The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-26
THE WAR WITH SPAIN. BY Hem
ry Cabot Lodge. Price $3.50. Harper
Brothers. New York.

and be widely read is Henry TABOR
Lodges 'aThe War With Spain" In
the true sense of the word it can not be
called al history of the war with Spain.
Indeed it may be doubted that Senator
Lodge will ever be able to write his
tory as the term is understood in mod
ern times. He has not the historical
temperament. History is always and
necessarily largely the record of con-
troversy 1t may be the ephemeral squab-
BILE of political parties over the issue of
the hour or the century-lon contest of
rival peoples for supremacy, but the con
troversy is sure to be there and
the historian must deal with it. Mr..
Lodge could not be the spectator of a
controversy. His temperament would
not suffer it. He must be a particl-
pant or nothing, and the man who Is en-
gagged in disputation has neither the
time nor the viewpoint for history
writing He may write well. Mr.. Lodge
does that. He is apt to write foroeful-
~. Mr. Lodge does. But IN no ease
viii he write history Mr.. Lodge hardly
pretends ito in this instance. 1t is
merely book, and Il very entertaining
ore. be it said, of go pages, about the
war with Spain.
However greatly the reader may en-
JOY a perusal of this book, TASK for
an afternoon only, he is apt 10 segret
that Mr.. Lodge could not restrain his
tempe1amental fondness for combat IN
one or two particulars. To have done
so would have in no wise detractcd from
the interest of the book and would nave
added vastly to the weight Of the Gu-
shor's conclusions. He appears t. Lave
not only made himself a party to what
ever of controversy fell within the nat
ural scope and province of the work,
Lut to have gone considerably our OF
his way to wake sleeping dogs, and,
despite the wealth of material and liTi-
tied space for handling it, to have lug
ged in certain matters that TO the
ordinary reader will appear rather re
motely associated with the subject in
hand.
AS an instance of the above. Senator
Lodge finds with cock-surity that Is
worthy of Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, to
whom Mr.. Lodge bears no little lit
erary likeness, that slavery in the South
30. years ago was responsible for the
war with Spain in 1898. If there had
never been any slavery in the United
States. Cuba would have been free
long ago with no occasion for the war;
says Mr. Lodge somewhat resentfully.
Possibly not and possibly so. 1t migm
also be observed. with equally unim-
peachable logic. that if Columbus had
never discovered America there would
never have been any war-and Mr..
Lodge would never have written any
book about it. Therefore Columbus was
responsible for the war and for Mr..
Lodges book. People in this part cf
the country have come to understand
Mr.. Lodge somewhat, however, and 10
expect that whatever he may write
something openly or coyertly disparaging
TO the South will appear in it. Mr.
Lodge is an abolitionist born out Of
time-his mania for saying disagreeabIe
things Of the South seems to please him.
To us it is as empty as Cato's ''Delenda
est Carthage and we can afford to
smile at it as the Senate probably
smiled at the monOmania of the pom
rous old Roman.
In eagerness to be in the thick OF tn
fray, however, Mr.. Lodge has thrown
down the gauntlet in another quarrel
where he is likely to be most willingly
accommodated He has taken sides in
all the bitter partisanship of the New
York Sun. This in Mr.. Lodge seems a
particularly nnseemly thing. He is n
United States Senator and may be
called upon to judge impartially az &
the deserts of the one commander or
the ether in Recommendation for pro-
motion. A petty and spiteful cabal at
best. Mr.. Lodge could very well have
II u -.
is not the worst Mr. Lodge whatever
he may call it, is in some sort writing
history, and his attempt to PREJUDICE
and prejudice the case of gallant
naval officer in the eyes of history VII
appear to the fair minded as little short
OF contemplate. The public is weary
Of the whole miserable business in tfe
newspapers and might very well have
been spared it in the more permanent and
prctcntious form of a book. He more
than hints that Admiral Schiey was
guilty Of INSTRUMENTATION. II not Of
ccwardice. in the operations about SAN
tiago. Mr.. Lodge is dull indeed If he
snpposes that the American people DO
Dst know better. And. withal. be it
said the matter was not knocking AZ
Mr.. Lodges door for settlement. 1t
would nave kept.
The book, as / have said. is interesting
enough. Where his prejudices are not
engaged Mr.. Lodge can see with Singh
lar clearness. He has in such cases
that excellent sense of perspective
which enables him to see he whole
Of things and the grasp OF mind end
literary style that enables his rcdd,r 10
see through his eyes. All dry detail is
omitted and the result is an excellent
running account of the war-iust such
Il book as the average reader needs
to refresh his mind on the mali incl
dents as presented in the press from
day to day AS they were occurring.
The book is by no means without
literary defects. Mr.. Lodge mas il very
excellent style of his own and useS it
in the first chapter. 'rhc 1nset;ld
Question:" the reader can but wonder
why he gives it up farth II on in the
book. for a perfectly obyi9ls, though
not very excellent imitation Of the
mannerisms of Thomas Carlyle. There
is also a more or less manifest attemp.
nj fine writing" in some chapters IA
sort Of tendency to 'chariot-race." a
fight of battle ships-just q rifle teo
much rhetoric for the literary Palate