New-York tribune., 1903-06-30

Break lock and seal, betray the trust
Keep nothing secret it's but Tust
The many-headed beast should know.
What Tennyson here says in irony-"'tis but
Just the general public should know" q am
afraid that he meant the general public when he
said the many-headed beast''), Mr. Carlyle and
many other critics have said in earnest. THE
world has right to know" THE world will
insist knowing" everything about it's great
men. To my poor mind, the world has more
right to look into the secrets of a great mans
life than TO stare into small mans windows
or open his dispatch box. unless the great man
himself invites inspection. Jean Jacques Rous-
seau. for example, threw the windows open,
and stood there clad like Sir George Sedley on
a notorious occasion. He respectfully invited
inspection. / never did inspect him. / more
want to see J. ]. Rousseau with nothing on than
Dorine in Moliere tempted to observe Tar
tuffe in the same primitive condition. Mr..
John Morley, in his book Rousseau, has taken
advantage Of the opportunity Of inspection af-
forded, and he does not seem to like the look
of the great French spiritual teacher very much
When the mighty dead insists on choosing the
market place for confessional and the public
IOr confessor there is no more to be said: II is
the mans own affair Again, when the great
teacher has faults which he would show. when
he wishes to be painted warts and all, like Oil
yer Cromwell, when he insists that his biog-
rapher shall tell ali the truth, then only
say. "Vous favez voulu. George Dandin." But
one must pity the biographer who has the duty
imposed on him in the first place; he simply can
tell the whole truth. There are few mortals
about whom the whole truth be told. Not
many biographers have subjects like those of
Lockhart and Boswell The late Mr.. W. B.
Scott, a very candid writer, tells the world that
Sir Walter Scott, in his hearing, once swore
profane in printing establishment. I daresay
that fearful nisprints had been made in
his work, and that he employed the eloquence
familiar at the period Now Lockhart does not
mention this incident; perhaps he not aware
of it. but If he had been, how is the world the
better for hearing that Sir Walter stood in the
middle of the shop and swoor at large?
The whole truth about any human being Is
not desirable, and, what is more, 1t is not at
tainable. However, the biogrspher who, by his
great mans order, is to exhibit him occa-
sions penttent occupies the most cruel of ali
positions He does his very best and then the
world and "the friends o the corp"-the
which they can collect Despite his orders, he
has probably veiled many things and but faint
ly indicated others. because, despite the mag
nifcent theory of telling all the truth" he can
a traitor. II always thought that Lockhart
hated Scott, and now know it, said somebody
perhaps Rogers, when the Life Of Sir Walter
published But Lockhart was a fortunate
he wrote a Life of Burns he did not attempt
TO tell all the truth; he did not rake up and re-
count those faults OF the poet which the anti
Tennysonian theory requires the biographer Ito
be the Leporello TO Burnss Don Juan. Burns
had not commanded him to show his faults. On
the other hand my eye falls Leigh Hunts
Lord Byron and Some of His Contemporaries
IS2s). There is pretty specimen of the truth
which the world has a right TO know In the
preface 10 his second edition Leigh Hunt
writes: 'I have something very awful to say
in case IL is forced from me-" This is BIZ
ography in the manner of Titus Oates who al
ways had more horrid relations ali Of them
false. up his sleeve. Lord Houghtou, In his
Life and Letters of Keats did net publish
Keatss love letters written when his brain and
fever that burned him away. On the anti
Tennysonian theory they ought to have been