New-York tribune., 1906-12-13

"a Charles scribners Sons
-ssding these volumes our interest is drawn
= onlv 10 the fascinating theme. hut to its
.ycssnt ex2ositor. To an .Anglo-Saxon world
,s onlv too apt 10 fancy itself familiar with
...,,.r thought II II has made the acquaintance
~. morbid novels Of d'Annunzio and has read
s.rs about L.ornbroso. Gaetano Negri's book
-, I,or,e as an unexpected revelation of the pos
,,r,,,es OF the new Italian Renaissance whose
=. chaotic bursts OF enthusiasm and genius are
=. got over This new Renaissance is not a re-
..roI of learning; It is a revival of interest in
,s,,es human. II IS q break with superstition
- with petty politics; the scholastic desire to
-. nante AT dinner has given way to a scien
..s, hunger for facts and world theories CAN
.r,s new tendency what you wiIl-Greek inauis-
,rrsness or Yankee curiosity3vhatever its
nsne. II Is dlling Italy with disputants. observ-
A., and types OF Intellectual speculation. The
-.us OF Florence already harbor two philosophi-
81 schools. and the book shops are swept clean
n serious literature almost as soon as the stock
s repleuished
'. ,s natural that the first stage OF such q re-
.ysl should be more powerful than effective
r.roug cravings Involve low powers Of discrinnf-
-sfiou and selection. Each truth hunter vainly
sets trap for the whole universe, little real
,,nr that division Of labor is as much a law OF
,,teIect as il is a law OF business. In Italy to-
ssv Won viii find scores Of men who have wan
ss-sd in fine frenzy from law 10 medicine from
medicine 70 sociology, from sociology TO politics
snd so on through the infinite territories Of
tnowledge-and even art-ever in search of the
KEY 10 al riddles. Gaetano Negri perfectly typi-
ass his first stage of the new Renaissance. His
Nographer Professor Villari, tells us in the in
,roauction To Julian the Apostate' about the
nv on s,,
MS brief life. Born at Milan in 1885. he entered
the army IS lieutenant in his twenty-third
wear ana fought brigands In the south for q
rwelvemonth Then he entered the Assessors
oHce a. Milan and worked his way upward in
local politics. until in 1854 he became Mayor and
absolute leader Of the ruling party. Five years
he held this position, and then the usual re
FORM" wave swept him back into private life
He took 70 essay writing and displa yed the YER
sat.lity Of Leonardo da Vinci; geology. history.
politics religion, psychology. and philosophy
were few of his themes. He made extensive
studies Of George EIiot's writings and Of the
personalities Of Marcus Aureiius. Paul and Au-
gustine At the time of his accidental death In
1902 he was preparing e study Of Ambrose
which would have been a companion piece to the
sssay or Julian
Such diffusion Of energy proved disastrous TO
Ksgri's reputation; experts in the various fields
he traversed might brand him a trespassing
dlettante In Julian the Apostate,' indeed, the
reader need not have the eye OF q professional
historian IN order 70 find glaring inaccuracies
Ead nisinte-pretations But there are two
nnds OF dilettante: one species is diffuse be-
osuse unable 10 go far in any one direction,
while the other scatters its forces because
everything human is equally attractive TO it.
Negri belongs 10 this latter class His keen
observations Illuminating almost every page
O. these volumes demonstrate the true COM
pass OF his mind, compass whose needle
Ewerved capriciouslv only because new mag
nsuc feds kept coming within its sensitive
range. II his own ideals Negrf was rational
E. yet the themes he chose 10 study indicate
submerged religious temperament. As his
hographer keenly observes. he was admirably
fitted 70 interpret Julian the Apostate because,
Ike him he was versatile active and enthu-
Elastic
Il Negris hands Julian ceases TO be the
paradox he IS often thought TO be. Christian
writer's have made the Apostate a monster,
even Antichrtst. while secular historians have
Labelled HIN mystery or a madnan. Negri
shows clearly that these conflicting and vague
interpretations result either from partisan
Ehip Or else from slavish acceptance Of an
Gent records at face value. And he proves him
st an artist II psychological delineation by
sketching Julian and his environment in such
way that instead Of a riddle and a rascal |
mere appears before Us the luminous form Of
eonplezly moulded man whose soul is, alas |
100 easily understood by all OF US. The mystery |
noagers have asked two hackneyed questions |
about the Apostate. How could a mere boy
who had passed all his days in contemplative |
seclusion among dreamy philosophers and man
use'ipts assume the leadership OF the Roman /
eg'ons and for five years wrest victory after !
victory from The warlike Germans? And the /
"Aer question: How could q youth Of Christian
parents and educated in the Christian faith by
pious bishop wish 10 return 70 the crude
lsgsnisn OF Greece? Negri, after answering /
uese queries. finds q third whose discussion
reveals tAe essayist's powerful grasp OF the I
osepest problems OF religious psychology. That .
question is this. Why did the movement in 4
s0gurated by the Apostate fail so miserably. 1
seeing that Julian was Emperor Of the Roman f.
@Oao and had virtually limitless powers at mis- F.
-sposa. Tor furthering his ends? Aside from
'AUens.Ve tra1slatiOns Of Julian's more import
III writings, the two volumes Of Negri's long I
esay contain little more than an investigation 1
:" these three questions
ne Apostates family were Christian IN name 4
WY Constantine and his sors were keen
'3lestnen Gu5 politicians, but INSCRIPTIONS TO /
N' last degree. To them the Christian Church f.
'Ss potential political machine and nothing
'-'le Christianity meant TO the boy Julian a /
-s0e a. court and never a way OF life. And (
nun NE treatment he received At the hands +
. Us uncle, NE Emperor Constantius, one Of
- leaders o. the Church, Julian could infer +.
-'ng good Of Christianity. II there is one
- n The psychology Of Julian which his BIZ /
.s-eplef has neglected, II is the emotional ef-