New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-23

doubts about Raphael. But presently The
Stones of Venice" appeared. Il opened It, ne
says. with raised expectations. On looking at
the Illustrations however, and reading the ad-
,acent text. I presently found myself called
upon TO admire piece OF work which seemed
to me sheer barbarism. My faith in MI Rus
kin's Judgment was at once destroyed; ana
thereafter I paid no further attention 10 ms
writings than was implied by reading portions
Quoted In reviews or elsewhere" Could Carlyle
have been more summary? Another dron In
stance Of mis- cheerful readiness to dogmatize
about matters IN a province not his own is sup
plied in a letter on a musical notion, which he
cherished down to the close Of his life Writing
to his friend Lott, in 1913. he says;
Above all other operate composers Meyerpeer IL
dramatic. He really knows what an n, oi,T bsracfers
the emotion and the sentiment ana does noS 5Iets
sPeTse ms music MIN m ne action Massveness,
too IS one OF his great characteristics An opt1
drawn ont thin as most Of them do-and then he is
highly original Altogether may say ,'ar5 The
was satisfied with an opera TIL heaiu Int
Huguenots''
Settling in London the sub-editor OF Inc
Economist he led thoughtful and II "oulu
seem, a happy life. reading, making friends test
ing the merits Of a vegetable diet, and working
on his first book that System Of Social ana 70
litical Morality" which he published finally
under the title Of Social Statics." In this work
he took q long stride toward the fulhlment of
his literary and philosophical ambitions, and he
met with some appreciation. though not with
quite as much practical recognition in the pub
lie prints as he would have preferred Twice he
writes for us review of a work of his own
such as a competent critic might have been eN-
pected 10 write at the time of its publication
The failure Of any oracle TO discourse IN 1he
right vein seems TO have ranked in his mind
He protests that he had no reason 10 be dls-
satisfied with the reception given 10 SoclaL
States" if the reception is judged by the ordl-
nary standards but he cannot forbear sneering
thus at the critic: 1.-The usual purposes OF a re-
viewer are. first to get his guineas with the
least expenditure Of labor; second. to show what
a clever fellow he is-how much more he knows
about the matter than the author; third. to
write an amusing article fourth. to give some
account Of the book; which last purpose, often
practically uninterrupted. is rarely fulfilled Or
his First Principles he sardonically observes
that unlike a book Of travels, or gossiping
biography or a volume Of court scandal. or
fresh translation Of classical author. or the
account OF some bloody campaign, or a new
speculation concerning the authorship OK
'Junius,' or a discussion Of Queen Mary's
amours, II offered no temptation to the writer OF
reviews in literary journals; and hence, as might
have been expected. it comparatively little
noticed" when it first appeared. His fame long
since was made secure, but he was never pre-
cisely popular author. and his autobiography
forms an almost colorless record Of sheer hard
work carried on under the pressure Of i'll health,
and especially under the handicap Of night after
night OF broken sleep. He gained strength and
some pleasure from travel in England and on
the Continent, and found some comfort. too. In
fishing Now and then. TO counterfeit public
fr7cra ok
Of sympathy from an individual. The tangible
tribute paid TO him by his American admirers is
well remembered. Other examples Of generosity
toward him he notes with dignified gratitude.
Sometimes he derives entertainment from the
attitudes OF his supporters. When Chapman
the publisher, and George Eliot undertook 10
choose a wife for him. and he failed to fall In
with their plans, he was candid enough to set
down the fact that the lady to whom he was In
troduced was no more favorably impressed with
him than he was with her. and. pointing out
that she may have been disappointed by his sub
shutting commonplace remarks for intellectual
coruscations. he continues in this wise:
Nor is It only in respect OF intellectual mani
festations that too much is looked for from
thors. There are also looked for especially from
authors Of philosophical books traits OF character
greatly transcending ordinary ones The common
tempt for things which please me majority OF
people. This remark Is suggested. not by any.
by incidents of some thirty years later. Of which
! am reminded by the Incidents narrated above;
may, perhaps. better set DOWN here than elsewhere
n came to the Athen@um Club and was brought
by a member TO the billiard room. as the place
where. in the. afternoon. ] was most likely TO be
found Here he saw me engaged IN game, and,
] heard afterward lifted up his hands with
it he would not have believed il; The other con-
negie who IN August, 1882. returning to America
by the Servia, in which was going, brought
tod me how greatly estonshed he was during our
ST S meal s on poar pes 70 near ssed for Cbeda
To think that philosopher should be SO fastidious
about his cheesei
It is pleasant to see Spencer in this purely
human aspect-in reading his autobiography
90 not often have the chance. Sometimes too.
his lordly arrogance. his bland conviction that
his own view of a question is necessarily the
right one. is very funny. Thus when Mr.. Apple
ton asked him to sit for a portrait he chose Mr..
J. B. Burgess to paint It. for two inimitably
quaint reasons ''One that he not
professed portrait painter: my impression being
that he would feel more interest and take more
pains than an artist who had made portrait
painting his business. The other that he
had shown @ remarkable power of rendering
expression. A picture Of his. entitled Bravo
Toro.' exhibited in the Royal Academy some
years before. and representing spectators at
Spanish bullaght, had greatly struck by its
truthful and varied representation Of character
and emotion" Only tune could have been
played ia the studio where the fruit OF this ex-
traordinaTy decision Yves brought forth. the old
one so familiar to our Revolutionary ancestors,
known as The World Turned Upside Down."
But he is sanity itself in the explanation he
gives OF his devotion to billiards:
1t sufices for that like billiards, and the
tanment OF the pleasure given ! regard a sufii-
/ a
set my face against that ssceticism which makes it
an offence TO do q thing for the pleasure OF do ne