New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-14
THE BIOGRAPHERS.


T, Mr. Rae errs at all on the side of kindness
ne has a powerful excuse. Few men nave SUI
fered more than Sheridan through the malce
and Ignorance of historians, and few nave
been more disgracefully misrepresented by INC
very friends of whom most might have Deeh eA-
pected in appreciation and good taste. LIE
Prince Regents detestable conduct Is only one
OF the unsavory passages In the oeVeIopine"' "
Sheridan's fame through good and Ill 10 lis pres
ont stage of compare I've accuracy. His roya!
natrou had no reason 1o- thinking anything Out
kindness Of the statesman and Comrade VINO hao
ren,ained loval TO him IN the midst Of factonal
disputes that made fidelity not only expensive
but difficult; yet every one knows the kind OF
gossip which Croker passed on from my
roval friend" George ths Fourth. The same UNI
centlemanly parsonage who, as George the
Fourth. could contribute to the hun'llaoo" ..
Sheridan dead. was never averse as Prince OF
Wales TO pronting by the hard work "hich
helped TO bring Sheridan TO his grave. Croker
repeated the lies Of his exalted friend ana
what with the carelessness of Moore the stup'u
inaccuracy of Mr.. Percy Fitzgerald and the DOL
tomless ignorance of other writers too numerous
and too insignificant 10 be recorded here the
confusion around Sheriian's name has pecn
great indeed 1t would be injudiciouS, however
to ascribe this conf ision to the defects OF MS
critics alone Inc explanation IiSS d's' ~ '''~
character OF Sheridan himself hid in fact OF
his nature which Mr. Rae would be the last 10
acknowledge but which he himself in his can
dor helms 10 make manifest in unmistakable
outline.
This revealing fact is Sheridans inability 10
strike a major chord whether in politics or
business or dramatic composition: his failure 10
prove himself n truly great man. To MI Kae
such view Of his hero would apparently be In
credible, but minute scrutiny Of his own WORK
confirms the belief and that conception or Sherl-
dan goes far to explain why he has been so per-
sistently i'll treated. Fox had greater faults;
neither Pitt nor Burke was angelcaly perfect
but each one Of these three carries convection
with him TO this day because he had the marx
Of genius Of greatness. writ in clear characters
across his individuality Sheridan, according 10
Mr. Rae sis the greatest dramatist since Shakes
peare and the greatest orator who ever ad-
dressed the House of Commons. Unaffected by
detraction aud Indifferent to praise, ne now
moves among the Immortals as lhe formerly did
among the great ones Of earth. an equal among
his EQUALS" Corfning the discussion 10 only
one phase of this extraordinary panogyric, II
may be pointed out that. while Sheridan may
have surpassed Burke in the merely oratorial Gle
men.s Of oratory. he never touched MIN IN moran
force in the weight Of an enthusiasm compounueu
OF spiritual fervor. imprisoned patriotism intel
lectual and philosophical initiative 1t Is quite
true that the reception Of Sheridan's celebrated
reply on the second article Of the charge against
Warren Hastings, relating to the Begums OF
Dude has been unparalleled in the history or
the British Parliament: but the fact remains that
re,tber this nor ar; otn~- of his ora tons IL COM
narable for a none Z With the fines. speeches or
Burke The latter is cAescn az touchstone IN
the present instance because he shows 50 clearly
what Sheridan lacked-thc f. OF an intense pui-
nose. the sweep of a lo.ty r-:,nd. Follow Sher-
dan through the details Of his Parliamentary
career and II Is obvi ,us that. IN spite OF his
sncerity In spite Of his gifts in spite OF his devo-
t,on 10 his party he was always minor man. al
WAYS a link in the chain OF minor men that chung
At intervals in it's length to the heroic figure or
Pitt or Burke. IT is the tacit opinion or MT
Rae that Sheridan was kept out OF high place,
excluded from Cabinets. for no other reason
thac that he was an Irishman and the manager
Of Drury Lane Theatre. He alludes to the taunts
which Sheridan sometimes encountered even on
the floor of the House. and he would convey the
impression that they OF piece with the
whole movement In the political life OF England
et that time a movement which found man OF
Shertdan's extraction and vocations ntoer lble
aaa Cabinet officer Some truth Is 10 be granted
70 this hypothesis. perhaps but how much more
reasonable It is TO accept the inevitable ana
admit that Sheridan owed his lack of command
ing success to nothing more nor less than MS
shortcomings as man.
H.
MAN