New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-10
JOSEPH CR4MBERLAIN.
4nother Story of His Life and Pub
lie Services.

OLE. CHAMBERLAIN; HIS LIFE AND PUPILS SIS
CAREER BY S. II. Jeyes- $40. PIP NNNii SlS
Edward J. Clode.
Every new biography Of living man that
comes TO hand includes us the more strongly TO
regard such works with disfavor. In two
classes Of cases. both small they are permissible
and perhaps commendable. A life Of Bismarck
was sufficiently appropriate at any time after
ISL because Bismarck had then created an
epoch in human history. and biography Of him
was q record OF the development Of second
rate kingdom into the dominant member of the
greatest empire on the European continent
Indeed. It would have been impossible properly
20 write the history of Europe from 1S4S TO 1871
without practically writing a biography OF BIS
marck. So it was proper 10 write biography
Of Victoria in the later years OF her life Tor 10
DO so was TO write a recent and contemporary
history OF the United Kingdom Where the sub
sect is thus an epoch making parsonage and has
made the epoch. biography is permissible in his
or her lifetime. But such subjects are few. In
she last century they were TO be counted upon
.zhe fingers Of the hand With all due respect
80 Mr. Chamberlain-and We are not lacking in
cordial respect and admiration for hin-he is not
yet one OF them. lie may be. presently We
are inclined to expect that he Will through the
fulhlrnent Of his tariff reform and imperial
Federation schemes. make and mark an epoch
q British Il not in worldwide history But he
a.as not vet done so He is simply in the thick
az the fight for It.
The other class OF living men who, as it
seems TO US are entitled to have their biog-
ezphies published are those who are engaged
"a important public campaigns. and who thus
need to have what may call campaign
asves' written. We DO not mean that phrase
IA the sensational and superficial sense in
(which il is familiar in political campaigns in
ahss country. We mean Il to apply to serious
and studied sketch OF a man. prepared with all
possible accuracy and authority. yet one that
does not pretend to be entirely comprehensive
snd final. but which is frankly partial aiming
30 exhibit for certain specific purpose one
specific side Of the mans character and career.
Thus Il would have been quite legitimate to
write and publish this time sketch or
study OF Mr.. Chamberlain's career as an i'm
rerial federationist and colonial administrator.
such a work would have been timely and in
structive and II properly written would have
been cordially welcomed. But that is not the
5zind OF work Mr.. Jeyes has written. It is true
shat he deals with those phases Of Mr.. Cham
berlain's career. but only as parts Of the
whole his aim seems TO have been to present
a comprehensive and complete biography Of
1rr. Chamberlain-to do for him while he is
aiving and before his greatest work is fin
sshed what might be done for him years hence,
sxhen his life and its works were ended
That is the sort Of undertaking which, as we
have said. We find ourselves more and more dis
posed TO disapprove. 1t is simply impossible
70 DO such work in an entirely-we might say,
a. Neutrality-suspicious. manner If it is
permissible TO refer TO another book for illus
sration. observe Mr. Morley's life Of Glad
stone" The great value of that book lies in
qualities and features which It could not pos
sably have possessed had IL been written before
SITS subjects death The great mass Of diaries
ana letters stored in The Octagon at Hawarden
were inaccessible TO biographers while the
Master Of Hawarden lived Nor would 1t have
been possible for even the philosophical Mr..
Morley 10 write about Gladstone during the
iatter's life with the freedom he could and did
exercise after his death The fact that the sub
sect Of the biography is no longer diving is the
biographer's strongest title to brave imparti-
slitv and TO public confidence in his imparti-
ality. We have, of course, no thought Of re-
fleeing upon Mr.. Jeyes's independence. He is
no sycophant to Mr.. Chamberlain, TO any
man. The London Standard OF which he is
the chief assistant editor, is one OF the most in
dependent, as It is OF the best in all re-
spects, Of English journals, and toward Mr.
chamberlain in his tariff reform campaign it
has notably maintained entire Independence Of
attitude. OF course. there Is no essential con-
-,ectfon between The Standard" and Mr.. Jeyes's
book The one is IN no respect responsible for
she other. We mention The Standard" merely
60 say that AIr. Jeyes is doubtless as free from
undue bias toward Mr.. Chamberlain in his book
as IN his newspaper work, and greater freedom
than that could not be asked. Yet even so, il is
simply impossible that he should write Of Mr.
Chamberlain now judiciously anything
like as authoritatively he some else
may write Of him at time in-we trust
the far distant future. The fault is not with
Mr. Jeyes. who is a peculiarly competent man
90 write an English political biography. It is
a. the undertaking itself which lies beyond the
power Of any man rightly to discharge.
II. however. Nj. Jeyes has thus dealt with
timely topic IN an untirnely manner. he has done
his work with the hand Of a master. Save in a
cew details. It is difficult to conceive a more
complete and judicious biography Of a living and
active statesman than this. The fact that Mr.
Jeyes Is identified with the leading Conserva-
tive organ. which for many years was earnestly
opposed 70 Mr.. Chamberlain, doubtless counts
strongly for the impartiality OF the work We
can discern Ia IL nothing Of the special pleader.
The author has striven to tell the whole truth
about his subject and IN most places where he
6as failed 70 Go so he has failed through the in
,evitable limitations OF every biographer Of liv
nng man We say In nc places, for there are
come points n Mr. Chamberlain career which
might and should have been more fully treated
There is for example the famous incident OF
mr. Charnberlain's criticism Of Bright's foreign