New-York tribune., 1910-11-09
A Study of Lewis Carroll in All
His Aspects.

LEWIS CARROLL IN WONDERLAND ND
AND AT HOME. The Story OF HIS
Life BY Belle Moses. With portrait
limo, pp. 296. u. Appleton a Co
Miss Moses's biography of the author
Of Alice in Wonderland" is written for
children. but from the "grown-up
point of view. IL would be rash TO use
the word children" here without an ex-
PLANTATION: wherefore. in order to avoid
wounding the quick susceptibility OF
adolescence, one hastens TO add that
the EXPRESSION here refers TO young
misses Of about sixteen Boys are not
expressly excluded, but, as we all Know
Lewis Carroll thought but little or theih
and gave the whole OF his rich iuho Oh
tenderness 10 the woman OF tomorrow
from pinafore to her first long dress
biography on the borderland. SO 10
sneak is 2 delicate undertaking Occa-
sionallv Miss Moses crosses into the DO
main NJ :he crcwn-ups. forgetting the
reouireroents of the misses. or so it ap-
uears. at least, TO the reviewer, bul
whenever this happens she is deallng
with Charles Lutwidge Dodgson' ,the ma
,benatician. a quite different person
age. and anyhow. no mature reaoer Oh
her book can fail TO become chlld
again when wandering with her through
wonderland and through the Looking
Glass into the country OF the chess
board.
The facts Of Dodgson's ancestry blrtn
and childhood. and of his markedly sue
oessful career in his vocation among
nen and his delightful avocation among
children are set down by Miss Moses
with the hiographer's obligatory con-
scientiousness. but she concentrates her
efforts upon the delineatiOn of an eXcep-
tionally gentle loving, lovable personal
ity. q child at heart whom the incneas-
.nC weight Of wears robbed but tardlly Oh
the wealth of paradoXical fancy that'
brought to light accidentally by the olo'
old command Tell us story must
have been as great source OF happl-
ness TO him as il has been and contln-
ne. 10 be TO the children of the world
Miss Moses sees frankly that the fund
had shrunk. and yielded the slender re
-nainder Of its reserve unreadlly "heh
he came 20 write his last books, the
Svlvie and Bruno tales, at lne a6e W
flftv-seven and beyond.
The portrait of the gentle kngllsh
gentleman and clergyman, when III SO
many Of its traits resembles tnat OF
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, is We'll drawn
hv the author, who reminds us of Car
rolls strong dislike of having his own
rhvsical likeness taken, while at the
same time he had the amateur photos-
rapher's zeal for taking the hkenesses OF
others. Her apparatus critcuS Wheh
she reaches the book is simple and ten
fative. It is here that she addresses
children as well as young misses
directly. 'JabberWocky' is accom-
named by a vocabulary and few eN-
rlanatorv sentences about 'portman-
feau" words. and Carroll's lesser writ
Sings. MANY Of them now forgotten yet
worth remembering, are dealt with ade-
ouately, especially his ingenious inven-
tions Of word games"
A biography Of Lewis Carroll without
abundant reference TO Sir John Tennlei
would be inconceivable. The biographor
writes with proper enthusiasm Of the in
1eruretative value and delight Of his
illustrations, but docs not reproduce
fhem. This is TO be regretted, not so
much for the children, who, no doubt
viii have them at hand when they
venture into these pages. as for their
elders, whom the omission may, how
ever, induce still further to carry out
that constant and constantly delayed in
tention Of all Of as 10 read the books
again some time in order to test the sur
zivinE measure Of their enchantment
with the touchstone of our memory of il
Indeed. the best way OF reading this
biography is in company. grown-up and
Young miss. with the books At hand for
constant reference. Thus viii he cor
rected its shortcomings due to its posi-
ton on the borderland, and its occa-
sional excursions across either side Of
line