New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-09

80 LESSON IL swIFTS LIFE.

THE LIFE OF JONATHAN, SWIFT: nean s o, 81
rdtion with Portraits. Vol ]. 70 XIV 49,
Voi H. Tp ia. 81 Macmillan a ca.
The case II swift is one 81 those apparently
yh,ch writers and readers Of biography are
drawn 70 by morbid curiosity rather thhn
healthy interest. It WIS a case ~ suNeiihs IN
which az usual. the misery - IN" man was "'-
counted 10 him crime. ana there are "i'S
a few Incidents here and there In the narrative
which are ~ any value for euc!dhiIne MS "'fKS'
Mr. Crak in the interval Of eleven years since
the first edition ~ his book was pupl'she1' mas
really found little To change in IT. Matters are
SIN In dispute that have always been So ana
the ATTEMPTED solutions 4 the insolubic look a.
useless ever
Ifu ver. possible thoroughly 10 understand nv
nature Of the disease in the brain from ""'"
swift suffered all his NE II might Il" easy ~
unravcl the mystery OF his career ana "'"''s''
4. tho case stands. IT is diNcut to see how he
satisfied his own mind Ia respect I" VIVA was
,l.,nlv q lifelong Inconsistency I'm his conduct.
Hts hatred II mankind was not solely pheh""-
oman Of his cmbittered maturity. Glmpsrs of IL
are given In very early pieces from his pen Tn
doubtedly the feeling was strengthened 10y
,.ou,b ~ dcnendence Thu favors that were doled
ont "a him bv his relatives were not pleasant I"
,,Lo and the manner In which they were given
made them worse than unpleasant The expert
once 81 his early years woke In him hercc 'e-
sire for Independence. II he had been an idea
n,isanthropc such as is depicted In the character
of Tlmon of Athens. he would have found inns
! indepcndence In the comparative s"h'uh' '"i
| country rcciory. Nor would the wn'ihsS i'r
which he is st famous have been lost 10 'ne
world necessarily by such scclusion Ihe I'M
mense store Of pamphlets and political aru''es
yould mover have seen the light. and slight would
! no the deprivation. But The Battle oi '"e
/ Rooks' and The Tale of the Tub and quill
-vcr's Travels" were all written largely, II not
/ wholly in the comparative solitude oi 'he '"""-
,r, ar ~ his home I'm ireland. In the turmoil
Of London he may have found mater'ai lot NE
satro hut the best Of It was not shaped ana
sbarpened there Nor Is there any observation
{, these works SO profound that it might not have
occurred to solitary. alert to the movements
=, humanity AZ we'll as to a fussy man ~ ar
fairs But Swift was not ideally misah'hroP'''
Loneliness was az rksome to him as to the most
! ar,ood ontimist He could not remove him
! col, from, deuendence on his kind He earned MS
| GUN living but even In doing this ne ch"se q
| ,,o,bod which hound him to obligation, as " MS
o,rnipgs were a gratulty How man VINO was
Ga clever RI perceiving distinctions allowed TINS
! contradiction between his opinions ana MS prhc-
uce to last through his life IT Is hard to under
| stand He could not endure life without man
| kind and vet he hated mankind lie couid not
bear the race and yet he loved indlviduas' lie
was tender and charitable on occasion. but de-
spised himself for the weakness. lie was religious
but secretive In his devotions; an efficient parti-
san Of the church. yet censured as sccpuc'
wise and courageous In his political writings
fussy and consequential and inefficient when NJ
really had to handle affairs. Nature had marked
him aor life II laborious retirement. ana he
pervcrsely chose to shatter his nerves and stmu
late his temper by dancing attendance on min
listers who could value him. but could not reward
him.
His biography Is that OF n man with two mutiiHlj
destructive ambitions. Not even the guesses about
the disease which finally merge l in something
near insanity can account for this discrepancy
Ills gIddiness and deafness might well have
served to drive him away from the Court On
the contrary, nothing could do tina; except the
certainty that preferment equal to his labor'
was not t6 be obtained. BY some instinct he
! had been kept for years at work In the cause OF
humanity The people whom he despised had