New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-21
VICTORIAN ENGLAND.
HISTORY. STATISTICS AND PERsoNAl1A

H1crORY. STATISTICS AND PhHoO'> - LII -
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Ue,a'C INKS y, FORMATIONS OF The yICEonIIAH
IeE saey q Court a 70 c0nPct5 Hs-lts ~ scners
History OF oyR OWN TIMES FROM s IssS T9 9o TAH
DIA n "a 'U oHar1eT & 2 Bro 1S
pKIVArE LIFE or THE STElN BY psoa M1moe' p Dt
n, Sp a SSy-i H. AJ Apsision c. y.
THE PERSONAL LIFE OF GUEEN, 7 y1oT 8SSd M. s
ssTsh a. Iooley Octave pp F'' -'0
vcToa4 QUEEN AMP EMPRESS 5s sisy Tf f'a
# isTas 81 Daily TeissTaeh." ssHto-ee0im0' Dp 10
Gongmans. Green CD v,,,
,r5D VICTORIAN ERA BY Anderson u'HI nnos .c,mo
seventy-fVe Illustrations alt TWO hHHpS
Do VII pa U>onenans. Green q CO..
To the sixth and last volume OF Dr. a. ~ ram
.soc,ol England" over thirty authors nave con
,'.~s rb,s rect alone is enough 70 put their
Io,r, product OF seven hundred pages INTO ma
I,nb's category Of books that are no BOOKS OiiIy
n morbid passion for seif-mproveInent oou'. IIou'
one 10 read consecutIvely a compendium "a 80 20,
tics annals and critical comment touchhs WI"
corsc,entjous inclusiveness on every phase Oh o'o
I,,,,.h I,,o,ira and uttered from :hrtyodd points
=, ,5ow No doubt It would be difficult 70 crown
within the same compass a greater NUMBER OF s's
nidcanr facts; they are a monument 70 the eu.'o
industry Occasionally succession OF these IAo''
forms = readable narrative Of few pages AURA
ton Mr. Varrer's history OF the railway systoH' Il
notably narrative Of this sort; but the voiCfs D.
. rrboIa ia TOO disiointed 10 leave definite I'M
rrass,on on the mind. II is an encyclopedia Will
ON, TIA snovcopsedia's facilities foT ready REFER
ence. .,
II must be admitted, however. that rev ehcy'io-
nndios-indeed few compends Of any sort-aTe SO
fn,ltt may
Mr.. Trails own rulings, no one has ever touhu
him uncertain In thought or speech. HIS pre-eml-
nent virtue is a wholesome sort OF courage NO. 10
there one Of his colleagues who has moi c@usH'
something of this spirit. They put facts lncsNey'
criticism pungently. Though IN attacking the SUI
iect Of English history along It's entire BOUNDARY
they have committed themselves 10 a desultory ana
tnefreotive campaign, they have set about theiT
work in lively guerilla fashion For rahdoth reao-
ing-if one may venture to take such an HloF
book 30 lghty-for tho aimless diversion whioh
come, from turning loaves and catching from 'lo
pages as they pass, isolated ana chanCe so'i'e0oN
no book could be better.
Ons turns with something Ike relief from such
congeres Of though they are-io
any treatise which has point 10 score or oehhl'e
phase OF life 10 depict. Any purpose is. perhaps
better than none. From this point or view tho
underlying thought Of Mr. Escotts Social Trans
formations in the Victorian Age" IS heartily well
come Mr Escott's style IS never very fluent at
times I reads very disolntedy, the force OF his
facts is weakened by his general dinuseness OF
style and some Of his statements OF fact are aston
ishinCly Inaccurate, but he directs himself 70
definite object; he has set himself TO draw consoia-
ton for the reflective from the progress OF the
Victorian age.
For this misuse he has some great natural sd-
vartages. He has. FOR one thing an aptitude Tor
comment upon life. His pleasure IN chat and sos-
sip combines with bis seriousness OF temper to give
an ar Of benlgnant gravity 70 his work II his
rea dness to draw suggestive deductions from riv-
ial facts may a, times impair the foroe of his ar
ecInent Il always serves 20 heighten the interest
OF his narrative There is certainly ground for
suspecting that we Of this generation have heard
more OF our superiority over our fathers than =
quite good for r. however. the news OF our
virtues must be broken TO US no one Is better
fitted for the task than Mr.. Escott. He is TOO ur-
bane TO deafen ears even with our own prai g
His work is attempered to q modest generation. He
approaches his subjec: indirectly. subtly, remote -
as if-moet delicate hattery-he feared It might be
a truth not altogether welcome.
To one quite ready to accept the present age OF
its own highest valuation. all this Is very crafty
ing II Is possible to conceive. however, that TO
some gentleman Of the old school, II. indeed, hg
ure 50 distinctive OF the past still anywhere sur
wives, Mr.. Esoott's book. Notwithstanding It's re-
assuring tone, might prove by means tranquil
LIKING reading. Even with such critics dismissed
present everything IN agreeable light will not
inspire unrnixed gratitude. There some things
which there is no advantage In presenting at all
unless accompanied with pan for their aboli-
ton reform These Mr. Escott with gentle In
s!stence enforces upon attention. coating them
with palliathg and negotiating phrases He
has such a disnteres:ed desire 10 share with his
reader the delectablty Of sugar-coatng that quite
unaware OF the discomfort he IS causing, ne for ces
many Pill down the readers throat. Even this
process. however, is moro agreeable than his de-
malls Of the existence Of evs-of modern noisy
self-assertiveness. for instance-which the reader
has long Hattsred himself he has accepted with
stoicsm. After schooling ones SELF 70 endure
with good nature the aggressive imperunencss OF
the nouveau richo. II Is not gratifying 70 be told
that such class in reality exists. and that the
unpleasant associations with the term are the
creations OF a distorted Imagination. In matt9r
of this Mr.. Escott. courteous and urbane
though he Is, is but poor authority. He is much
of socologst TO care s!xpence for mere matters
OF taste. and cannot conceive that any one else
really sets any store by them. In his comment
on the Victorian Age he invites us 10 criticism
where no place is given 20 genuine discrimination
and no respect accorded 10 considerations Of pro-
priety. The reflective readers Mr.. Escott would
appeal TO will not find the result pleasing Tho
Victorian Age has Il. gloros but they are not en-
HANGED by an uncrtioal association with ts bsnl-
fishes, its oruslties and IT'S vices.
There 10 far In Matthew Arnolds definition
of literature as tho criticism Of lie than appears
On the surface. 1t is definition that takes cog
n,sance not only OF the substance but OF the tone
and temper of letters. Discrimination is not only
essential 10 literary thought. but II is es-
sential which, more than any other. nparts 10 1T
erary expression It's flavor and aroma To the re-
fectve. the contemplative in other words the 1T
erary temper. indiscriminae praise and indlscrirn-
inate blanc are equally allen To recognize how
great Is the disparity between them one nsed only
turn from Mr.. Esco,t's TO Mr.. MoCarthy's review.
Of modern progress, for. unlike Mr. Escort Mr.
MCCARTHY 10 primarily Of lstters He has
been TOO active figure in English politics to be
impartial-few Intelligent ere impartial on
rnatters that concern pational az ~ A.