The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-04-07
THAcKERAY's HENRY EsMoNp.

The mind of the reading public of to.
day is as Unsuitable of things fresh and
novel as was the appetite of the legen-
dairy dragon for young and beautiful
maidens, and doing their best to sup
ply this demand the swift pens of the
young noVelists have had no small sue
cess. But though new and attractive
book titles rapidly succeed each other
IN the book sellers window. the lives of
such books are as short as the taste
they strive to meet is tickle and they
move not one inch from their position
as classic literature, those graceful
tales during many years loved and APP
proved by the elect of the literary art
No writer Of the early part of the
nineteenth century has been more read
and discussed than William Makepeace
Thackeray, for his books are mirrors
wherein we see reflected the life and
manners of the-sime in which he lived
and his characters will survive long af-
ter "Phroso.' Robert Elsmere' and
numerous others are buried in the-dust
of the upper book shelves.
But it is with Thackeray's Henry
Esmond" that we have to do-"Henry
Esmond" that quaint, pure, sweet
biography that holds one without
effort and charm by it's very simplic-
ity.
of the lonely little Henry's boyhOod.
his youthful devotion to Lady Castle
wood. which ripened into love; his in
fatuatiOn for BeatriX, her daughter; his
life at Cambridge and service in the
army; his allegiance to the Pretender
party, his subsequent marriage with
Lady Castlewood and finally their en-
barking for America and happy end.
Each of these points calls uD host
s0f TlAnprip1,c in Of 7, nh
has followed the facinating tale
through all its ms and outs of JOY
and sorrow.
In bold relief against the background
of rather weak character stands the
true man and hero. Henry Esmond.
From the moment we meet him in the
deserted room of Castlewood till he
gracefully closes the pages of his mem
DIR, his is seldom but life to love and
a character to admire. What could be
q nobler act than the renouncing of his
hirthright, what more constant than
his affection for Beatrix? But it seemed I
strange that a love SO constant during
the space of ten years should be so
suddenly metamorphosed into complete /
Indifference a the instance of her last
and grea test folly. Another trait 4
which is hardly a laudable one is the 3
easy manner IN which Henry was /
turned from one religious view to an I
other. seeming not to have mind of :
his own in such matters. but to weakly I
mirror the views Of Lady Castlewood. .
But these are but flaws iu the gem Of /
his character, for we cannot but love
him at home admires him at court and .
laud him in the battlefield
Still it is with some slight regret /
that we read Of his marriage with Lady .
Castlewood at the close. and It appears I
probable that this regret arises from
two causes: First. from the seniority
Of Lady CastlewoOd. for we must re-
member that Henry was but a child
when his lady was first married and
thus we come to look unon her through
the course Of the memoir. rather as his
foster mother than as his prospective
bride And. secondly. IT might arise
from the frequent mention Of Beatrix
the bO0k-so frequent a
mention that with all her faults we
love her still" and the wish turks in
the readers heart that these faults will
turn out mere Eirlish whims and that
B@atriX viii be the real heroine of the
tale
But there is one person who figures
in this picture Of life. and though evil I
IDENTIFY not a favorite with the author ,
never does an unworthy action ,
through the course Of his life. and that
IS Frank Castlewood. EIsmond hints
that he was rather wild when first in
The army. but he was but lad and in [
society permeated with wicl1edness. ! /
Even when but a boy in wears he is in c
-repid and courageous. for witness the !
'earlessness with which he angered :
Lord Molum to provoke him to quar- q
'el. Also which is by no means a small 9
hing. he mad the courage to stand +
irmlv by his convictions. although +
rhackeray sneers at this with his ac- .
bigotrv. h
And in this connection word must ! 7
'e said Of Tha ckerav's convention Of i
Father Holt In him the author has /
.0nhined the qualities that 20 to the d
making Of the conventional Jesuit ac b
ording 70 the popular meaning ~ that c
word. He sneers at that churchrna-'s 4
heologv: he attributes n r'-,, e,-,7-- b
owardly and mean actions. roai-7+- r'.,7 u
generally despicabla P'1t -rra,,,-',--l r
he work the church ar7 Ne- .7->,.-i,7ee II
re sneeTed at and ridiculed. co IT
you'd be contrary to reason to evrect "
ne of her priests TO be renresentea in O
ny hut the most unfavorable colors. a
y this Thackerav shows the snirit of u
rlrar bigotry that characterized the e
me. Il
LADY CaSt1ewood cannot receive nm II
ualiied admiration for though few OF
ut beautiful. qualities mingle in her Il
'sncsition, vet thev seem to receive pi