The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-19
WORKS OF LORD LYTTON-.-
THE EDUCATED WOMAN
By T. b. KINGsBURY.

1 confess am Of the number who
admire some of the writings of Ed
ward Lytton Bulwer, afterwards Lord
Lytton. / can not say that / admire
the man, but / have a high opinion
of the author and hold him to have
been a writer of genius. He is much
more writer or real gifts than some
latter-day critics concede to him.
Among all of his contemporaries he
had but few superiors, and he would
have been a remarkable man in any
age, since the time of the great dra-
matte and creative period of Shakes
peare and the Elizabethan dramatists.
He was many-sided and fruitful. for
he was historian, dramatist, poet,
novelist, essayist, orator and states
man. He was like some others-he
missed being great man In a high,
proper sense. knew a politician,
orator and lawyer in the past who
was not truly a great man, but he
was highly gifted, and of diverse
great man In fact. He was really
greater than many men newspapers
stamp as great.
Bnlwer had oddities, eccentricities,
and he was born In 1903. Some time
in the month of May. probably in
1908. the great London Times had an
able. impressive and just critical ar
and uncommon to be overlooked. so
/ reproduce the following interesting
extract:
His popularity as novelist, once
enormous, has declined. AS a play
wright he keeps his place. His poetry
is less known than it deserves to be.
His political speeches, once as ia
nous as Bright's. are dead and
buried beyond al hope of resurrection.
The historical and political poems,
which we called 1.-THE New Timon"
and est. Stephens" contain a collec-
ton of verbal portraits, drawn with
fascinating eloquence and inimitable
trod the boards at Westminster. 1t is
In 1.-THE New Timon' that Lord Derby
was christened the Rupert of Debate
and that "languird Johnnoy grows to
glorious john; it Is in est. Stephens"
that Macaulay Is credited with
"a royal eloquence. that paid in State
A ceremonious visit to debate
This couplet would have been still
more applicable to Bulwer himself
than to the great historian, who was
quite capable of making "Lysias-
like speech" when he chose. 1t is,
however. upon his novels that Bull
wer's fame must ultimately rest, or
disappear"
He was laughed at by "some great
contemporary writer's for his speech
es. although full of thought and spirit,
and even eloQuence. Carlyle and
Thackeray made him butt of their
''Thunderer." to again quote from Its
remarkable article, (this is the old
name Of the great London Daily,
clearly understood and appreciated
fairly the very uncommon merits of
Bulwssr. Referring to the ridicule of
the two great authors named-of the
very greatest in the teeming nine
gracious and penetrating enough to
say In regard to the scoffed at elo-
quence:
Much of It. and much of Disraell's,
is now, as FitZjames Stephen charac-
teristically said of eloquence In gen.
IN my Novel" and what Will He
Do With TIP" there are many pages
not surpassed by any of Bulwer's
English contemporaries except Char
lotte Bronte. He had imagination,
wit. romance. He could draw char
acters and tell stories with almost ex-
cessive facility. These were his car
dinal virtues. His cardinal vice was
that he would not trust to nature"
That last sentence hits the centre
precisely-Bulwer was too artificial,
and gave too little attention to nature.
He knew how to paint real. living
characters, and still he described
paste-board men and women. and
fanc:ed they were genuine flesh ard
blood. never read but little OF his
earlier novels, being repealed when
young by the critical judgment of
older heads and circumspect taste.
The Times. however, praises his first
novel. Pelham" published when he
was but twenty-five. 1t says that
seldom equalled." But it admits that
IT Is 'too smart" 1t says also of
Ernest Maltravers." that cit is an
excellent novel;" with bad morality,
and is "Byronic." / would not advise
any one-young or old-to read his
sentimental, immoral novels however
interesting, or brilliant or artistic.
The novels he produced in middle
life are fine. and to my taste, most
enjoyable and striking. But the
Times rather condemns them for in
sincerity. It says that "My Mover is
hollow and insincere." But 1t is
most readable, and repiete with intel
leetuality. and Is not impure or sus-
gestive of sentimental antitrust. It
rhapsodist,'' and most unnatural us
ing the singing censur. of the great
Tennyson that Bulwer Is "the padded
man that wears the stays.
It even copies from Tennyson's
bitter reply to Bulwer, when much
provoked by him:
"What profits 1t to understand
The merits of a spotless shirt.
The dapper foot, the little hand,
II half the little soul be dirt?
eff BuIwer had been always on
those stills he would have long since
fallen into the abyss of oblivion. 1t
was when he delivered himself like
a man of this world in natural, hu-
man dialogue that he showed his true
talent, his dramatic power. by which
he lives. Utterly detestable as his
fine writing Is, worse, If possible,
than Disraeli's, he can move, the |
heart by pathos when he condescends
to be simple and sincere. There are |
not many stories written since Bull
wer's death which can be compared |
for sheer interest to What Will He |
Do With tip"
1t does not like novel that has
long interested me-"The Caxtons."
ord II y,raiSoS bi0tlv "Kenp1n Chill |