New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-08
adopted his methods. Until that time they
would, perhaps. be not only surprised. nut scep-
teal
~

A book like this must inevitably divide men
into two camps one of them, and that. we nave
no doubt. the larger protesting that never De-
fore was the biography Of a great soldier maue
so concrete and convincing. The other side
might retort that this Life Is "scrappy ana
misleading The pictures aim above all innings
at making the facts Of the biography palmer
but how far they are from doing th's mas peen
shown above The Valence drawing Is TYPICAL
There are many fine portraits included ou. Tic!
are not more numerous than such apsurui''es a'
the one just quoted, or that other entitieo' Inc
Infant Napoleon in the Room OF Ills bir'h'
This is a beautiful sketch in the effective style
Of illustrative art, such sketch as one wou'o
like to find in novel, such sketch as might DE
counted unon TO start sentimental thoughts In
the mind of every one who surveyed the grace
full and fashionable mother seated by the cradie'
or guessed at what the baby might be IKE IN
visible in the later The question IT, Have we
any place In our historical 1magnations ior
the sentimental fact" Of this drawing? Can
didly we think Professor Sloane Is hurt by
drawings of such character, and. while they
would seem trifling enough II they were rev
In number and unimportant in purpose. they
are really serious menace to his ultimate posi-
ton as a historical writer. unless an edition OF
the life" is brought out in two three volumes
without a single plate in II from beginning to
end Month after month in the magazine which
first brought forward this work he has accus.
toned his public to studying him as kind of
literary lecturer with new pictures constantly
turning up on the screen. SO interesting are
many Of those pictures. artistic are some OF
the least useful of them. that 1t Is incredible
that those readers have ell kept the balance
true between the lecture and the screen II VIII
readily be seen that disturbance OF that bal
ance means in some sort n Illustration OF the
purpose Of the book.
This may seem a rather ungracious conclusion
but 1t really springs from sympathy with the
aims of author and publishers. What they nave
tried to do Is obviously right. UP to n certain
port: but in the presence OF such drawing as
that to which reference has last been made the
most sympathetic critic feels constrained to In
sst that the limit of illustrative art has been
reached. The student wants history OF Ma
poeon. not a picture book. He Is suspicious OF
a work which threatens to be the latter. III he
is not suspicious II Is melancholy sign that ne
is not qualified to make the necessary reserva-
lions and that he is piling up misc exceptions to
be some day regretted by the author much as
himself The great life Of Lincoln by Messrs.
Nicolay and Hay: the war papers published by
y,
the pen and the pencil could do In collaboration.
But these were historical writings In the ilustra-
ton Of which the artist could rarely go wrong
He had documents to base his drawings upon;
he had photograp hs and contemporary sketches
beyond counting he could visit hundreds OF the
scenes involved. and find them practically un-
changed When only twenty-five or thirty years
have passed. literature and art can corle together
in the production Of histories and never once fall
out But n hundred years after the event thcy
are bound clash. Crises. scenes. personalities.
are all 10 a great extent out OF reach ny that
time Literature then can do ruch t. revive the
aspect OF the past. and Its appeals to the mag
nation are legitimate. Art can do great deal
less and when IL touches the imagination In the
wrong way by much as "A hairs breadth IL
runs the ris. Of ringing the whole structure
toppIlng to the ground. We have named some
well-illus.rlted histories. In fact. the illustrated
edition Of Green's short History and the spicn-
did volumes Of the Lincoln Life" prove once FOR
all that good illustrated histories can be- made.
But the present volume demonstrates that the
illustrator may go too Oar and suggests that
the making Of such histories be put upon sys-
tematic purely historical basis.