New-York tribune., 1911-02-18
LiferarY NesOS and Criticism

fesses In his brief preface TO his bulky
biography that personal affection may
unconsciously have sweyed his judg-
ment somewhat. but that on the whole,
he believes that the verdict of a later
generation will indorse his opinion of the
genius and essential worth Of one of
the greatest Englishmen of the Victorian
era" Sir Lewis's partiality has led him
into certain omissions. or. at least. into
an occasional abbreviation of his mar
rative. as in the case OF Rhodes's atti-
tude toward the secret committee the
into the jameson raid, which. says the
author (and there he appears to antici-
pate the verdict Of posterity)
was not the cause Of the Boer war. but
a picturesque and irregular episode in the
| long duel. The raid. indeed. retarded
rather than accelerated the final struggle
in that 1t tied for a while the hands of the
paramount power.
This biography divides Rhodes's life
into three periods Of approximately
equal length-his childhood and early
youth in England; his migration to
South Africa. his career as man Of
business and his rise to great financial
fortune, followed by his entry into pe-
litical life; and. finally. his activity in
founding the Chartered Company, his
duel with President Kruger, his triumph
and his death soon afterward. While
the author disclajms having written a
history OF South Africa in the DAYS of
Rhodes. his book contains Of necessity
much South African history, and conse-
local policies and the leaders of the op-
posing parties. On the other hand. he
pays but little attention to the details
of the Boer war. with the exception. of
course. of the siege of Kimberley, since
Rhodes went through it. Throughout
the author lays stress upon the unde-
waiting singleness of Rhodes's purpose,
conceived in the earliest days Of his resi-
dence in South Africa. TO paint the map
of that part of the world "all red and
upon his ambition TO bring about CO.
operation between Dutch and English.
| His greatest mistake was his unsha ka BILE
conviction that the Beers would not
fight. He chung to it up to the very
outbreak of hostilities
The measure~of the statesman and his
work as given here differs in no way
from that given in earlier English biog-
raphies of him. AS with the statesman,
so with the man. Sir Lewis Michel
adds no new touches to the familiar
earlier portraits of Rhodes in private
life. Indeed, the uniform limitations of
the character studies. of him in the biog-
raphies published thus far incline one
/ to believe that Rhodes either wore an
impenetrable mask even in the inti-
| macy Of his few friendships or that he
, had no private life OF his own, that his
work as an empire builder and his exist
/ ence as an individual were coterminous.
| What we learn about him here from
| this point of view is very little indeed:
no more than has been gathered from
the earlier sources. He was indiscrmi-
nately generous, he could rouse himself
| to momentary interest socially, espe-
cially at the head of his table at Groote
| Schuur. which, with the oxford degree.
appears to have been his only strictly
| personal interest; he was negligent in
| dress, indifferent to what he ate, and he
muddled his private financial affairs in
of finance. He commanded, Sir Lewis
! informs us, the loyalty, affection and
| trust of all who came in closer relations
with him. but what he gave them in re-
turn can apparently be stated only in
vague, general terms;
Let it suffice that IN private life he was
a fascinating personality. attractive in the
ward. and to strangers even taciturn; but
as a rule with char1n all his own. which
no man ] have ever met with could sue
cessfully resist and which impeled almost
all men with whom he was brought into
contact TO own that behind that Immense.
brooding spirit" there existed a heart of
gold. heart quick and eager to respond
TO every call, however vast, that humanity
could make upon IT.
Nor does Mr. Jourdan, his private sec
life, add much to our knowledge of
Rhodes the man. His book is a tribute
Of loyalty and affection, of undoubted
! future service and notably interesting in
/ it's corroboratons of Sir Lewis Michells
work My boy" Rhodes said to him at
Groote Schuur some two years before
| his death, "are you keeping a note Of
everything that is occurring around
you? You have great opportunities. one
! day your notes may be very valua BILE"
Mr.. Jourdan speaks of Rhodes's mex
haustible patience with the natives, his
knack of handling them that seemed 10
| be instructive, of his great physical
strength and power Of endurance not
withstanding his defective heart, of his
| friends English and Dutch, and of his
profound respect for women. from whom,
| like other great men, he received a vast
amount of hero worship. He was not
woman hater, the author assures us,
and gives his reason for never marrying
in his own words:
| ] remember that on one occasion ! said
! TO him that I thought it was shame that
he did not get married. He appeared quite
shy when he said. 81 know everybody asks
| why do not marry. caLnot get married.
! ] have too much work on my hands. |
| shall always be away from home. \ mar
| ried man should he at home To give the
attention and advice which wife expects
| from a husband
| Mr.. Jourdan's main purpose, however
/ in this book, is the refutation Of certain
charges Of financial dishonesty and
I habitual intemperance brought against
| Rhodes, which continue to find credence.
] &c do the scandalolS stories of which