New-York tribune., 1901-08-18

MT faul must know quite well that this is
not the sort Of thing TO say" We fatty refuse
10 DelleVe that he is unintelligent as not 10
know that Walpole much more than "a
parasite OF letters and that the part he adopted
10 play he played with much more than mere
'decency." But our essayist is for once resolved
that ne viii go in for prejudice right up to the
hit. He writes OF THE Art of Letter Writing
in this book and the pages which he gives 10
the subject are among his best; but though he
discourses in admirable style OF Byron, Cowper,
Gray. FitzGerald. Lady Mary and every other
modern letter writer OF Importance, he is actu-
ally so Grass 10 allow his hatred OF walpole
TO exclude anything but the briefest sneers at
him. What did Walpole care for Sir Horace
Mann?" he asks as though the degree OF af-
fecton in Walpole's heart had anything to do
with the brilliancy OF the letters which he sent
10 his friend in Italy. Besides, we would like
TO know what earthly authority Mr Paul has
for doubling the sincerity of the friendship on
both sides. He likes Gray's confession to War
ton. Il do mutter in secret and TO YOU" and this
suggests 10 him 10 say, quite needlessly: "Hor-
ace Walpole did not mutter in secret to Sir
Horace Mann. He wrote for his friend as he
wrote for the public. twisting and torturing the
English language with the help OF foreign idiom
10 express the pompous triviality which he mis-
took for worldly wisdom" Mr.. Paul might
have avoided this foolishness Cwe can give il no
other name) if he had remembered what he
takes pains 10 say himself, almost on the next
page, that 1t is a poor sort Of criticism which
only praise thing at the expense Of
other" But We could forgive him for falling
into the error, il only he had not let prejudice
go too far; 10 all but ignore Walpole, Of the
greatest masters of the epst5 diary art. in
an essay that pret -nds 10 deal at large with the
subject Is TO indulge in Whim which only
respect for tn authors indubitable abili-
ties prevents our characterizing positively
iL.terate II his book reaches the second edition
il deserves. We hop that h. VIII make the
proper amend
However. We advise the reader not L. wait
for the second edition but 10 seize upon the
great deal that is good in the volume as Il
stands MI Paul is worth reading when he
writes of The Decay of Classical Quotation;
when he portrays Sterne or Swift or Cicero.
when NJ is dealing with Gibbon with the Vic
torian novel. or Is engaged upon most Per
suasive defence Of Macaulay His casual rehec-
iicns are never profound but they are often
interesting and generally apt The object of
letter he says. is after al. not 70 enlarge the
bounds Of human thought Il Is Ia aInusr. %
please 10 excite sympathy and interest L. keep
up friendship and annihilate distance The
charm Of a perfect letter for the receiver is
the sense of private property il What would he
famous If it We're known" In another place he
happily says, As the art Il skipping belongs
10 the Of reading. which j. sadly incomplete
without il SO writing or speaking without quo
tation Is. at this stage of the worlds history,
a vain thing" With little touches like these Mr
Taul unfolds his light. vvacious and Yet always
sufficiently serious disquisitions. He is a read
able essayist With that praise may
fifty leave his book.