New-York tribune., 1902-07-06

always sure of one thing. the capacity to enjoy
This is the most delicious feeling of all" h.
used to hear a friend OF his excIain ito Hka
what is excellent, no matter whose 1t Is" and
he practised what Fawcett preached, fingny
himself upon all that life brought him with a
gusto from which. We may note in passing hs
writings derive half their charm. After all
none of the accidents Of Fate could daunt the
man capable not only of writing but Of living I'd
to a passage like the following:
To see the golden sun. the azure sky. the ont
stretched ocean; to walk upon the green
earth. and to be lord Of THOUSAND
creatures; To look down yawning preci-
pices. over distant sunny wales to see The
world spread out under ones feet on a man
TO bring the stars near; to view the smallest
insect through a microscope; to read historv
and consider the revolutions of empire and tbs
SUGGESTIONS of generations; to hear of the gIo-v
of Tyre, of SidOn. of Babylon, and Of Susa and
to say all these We're before me and are nou-
nothing; to say l exist in such point of tima
and such point of space; to be a Spectator and
part of it's eVer-mOVing scene. To witness
the change of season. of spring ana aUtr,o,
of winter and summer. to feel hot and cold
pleasure and pain. beauty and deformitv right
and wrong; to be sensible to the accidents -
nature; to consider the mighty world Of eve ami
ear; to listen TO the stOckdOve's notes amid the
forest deep; to journey over moor and D,onD~
tain; to hear the midnight sainted choir to
visit lighted halls. or the cathedraTs gloom or
ITglIP
mOcked; to study the works of art and raf1a
the sense of beauty to agony; 10 worsbin
fame, and to dream of immortality; to Iook
upon the Vatican and to read Shakespeare. IN
gather up the wisdom of the ancients and 10
pry into the future; to listen 10 the trump OF
war, the shout of victory; 70 question history as
TO the movements of the human heart; to seek
for truth; to plead the cause OF humanity; to
overlook the world if time and nature poured
their treasures at our feet-tO be and 10 do all
this, and then in a moment to be nothing.
The episode of which the "Liber Amorfs" is
most unwelcome souvenir is there TO remind us
that Hazlitt could lapse, upon occasion. into A
mood very different from that suggested bv the
words just quoted. There are other matters
duly noticed by Mr.. BirreII. which an adnirer
OF the famous critic cannot but regret. But al
though in that long London life. which followed
the period of desultory study and constant re-
Election in the country. there are divers dark
passages, it is luminous. on the whole with the
brilliance of an original and powerful mind. un-
commonly varied in its activities Before he
left Wem he made the acquaintance of Cole
ridge. VINO talked 20 the youth as he talked to
men OF his own age. He was enormously stimu-
lated by his encounters with the poet and
philosopher who doubtless not only confirmed
him IN his radical Ideas bat by the wonderful
scope of his conversation deepened in him the
cathOlicity Of mind which his various prejuIices
could not really invalidate. Somewhere he
speaks Of the benefit 10 artist Of know lng
things outside his art, and he was ever - man
for miscellaneous reading. thinking writing and
doing. The reader must go L. Mr.. BirreTs book
for the details OF HaZlittS career after leaving
his fathers house. Here only the brisfest out
line may be given. He embraced the artistic
profession with something like fury making a
little money by it bUt fame, unless we are
to render him some honor for his interesting
portrait of Charles Lamb now in the National
Portrait Gallery. SOuthey said that when Haz-
htt painted portrait of COleridge he made
him look like L horse steIler on his trial. evi-
IDENTIFY guilty, but clever enough 70 have 4
chance of getting Of His portrait Of Words
worth was said by another critic o. represent a
man upon the gaIIows tree deeply affected by
a fate he felt To be deserved. But Hazlitt's ex-
perience as a painter was of service 20 him in
that it disciplined his innate enthusiasm for
art. and contributed TO making him an interest
ins. if not memorable, critic Of pictures Aban-
dOniug the brush he engaged in all manner Of
literary pursuits.
He was by turns Parliamentary reporter and
dramatic critic. philosopher and graumarian.
COntroverSialiSt and light. discurSive commen-
tator on men and books and all other things
under the sun. Give a man." he says in one
of his most celebrated papers. a topic in his
head. thrOb of pleasure To his heart. and he
will be glad to share it with the first person
he meets He gives a suggestion here OF his
own character as 4 writer All he needed was
topic that pleased him. and he WAS ready 10