The times., 1899-06-11

he was sure to be found the right side.
Where the controversy was of smaller kind and
admitted Of a crotchet, then he was pretty sure
to bring out crotchet OF some kind. He wrote
pamphlets. and went to immense trouble TO get
up the facts and went to some expense tq give
them TO the world, and hs never grudged trouble
or money where snt cause or even any crochet
was to be served He was ready to stand up
alone, against all the world, il need be, for bis
opinion or his friends. Benevolent schemes which
of the nature OF mere charity he seldom con-
cerned himself about. He was for giving men their
political rights. and educating them-if neces
sary, compelling them to be educated, and he had
little faith in any other way of doing good. He
had, OF course, high admiration for, and falth
in John Stuart Mill His nature not quite
reverential-in general, he was rather inclined to
sit in the chair of the scorner; but If he rcver-
enced any ii would be Mill. He admired
the manly, noble character of Bright, and his
calm, strong eloquence. ] do not think he cared
much about Gladstone rather fancy our Posi-
twist looked upon Gladstone somewhat weak
and unsteady, and with him TO be weak was in
deed to be miserable. Disraeli was with him
an object OF entire and detcstation, and he
could endure one who had not deeply rooted
principles OF some kind. He had crotchct about
Russia theory about China; he coulu get quite
beside himself in his anger over the anonymous
leading articles of the London press. He was not
an English type Of man at all, in the present and
conventional sense. He cared not rush about
ancestors The bare fact that some custom, or
institution, way of thinking had been sane
toned and hallowed by long generations of
usage, was. in his eyes rather a prima facie
reason for despisins it than otherwise. lie was
pitiessly ntolerant of all superstitions, save his
own; that is to say, he was intoerant in words
and logic and rdcule; for the widest supersti-
tion would have found him its defender, If it
once came to be practically oppressed or even
threatened. He was ''ever fighter like one
Of Brownings heroes; he was the knight-errant,
the Quxote of modern politics. He admired
George Eliot in literature, and, | should say,
regarded Charles Dickens as sort OF person who
did very well TO amuse idlers and ignorant peo-
pie. Life with him was q very earnest business,
and, although he had a pretty gift of sarcasm,
which he used as a weapon against his enemies,
could not, with any effort of imagination, pic
ture him to myself in the act OF making a
Joke.
small drawing room would assuredly have
held all the London Positivists who made them
selves effective in English politics. Yet they
have become something of a power IN the land,
and their public influence has been almost wholly
for good. They set up no propaganda that l
ever saw or heard of as regards either philoso,,
ply religion. Culture" in England
at time almost invariably ranged itself on
the side Of privilege. But suddenly
there came out from the very bosom OF the
universities a band of keen, acute, fearless gadi-
ators, who threw themselves into the van OF
every great movement that worked for democ-
| racy equality, and freedom. They invaded the
press and the PLATFORM they wrote in this jour
| nal and that they were ready for any assailant,
however big; they were willing 10 work with any
ally, however small; they shrunk from no logi-
! cal consequence or practical inconvenience OF
any argument opinion; they took the work
ingman by the hand, and told him all they
| knew, and-the fact is worth studying-their
scholarship and his noscholarship often came TO
| the same conclusion.
And this phenomenon also may be met
with in America
The Americans whom Mr.. Mccarthy met
| form a goodly number of the people men
toned in the book, and he seems to have
had great liking for nearly all Of them.
He gives an amusing picture of Horace
| Greeley, and delightful ones of Lowell,
| Grant, Emerson, and Ripley. He thus
! describes Greeley:
| lie had a great, shiny, broad forehead, hi;
eyes adorned by pair OF vast spectacles, large,
| almost entirely bald head clean-shaven, heshy
| face-a face that, including badness spectacles
! good -natured smile, and keen, shrewd humor o
! expression, reminded me in an odd sort of way
of Count Cayour, the famous Italian statesman.
! Greeley a much worse dressed man than ever
! Count CaVOur Cayour was quite aware OF his
| own unconquerable indifference as to dress, and
! had therefore provided that his tailor must fur.
nish him at stated intervals with new suit Of
! clothes, made exactly after the same pattern a:
| the old suit But Horace Greeley disdained any
such prudent precautions; he simply ordered
| new garment when the old falling &c
! pieces, and took no further trouble about the
matter.
Then he tells one or two stories of the
| famous Greeley handwriting and ana
lyzes the character of the great editor.
OF Whitman he gives a picture both
sympathetic and delightful, and although
some of his complimentary remarks to ac-
quaintances may be taken at a discount,
it is probable that in sizing up" Whitman
as man of sincere and honest purpose
rather than a poseur. he hit the mark ex-
actly.
Altogether this is as interesting a book
of "reminiscences as has been given to the
public in some years. (New York: Harper
| & Bros. S4.50J