The sun., 1899-07-01

Chinas convenient port. Mrs Bay.
where cutter. Hugh McCulpch. brought
News that most startling import bore
Orders that thrlld the Commodorel
His crews enthused, who keenly sought
For actual war!
These orders greet:
" Capture. destroy the Spanish heetr'
With lips stern set with countenance Arm,
With look that presag d battles storm.
Foreshado owing destiny! Said he,
While burned the lightning in his glance.
Rememb'rng the Names tragedy:
" Thank the Lordi Now, I've got the chance.
I'll wipe them II ON the seas expanseN'
And ordered prompt his fleets advancei
Historic. fatefu first Of May,
nation bursts its hondsi The hour.
The cause. brings forth tho man OF power
Dewey must meet. the coming day,
Montojo in Manila Bay!
Should Spain triumph what gloom would low er!
For rendezvous her fleets would go
To Honolnlu's open port
Pacihc's commerce cutting short:
From far Yuko n to Mexico.
Laying the west &C ast cities low
The battle OF Manila Bay Ia described with
much spirit. and the reader will feel that it
must have been considerable OF u battle 10 be
so Handsomely celebrated.
When the biographer and the man whose
life he recounts have so many points in COM
mon as have Prof. William Ireland Knapp and
George Borrow. the biography is sure to be en-
tertainIng, apart from any interest that the
life itself may have. To many people two large
volumes devoted to tho Life Writings and
Correspondence OF George Borrow" John
Murray: q. 7. Putnam's Sonsl may seem q
good deal. especially as the Writings" com
prise none Of the books by which he is known
OF late years. however. cult OF Borrow and
OF gypsy lore. limited perhaps In the number
OF worshppers. but all the more intense on
that account. has sprung up in England and in
this country. and for this circle the book Is
none too long. For Prof. Knapp Borrow has
been lifelong hobby: MY own acquaintance
with his writings" he tells us in his preface
dated from the time OF my entering college
The enthusiasm for linguistic and gypsy
studies with which he inspired my youth has
never suffered any decline these fifty years. or
allowed my love for his memory to grow dim
During long residence in the Peninsula
his lines OF travel were trodden over by me
manv times His book. therefore. reveals as
much about Prof Knapp in keen pursuit Of
hidden information about his hero IA it does
about Borrow himself and presents many de-
lightful pictures OF the enthusiastic antquary
running down his prey AS we have said. Prof
Knapp has much in common with his hero. Like
Borrow,he early gave way to polyglot tendencies
and acquired q knowledge OF many strange
tongues. He has held professorships OF Ian
guages In various colleges. including Yale and
the University OF Chicago. Like Borrow. too
he spent many years in Spain. employed in the
arid task OF evangelizing the Spaniards. and
came away with deeper admiration OF the
language. customs and country than most
Spaniards have. He may have had his own
experiences with mission societies also. He
seems likewise to have a fancy or n strong
sympathy for the picturesque" in language
and in life. This enables him to deal with
sympathy. instead of beir. shocked with. the
shader episodes In his hero's life. These are
venal sins, II they are faults at all. when Bor-
row is regarded as the gypsy. though they
would naturally bring censure upon Borrow
the Bible agent. They seem to be explained
by sullen reticence and secretveness in the
mans character which easily gave the i'm
preston OF lack OF veracity or at least dsin-
genuousn ess. and for which Borrow paid heavily
while he lived. through peoples lack OF conf
dence or actual disbelief In his statements.
While much is explained by Prot. Knapp his
eagerness to disclose new facts gets the better
OF any inclination to shield his hero. II he had
any such intentions. and Of this there is no evil
dence save his love and admiration for Borrow,
Bible Society's suspicious were not unjustin-
able. while he may have doubts as to Borrow
himself This immo!aton OF friend on the
altar OF truth is scientific. doubtless. but 1t
seems also unconscious. for from Prof Knapp's
standpoint little humbug or lack nf veracity
in the relations OF life Is immaterial when COM
pared with the truthfulness OF the impressions
recorded in the gypsy and the Spanish books
OF Borrow. There is for instance. an interval
OF seven or eight years in Borrow's life. which
he called the velcd period" and which he
kept secret In his books he drops hints as to
his having been In all sorts OF places in Europe,
in the Far East and in the West Indies and the
only period in which he could have travelled
is this interval. Prof. Knapp proves up to the
ht that Borrow was in Norwich trying hard to
earn a living by his transations all the time.
save for few months when he may have visit
ed Spain. Italy and southern France. and that
he could never have visited many Of the places
he mentions He was then sent to Russia by
the Bible Society to edit a Manchu Tartar
translation OF the Gospels A page OF the edi-
ton il reproduced by Prof. Knapp who con-
fesses his inability to Judge OF the work or to
say how much or how little Manchu Tartar
Borrow had been able to learn in Norwich. 1t
satisfied the Bible Society. however. The
Life" is not strictly a biography it is rather a
rows lie. in which no detail Is spared The
life itself. for the earlier years. Prof Knapp
holds. will he found in his editions OF "I.aven-
gro and The Romany Rye" which he looks
on as an autobiography. Here is specimen OF
Prof. knapp's method. He is hunting for Bor-
rows home
Pass seven small cottages known as the Seven
Sister" aud pause not til you reach place where
fuur ways meet You are now at Dumpiing Gr,rn.
ookinG up to the humble building on your right
observe sign swinging In the breeze. On the sign
note the EnGlishman's idea OF happiness, and the
words Jolly Farmers painted there. Step in: hc
vouli have done SO. Call for a pint" and sit
down in the strangers comfortable chair by the
open hre. Pay FOR the old mans half pint who ia
sitting on the bench against the wall with deal
table before him. He'll .ay thankee " and enter
into conversation with yoI,
Observe the Professors experienced caution
IN paving for only half pint. He has designs
on the old mans legs as well as his tongue. and
supplies Just enough LIQUID to lead him to tho