New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-03
DEAN STANLEY.
H..
MIR pROrHERO's BIOGRAPHY-wEsTyr
TER ABBEY AND ITS MEMORIALS-THE
PRINCE IMPERIAL.
London. December 20.

FL
PRINCE IMPERIAL.
London, December 20.
The biographer OF Dean Stanley. Mr. Row.
land T. Protnero. IS young man. unknown to
tho general public but well known at oxford.
where he was Fellow OF All Souls. He 10
known also in certain influential circles OF ltera-
ture and will presently be known still better
as successor to the late Sir William Smith In
the cditorship Of the Quarterly Review" Mr.
Murray chose him. they say. out Of more than
hundred applicants for that post; which. albeit
the palmy days OF quarterlIes seem 70 be past,
is still one OF considerable distinction.
The two volumes he has devoted TO the Life
and Correspondence Of Arthur Penrhyn STAN
lev. ID D., late Dean OF Westminster are 70
aome extent an expression Of youthful enthusi-
asm. Youthful IL relative term. MI.
Prothero is. believe, not far from forty years
of age. but I'm England he still counts as
young man. Bographers have an enthusiasm
OF their own no matter what their age, ana IL
IL greater row than There IL marked
tendency 70 overdo the personal history Of naSa
who are not OF the very first eniinence me
lives OF great men all remind us how much
greater they are to their own set than to the
world at large. Within the last few months
Of perusing Life OF Lord Sherbrooke in two
volumes. n Life Of Mr. w. H. Smith in two
volumes, a Life Of Pussy in two volumes, and
now here are two volumes OF more than
thousand octave pages, devoted to Dean STAN
ley. It Is too much, yet reading Mr..
Prothero's Preface one IS disposed to be crate
full that II is not more. Dean Bradley had be-
gun the Life Of his immediate predecessor on .
70 only no ID
had actually written a volume OF more than 500
pages, which brought Stanleys life down to
twenty-five years ~ age only. Mr.. Prothero
has mercifully compressed this into half the
space.
Even In its present form. this blogra ply must
be classed among those which are built up as
a great daily newspaper is built up. They are
not intended for any reader or ore class OK
readers Nobody reads everything in daily
paper Of twenty or thirty or forty pages, or
even In one OF eight or twelve. Few will read
the whole Of these TWO volumes about Stanley
But there is something TO interest everybody, or
everybody who cares at all about the man, or
about the religious history Of England from 1870
to 1880. very critical period.
Mr. Prothero has done his part Of the work
WELL with discretion. insight, good taste and, so
far as it Is critical with more fairness and
eQuanimity than the biographer, as SUCH Is wont
to show His personal knowledge OF Stanley
was not great. There was a wide difference OK
age between them. But the portrait he gives.
indebted he is 70 others for many or the feat-
ures 10 adequate and lifelike II not quite so
vivid as one would like II to be. SANKEY'S per-
sonality breaks out on every page where let
tiers are given, and often in the mere narrative
OF facts: so strenuous was he and so much alive.
The sensation and deep excitement created
by the lay lectures given in Westminster Abbey
upon the Deans invitation have not yet been
forgotten; nor. may add. forgiven. An eccesi-
astcal animosity outves all others. The first
lecture was in 1872 and the first lecturer in
vited was Professor Max Muller. That excel
lent person seems to have been little timid-
it is no wonderland his place was taken by
an unnamed missionary from India. Next year
Stanley again asked Professor Muller. reassur-
ing him by a statement that he had consulted
Lord Coleridge, who in his turn consulted the
Lords Justices a. TO the legality Of this expert
ment They all thought 1t legal Their opinion
left Stanley still apprehensive OF serious conse-
quences" but he persevered. 1t is curious TO note
the Indifference Of those who might have been ex-
pected to care most. THE Liberal papers very
slightly sympathized with the experiment. the
Nonconformist organs were studousy cold; and
Stanley himself felt that his experience OF the
results Of these exceptional services scarcely
justified their continuance" The performance
Of Bach's Passion Music on Mandy Thursday
in 1871 was resented almost as holly. One RE-
ligious" paper called it a concert; another not
religious, described him running sort OF
sde-show to the Crystal Palace. Yet similar
services are now common.
Stanley was "the soul Of the Abbey" says his
biographer rather a strong phrase. But he cid
all that one man could do, and more than any
body else would have done. TO widen and deepen
the general interest Of the English public In the
building and in its history. He was never tired
Of writing about II or Of showing II, or OF en-
larging the facilities. far he could, for the
admission OF the public. He delighted above all
things in acting guide to workngmen or
children who came to see the Abbey. There Is
nothing in this book more touching than the
narratives Of Stanley's relations with the masses
He derived fresh views from them, and en-
enlargement for his wide and human views
of religion and religious exercises. One work.
ingman delighted him by asking whether in
these great cathedrals all denominations did not
worship There are many such anecdotes
While Stanley was Dean. there We're fifteen
burials in Westminster Abbey. The public may
be surprised by the shortness OF the list. and
also by some Of the names on II. They are
Algernon Duke of Northumberland. Lord Pal
merston. Charles Dickens. George Peabody (tem-
porarily) Sir John Herschel, Grote the historian.
Sir George Pollock Lord Lytton. DR.. Livingstone.
Sir Sterndale Bennett SIR Charles Lyel. Bishop
Thrlwa, Lord Lawrence. Sir Rowland Hill. and
Lord Percy. OF these fifteen. Mr.. Prothero tells
u.s. the first and last were buried by prescriptivs
right In the Percy Chapel. They do not count
Some Of the other names suggest very strongly
at this day the untrustworthiness and evan
escence OF contemporary fame. How many Of
us can say off-hand who Sir George Pollock VAST
IIe however was buried In SANKEY'S absence
Sir Rowland Hill we remember a claimant
the claim is disputed-~for the honor Of inventng
or establishing penny postage. Stanley did not
want him either; 1t was the public press who