New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-20


| found himself and the finished maturity OF Greek
| thought The comparison was not always easy
| on the one hand he had the records ana results
| of social conditions which had been modified anu
perfected by centuries OF action and habit ana con-
! temptations on the other. he looked out upon
! multitude busily making place for itself IN What
! had recently been a wilderness. Most men OF
learning in Swings position laid aside tne'r sluueS
and took the color of their %urrounphS'. Ih''
made themselves believe that such studies were
| frivolous amid the urgency and excitement anu
camor OF a population nervously eager TO get on
! and profoundly indifferent to the amenities OF NE
! But Swings training as student and later as
professor Of Latin and Greek made 1t Impossible
! for him to cast off the rich garment OF cidsSlcd
culture. lie had made place for himself In one OF
those charming retreats OF learning with which the
desert of life began to be studded even DC
fore the first quarter OF the century was past ana
in that rerea, he would have lived ana died rah'r
than leaving il. to leave behind the thouSh'S anu
the books which he cherished
The delays caused by his reluctance to abandon
the sheltered nook in which he had taken Iel"Sr
were OF use both to him and to the people whom
he finally Joined. lie discovered me'hods-soine 'i
them a trife dubious and sophstical IN the HGn'
OF stric;er scholarshp-by which he could not only
continue the life he had chosen. but could make II
attractive to others The people on theiF Sde'
found that they must take Swing with his classics
and his literary or y. him alone Na'ura"E'
there was compromise. The people did iol care
! much Homer DemoStneneS OF Ni'''" W
! Virgil or Sophocles. even for Dante hut tn'H
cared a great deal for Swing. and If Swing chose
! to talk about those dead and dusty ancien's they
willingly listened. They tried 10 understand h'''
! and it is easy in the essays al mana no" ne
tried to give what might be called local ana con-
temporary meaning the past OF when ne "'-
lighted 10 speak. He indulgenuy explained ihlnES
which re would have merely touched. under dIiei-
ent conditions too familiar for eAtendeI COM
ment Swing compared Virgins patron Fo.ho 10
Boss Tweed Philip of Macedon TO a modern l'p-
byst and amused his hearers 10y showing now
! executors wasted the patrimony OF DemostAchcs.
every much of our personal peace ne S"d' CONT
! from contemplating the profound rascality OF 'h'
| past" Wherever there was the SHADOW OF an ~
cuse for comparing things that his readers or near
ers were Intimately cognizant Of Win ancient al
! fairs he was sure to make the comparisons Inc
result was not accurate knowledge impaired !" '''
nearer hut a vivid suggestion, an awakened H'''''
in what would have been greeted under otheF ued'-
rnent with a sniff OF contonted ignorance III max
| ing concessions OF this kind to time and pace
Swing shut himself off from tho further reaches
of scholarship. 1t Is not certain but tha' inc COM
munity which ne had 50 great share IN eauca'le
grew beyond his tutelage before pc dIsapPe'I''
! from the scene The habit Of making reconHi'e
things easy was one he could not have cast aside
even II he found II useless In later years IL t.
! acted by narrowing the field when ne cuI'""'V'
as a student. He hardly more deeply iearh'''
! II the volumes in hand may be taken as testimony.
/
University But he had upheld his IDEAL and he hai
made II the ideal less devouily cherlsh'i
by thousands of others Learning was no longer
! sconed at something impracticable, remote from
the needs of a country AMI growing Cu's
Or the contrary, /; was vital necessity
The two little volumes neat specimens OF the
Lakeside Press. But the title on ne BACK OF Inc
binding is marrsd by word divided between Two
lines At the first glance is almost sure 20
I read 'Old Pig: the hyphon seems to much part
Ike q. A
small matter but small bemshes become obtTusi'e /
in the long lifetime of a well-used book
manners. Customs and Observance" Nacmilian
Col by Leopold Wagner. is compact referen' .
book on topics indicated by its TILE. 1t is lmiiei
mainly to practices which are In existence al inc
present day. or likely 10 he called 10 in.hA 10y |
popular books. The author has himself depehie'
as far as possible men rather than on primer +
material His plan is to arrange his facts In such /
order as to be readable while the use OF his book or
reference is facilitated by ccpous index. Inc
paragraphs numbered and the mueN IooN9
| these numbers not those Of the pages Fuiler IN
formation will probably be the demand OF some VINO
find certain topics treated briefly or negatively. For
! examp)e on the curious subject OF tonsure the
author says In effect merely that 1t was not pra'-
tised In the early centuries OF the ChuTch 'h"' u
was not obligatory. nor Of any fixed chaTdcteFlSHcs
for some time after II was adopted. ana i.ot u""H
still later was its form varied to indicate the rank
/
the matter fails 10 account for famous dispute be-
tween the Irish churches and the Church OF Rome
and for the curious fact that the Celtic tonSuic'
from ear TO ear. extremely Ike that OF some
! Asiatic rnonastics VINO were not CHRISTIANS" ana
who still retain the ractice, If travellers may ~
trusted 1t does not account for the difference be
! tween the shaving Of the whole head in the Eastern
| Church and the Roman corona tonsufe. Again. "
Is 10 be imagined that the author mas JUST reEeISe
the facts when he attributes the antipathy to red
! .l.,, Ind1
that the ordinary prejudice OF the black -headel
r,ces which goes back least to very early tn's'
! IL not 10 the origin of civilization was inc ca".e
! OF the Judas myth To the mocern AraD req ha''
! and blue eyes are still unpleasant sight. Iuih-
ing TO a matter that Is nearer home-is the practice
| universal which is indicated In these WORDS me
reason why there are many American heresses
| in the European marriage market IS because
wealthy parents In the United States inVarlapy
leave the bulk OF their money 10 their daughters
and very little comparatively to their sons VINO
| are expected to make their own way in the worid
by their natural gifts? mat worn F"''"''
has a very emphatic sound
II gives one feeling Of chance in the game OF
u,arature when one hits two books with the same
title The only trouble in the present case Is thdt
AN Introduction to English Literature ana more
.-,oev ..Jntroduction to English Literature, DeloA6
/ 70 the elias. which a newspaper head'lhe' "ou'u
he sure to discard. Some other ie'ow WIZ t"iiih
OF that" would be his Thought. But inc i'''
between II. s. Pancoa.t's IAN Introduction TO Eng
Ush Literature Henry Holt Coz and PROFESSOR
y V n Painters 'IntroductiOn to English Litera-
tire" Ueach Shewel & Sanborn) is more obvious o'
the title page than anywhere else MI i""0o"S'
! q, . nro,,ions volume collected specimens, ana in
| tho nresent one confines himself TO study OF 'he
successive periods. Professor Painter devotes ms
volume largely to quotation. usually OF some entire
work representative Of given tme' nc
devotes more attention in proportion 70 biography
| 49,, -, NJ parcoast The latter has expanded
h,s work on the side OF critical estimates, ana
study OF the conditions that affected the producuonS
! e'u'' w N profeesor Painter has