The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-19

wcr, the classes above Dofoe's Joseph Add
son CieT.iTla, q chufchman, a scholar and {
fellow Of Masdsicn College Oxford. received
training that called out his affinity V
the studied grscos Of tho Latin spirit
His early lines on The Greatest Eng
lish Poctsr were ominous, both In form
and Judgment OF bis mature limitations But
he knew Latin poetry. and could Write He had
umid. bu, true, sensibility 70 pathos and worth;
be also had an ideal OF fnish with which, in his
prose, ho never tempered; and some OF his en-
dowment he may. perhaps have gained from his
study Of Virgil His hymns have tnkling,
popular quality: but bis Other English verse Is
naught Including tho Campaign, which got him
his frst prefermcnt from the Whlgs He helped
Steele In Ths Taller. which only lasted I'LL JAM
uary, iii. The Spseiofor was begun on March
1 Of the same year. Addison who had great
share Of what the French call suite or power Of
sucking 70 thing and developing H. soon governed
The Spectator which organized far more highly
the framework and the general plan Of The Tofler
with certain additions and now devices. The
frst sovon volumes Of the paper wero ended by
tho beginning Of l713. which also witnessed tho
theatrical success Of Addison's Cato. Tho tale
II familiar Of The Spectators voeue Of IL sur
wing despite the Stamp act Of the numbcrlcss
early imitators, Of Addison's various signatures
Of his gradual capture Of the control and the ap-
plausc, from tho hands Of Steele, who had no
head for management Of his successive invcn-
tons like tho occasional poem Popo's MessfdM
and the Saturday serious article, or sermon, or
criticism: and Of tho surprising changefulnoss
Of the daily faro The Gudrdian, started In
ms. vas al hrst written on tho same lines a.
The Spectator and BY both partners. bu, was
broken of BY Stecle's sallying quality. His
pamphlets on Dunkirk and tho Succession quos-
ton led 70 his tilt with Swift and expulsion from
the House OF Commons. The Enoltshmon was
his independent sheet conducted In the samo
cause In l7l5. Addison produced alone, nifty
nve numbers Of The Freebooter. an ingenious
manifesto designed. BY persuasion sprnkled
with wit 70 reconcile the propcrtied classes 70
the II ouso OF Hanover. Twoyears later, its author
was made Secretary Of State for the Southern
province: this was tho acme Of his hse In once.
Before his death In Inc he had contributed 10
the Oh whts somc papers In animadvcrsion Of
Stcclo's Pisb~tan, which was put forth In honest
but somewhat maladroit dissdence from the
whirs Steele who lived ten years after Add
son produced other pamphlets and periodicals.
tho chief Of which. Ths Theofrs. cntAnslcd him
In a quarrel with Dennis- His Conscious
Lover u722) was his last success and he died
in pocuniary embarrassment
posed aruHcially by Steele upon comedy. and
destroyed i,s vitality. The samo purpose lent
nerve and suil Givosifo TO many Of his periodical
yritnRa which arc repleto with oxporionco and
emotion Magnanimity, bravery, chiyairy wero
not 70 Steele moro tcxts for academic discourso
His accent In commanding them In tho aama
an that In his personal, reminiscent de,criptons
Of gentle and pleasing scenes family affection
and delicate oourtship Hence his charm. even
In his didacuc essays: In PASSAGES like the death
OF Eacourt tho comedian n Ia much greater
Mr. El,on thinks that ste.le's Ar h., hen often
underrated: his Characters Of Callls,beno, and
hcetus Arc pronounced far bcyond the inooheront
Kind and mutt. ns .ood an ,nv.
thing Of the sort In Addison On the other hand
steele's Eastern Talon critical attomp,. and the
like arc tentative Hi, position among men
Of greater metal Ia parallel with Goldsmitb'.
by puro virtue Of ,emperamen,. stoela like Gold
smith, strikes on thing. that ar, hid from the
Wise and prudent Not onlv Of dab, and b,nk.
rupt-y did no sneak feelinely. hut Of charity
and death. and Of tho duties ve owe and the ueo.
e.,no.. o, r,,,ospect Addison Tor nj. na,t
was impersonal Hts etft consisted in . Mica
skill having oer,.in sfbp,t,o. u
] .ne Austen. with which tn. S,.aato,. a, ia
.acbod note takine mind uove ,ro,t. together
Tn. world of manor bou,c and COFFEE hou,r which
he recreatod for us he rememberod with .,,srtly.
and humorous nicely that In called feminine
tathor because Il IA rare among men than
because Il In common among women, In the
-oyerlry and Honeycomb papera and In nj,
ycntle slits on tho Italian opera or ON pa,ehea
u on the use Of the fan or on other lite ynpito.
Addison MA. tho explnrer of A new Kind of mo.k.
.ry, and It's master An he leaned moro upon-
his aim To -enliy,n morality Win nj, and t,ur.,
Interested, his service became moro purely epho-
neral When he diluted Locke 90 Pascal. and
played the thinker. he became provincial His
'erious attitude toward women was less sound
han Steeles: he was himself too hnntcky. too
ike what he imagined them 70 boL lot him
air-scl II TO tho worlds end for me- the modern
eader may well cry with Swift In tho moro
'olemn parss Of his programme Addison's style
. supernciAlly better than tho matter. like much
II Cicero Tho ear may not long. at least in
'rnso, be satisfied with what satisfies nothing
lse Hence Addison hos no real hold as Q writer
IN tho later world. though the effect Of his In |
tnctvo balance and debility Of speech passed |
nto literature for al least as much a. II |
sas worth. II should be acknowledged that
\ddison's handling Of Milton. Of Shakespeare |