New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-16

-. e., command NJ a regiment In the foremost
line of battle. This. too under the eyes Vi
George II the last English King to risk his own
person on a battlefield.
Wolfe was a born commander. HIS loose
iointed figure, tall and awkward, his re'rea'ins
chin and his absurd profile conspired IN VAIN
against his success. He was. in fact' so hiucn
If n soldier that he was downright mo"o-
maniac on military affairs. Mad. Is he! was
the Kings retort to Newcastle. Then all can
cav is hope he'll bite some OF my geherais'
Those must have been generals or the same
brand that extorted from Lord North the refna'h
that he did not know what effect their NAMES
had on the enemy: but as Tor him they "aue
him shiver Mr.. Bradley, of course ovens o'l
.ha campaign which ended with the capture Vi
Quebec Never was the political face OF co"-
$50 changed co quickly or by slight force;
vet the real wonder OF the thing was ''e 0o"-
.,o., which the mind OF Wolfe made over his
fever.racked body He stood erect when by al
,,o nreceden,s Of therapeutics. he should have
been unable to get out OIL oed. MI p'"1'e' .
ss,imate Of him as a general is that in every
branch of soldiers duty in peace anu III "'
no had shown the highest capacity
Rv way OF introducing his account OF ii nuns
Cbanp.s career Professor Robert n. douglas
noints ont that the biographer OF 'hineSe
statesman has no hope Of aid from 'he PiN"'e
letters and diaries which are usually iorthco'n-
ing whenever the life of an Occidentai worthy -
70 he written He has probably perior'"eu ''''
task more impartially than 1t could nave pee''
done with such assistance as he would nave W.
sired. The portrait of the great Chinamah "nio"
he draws is anything but hattering from '"e
Western point Of view. 1t Is that OF man capa-
BILE by nature of the highest things VINO Is never
theess so hampered by his environment anu HIS
education that he accomplishes almost ho'n'ns
by open and honorable methods win all tne
narrowness and cunning and SUPERSTITION oi i''
race he still had the breadth of mind to conceive
the value of Western Inventions "hat nv mas
nevar been able to see is that half the value of
these inventions lies in the seH-rehahce' inc
courage the intelligence. the moral breeding Of
the races that use them He thought that 10 make
soldiers of his countrymen 1t was only necessary
n drill them European fashion and to arm them
with European weapons. But his forts, his ships
and his guns were useless to a people who had
no wish to fight who may be assassins but do
not make soldiers.
Except in the internal troubles Of the Empire
Ii has never shone as a military man. There he
has been uniformly successful. though in the
probably have failed without the aid of Gordon.
In diplomacy he has impersonated the Chinese
ideal of tenacjtv and heXibility; yet in his life
time he has Welded oftener than he has forced
his foreign adversaries to yield. He has never
given IN until every alternative was exhausted:
and even now he seems to have wrested from
japan by astute diplomacy the most important
fruits Of victory besides tran sferring the burden
OF future war to other shoulders than those Of
China. Professor Douglass narrative is an at
tractive one
Mr. loves brief biography Of Prince Bismarck
has the advantage of being prepared by one VINO
had already written elaborate work in the
conventional two volumes. He knows where 70
be compact and where to dlate upon his
material. AS much has come to light in the IN
terval Of ten years since the larger work was
published. the present volume has the additional
merit Of correcting and experimenting besides abb
breviatng its predecessor. The narrative OF
events in the career Of the great protagonist in
the drama of German unity is here told with
vigor and rapidity that awakens the readers en-
thusasm 1t is hard to conceive outside of ro-
nance theme more complete in all its phases.
The man Of blood and iron left nothing undone
so far as the special task of his life was con-
telling Of It, and it loses nothing in the skilful
hands Of Mr.. Lowe.
There are not many anecdotes in what stuart j.
Reid calls his monograph on the life of Lord
John Russell One Of the most characteristic
relates an incident in which the artist John
Leech figured. 1t was in the days Of the Eccle-
siastcal Titles bill, waymark in the rltualistic
controversy and the pro-Cathoc movement
which almost upset Broad Churchmen like Lord
John Russell The bill which forbade bishops Of
the Catholic Church taking territorials was more
rhetorical than practical in its effects. and it
brought censure from both sides the head OF
Lord John Russell, who was then in his first term
as Prime Minister. The law remained dead
letter for twenty years and was then repealed
without protest in 1871 OF course Leech saw
the humor Of the thing and made the readers OF
Punch" see 1t, too "Do you remember" said
Lord John afterward to a friend. "a cartoon in
Punch where l was represented little boy
writing NO Popery a wall and running
away" The answer adds Mr. Reid, was a smile
of assent well" continued Lord John. that
was very severe and did my Government great
deal Of harm but was so convinced that it was
not maliciously meant that sent for John Leech
and asked him what could do for him. He said
that he should like nomination for his to
the Charterhouse and l gave 1t to him. That
is how I used my patronage"
Mr. Reid defends his use Of the title Lord
John" in preference to the later one Earl Rus
SELF by saying that 1t was more agreeable to
Lord Russell himself Among the specific feat
Of the volume is an explanation by the late
Lord Selborne of Earl Russells relation to the
Alabama affair and to the Geneva arbitration
He makes the point that the United States have
not yet strengthened their neutrality laws, though
these need IL much. in his view. as those of
Great Britain did before 1870 He also insists
that Lord Russells conduct was not dictated by
any feeling of unfriendliness toward America
The book contains some personal "reminiscences
written out for the author by Mr.. Iecky the his
toran. Mr.. Reds book is In fact brief political
history Of England from the beginning Of the era
of Parliamentary reform down 10 the date Of
Lord Russelrs death. The narrative, while