The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-02-29

|
light upon II.
! This collection contains also Executive
Document No. 226. OF the Fiftieth Con-
| grcss. first session. which con-
tains all the documents pos
sesscd by our State Department con-
corning the boundary between Nenezusla
and British Guiana. This book cannot
now be secured for love or money. i'ut
| 1t Is needless to partcularize iur''''''
| The collection contains the au'hen"o
1 sources of information upon'every aues-
ton which has been raised In our MS
tory.
We. OF course. have no criticism 10
make Of the Library Committee LOT me
view it takes Of the value OF TINS c''iec-
ton. Anything whatever is valuable OF
worthless according to the standpoint
from which the valuor views IT,
Before Thomas Carlyle puohshed ms
Life and Letters Of Oliver Cromwell the
prevailing opinion of Cromwell mad been
formed from the writings Of Roy1ists'
and II was most unfavorable 10 him.
Carlvle's book wrought a complete ieNo-
lptioo in public opinion concerning that
wonderful man. After the first e1iti'n
OF the work had appeared. Carlyle ie-
ceived n letter from gcnilcmi an, tcilifg
him he had thirty-hve original lc,'tfs
from oliver Cromwell. Of which Eo s'nt
him copies. to a man named Sp"i'''
who had been cornet all through 'ne
civil war. in Cromwelrs famed regiment
of Ironsides and who had sorvcd lh"'r
cromwell all The time ic comht rdea
that celebrated regiment. IL a'id'h 'na'
he also had a journal. kept by s. ir" OF
notable things that happened In tl" i'si-
mcnt from day to day. In giving al ac-
count Of the matter. Carlyle says.
"rbe reading of these old Cromvon
leftcrs,-bv far the most curious that idu
ever come TO me from such SOU
nroduced an immediate. earnest, almost
passionate request 20 have sishi o' 'u't
old journal by Samuel squire uil"''
any terms or any guarantee roh.' o"'
Why should my respeoiabe opii~i"S
,aarond.nt san hcsitatet These letters
had assured him. If he but sold the
originals AS autographs, were worm nun
areds of mounds. tho old journal - an
,,onside 1 priced As probably TN lnoSl
curious document in the archives o. f."S
land-a prizs not 20 oe estimated III tens
of thousands. II had become ro~S'pIe'
II seemed probable. and almost O. '1l"
that by diligent study OF lho-e "i' pa
,ers. hv examination OF th'h ~ w"
,,i,.roscoDcs. ia all varieties OF ieuls' lie
ari,slle figure Of Cromwcll's 4ro1sides
might be called into day. G." Toe S''l
-, onc. more face 20 face, IN me hh'"-
,,.n,s of very life journey an citse
- this unknown correspondent ann DIS
hidden papers-any Journey IT
seemed easy for such prize
The upshot of the business was mis-
The negotiations had been conducted up
to this point by letter. Carlyle's CORE
snondcnt showing himself to be an hon
est. well-moaning, but rather 9uil man.
The trouble about his giving Carlyle the
journal was this: Part Of his kindred
were descended from Roundhcais, part
from Cavaliers. and the embers of the
old feud still glowcd amongst tHem. lie
feared il he gave Carlyle this journal FOR
publication. he would stir mp the OLD
flames again So what cid he do lie
BURNT THE JOURNAL, and $" 'hdei
oil danger Of quarrel amongst MS kins-
folk. Carlyle says of it:
(which. once done. he still, with closed
Inns. with sacrihcial eyes. ard terrible
hand and mood, had gathered al his old
Puritan papers. great and smal-ifon-
side journal. Cromwell autogr lpns' and
whatever else there might be-and STEM
" consumed them. with FIRE let btyal-
ist quarrels i'm the family of wider cir
cles. arise now If they could 'luch
evil said he, mildly, to me, hereby Hes
hurled The element of resolution one
may well add, is strong in our family
unchangeable by mcu-scarcely by the
very gods! And so all WAS ashes ana
q strange apparition of the Past, ana
of a Past more precious than any other
is or can be. had sunk again into the
dead depths of night. irrecoveraoie' al
the roval exchequer could not buy II
back"
Now. this gentleman did mankind a
terrible wrong when he burnt TINS jour
nal. it was the only material in eN-
istence. so far as is known, from which
the real character Of the Puritan VINO re-
deemed human liberty could be painted,
and Carlyle would have given us por-
trait of him that would have ranked forev-
or amongst the masterpieces of the world.
I'm, this gentleman knew nothing Of the
value of his journal. and he is not there
fore. to be censured
so. from the standpoint Of our LIBRARY
Committee. our books are as valueiess 9s
the Ironsides journal was 10 Carlyle's
friend. and they are. therefore, no mere
to be censured than he was. But all The
same. this is the Historical Societys cp-
portunity. and it should hasten TO avail
itself OF il.