: how the girls at school Will ad-
mire you,'
His letters to grown people are equally interest
Ing striking Characteristic OF all his correspond
ence is the unreserved way in which the writer ex-
presses his honest opinion Of men and things. with
the keenest appreciation Of Old World culture and
civilization the sturdy American democracy OF Dr.
Brooks is constantly cropping out speaking OF
Ieipsic he says ut is rather 6opre sing place.
think to one who Is conscious of knowing nothing
in particular and having only general smattering
of a lot of things. Everybody there is a specialist
One man is giving himself up to Arabic. another
to Sanscrit, another cuneiform inscriptions. and
another a particular sort of bug. SO every man
has some subject which he talks you out OF your
depth in half minute. 1t must be a delightful
thing TO think that you know anything. however
small through and through. If were twenty-five
,;,,gct Tro
| should so to Leipsic and stay there TIL knew
something so that scholar in the world could
puzzle me- Then l would home and go into
general life with that one little corner or ON
niscience always to fall back upon when l was re-
minded in some of the ways Din which am
constantly reminded Of what an ignoranus am
But it no use now. And / must on with my
basket Of broken vctuals to the end
OF Spurgeon. he said 'He is not graceful. nor
thoughtful nor imaginative and preached a great
deal too long. But he is earnest, simple. direct,
and held the hosts of plainookng people wonder
fully" After visiting the House of Commons IN
1866 he brought away this impression: Gladstone.
.cslm COOL clear and courteous: Disrael jerky,
spteful personal. very telling; Bright. honest solid,
indignant with the small trickery and meanness of
the Opposition Mill who holds people by sheer power
Z thought as | have hardly any man do"
isT respect the Dutch. he said but would not live
among them for a million year In speaking or
the Spaniards he said he found something in their
architecture that is like the people. trace of some
thing coarse a lack of just the best refinement"
The two peoples with whom he was most pleased
were the Tyrolese and the japanese. He regarded
the former as the noblest of all the peasanries
of Europe AS for Japan and its people. he writes
Of them with emotions Of delight:
Everybody smiles all the time. They smile when
you speak to them and when YOU don't They meet
you with a smile 1t the steps of their toy tea
houses and though they expect you TO take of your
shoes and enter in your stocking feet that YOU may
not hurt the pretty mats. and You have TO St upon
f.
are so glad TO you. and hand you the chopsticks
with which you are TO eat your rice IN sucn q
winning way that you would not offend one OF
their nconyenient little nrejudices Tor all the
world.
The strange relicioety OF India repealed and sad
dencd him. Indeed the Oriental ideal Of religion
was so utterly foreign to bis nature that 1t some
times provoked comments from him that were al
most fippant Its gloom and mysticism repealed
him. and he is glad 10 escape from 1t all TO the sun
light and simplicity which his nature craved.
The volume is merely a vivid and hfelike
picture of Philips Brooks. the man. but VIII be read
with interest as a record of travel While Bishop
Brooks was a profound philosopher and was
perhaps deficient in subtle analysis. he was keen
observer and told what he and felt rather
than what the guide books said should be seen and
felt The dominant note OF his character was "A
Soyous exuberance an absolute delight in life and It's
Infinite possibilities is admirably expressed III
the following letter:
Dear William: You are forty-nine years old to-
morrow. Are you glad or sorry Almost half
fcentury. you and the only bother about 1t Is
tthat there Is much less remaining; for life has
been very good. and wishes there were more OF
1t. L wish were all going to live to be 800