New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-14
SIR SIDNEY LEE
His Former Encounter with the
Refining House of England.

copyright. 1912. by the Brentwood Company.
Cir Sidney Lee is in hot water again
,,rough his memoir of Edward VII, pub
ushed in the supplement to the Dictionary
., National Biography" which has excited
,be deep anger of King George and the in
dignation of the English people generally
besides calling down the vehement de-
nunciations Of the British press. for rep
resenting King Edward as an amiabe,
easy going pleasure lover. rather than as
q shrewd politician and an international
reacemaker of infinite tact.
King George. who added the sir" to
sidney's name last year. regards the af-
fair as one Of disloyalty and rank ingrati-
,ude and has taken steps to have a rival
biography Of King Edward written accord
ing 10 the real truth, and which will con-
tain not only extracts from state docu-
rnents but also private letters and papers
calculated to disprove every word written
nv Sir Sidney Lee on the subject
It is not the first time that Sir Sidney
lee has been accused of "gaucherie and
tacuessness" in letting his enthusiasm as
a professional biOgrapher cause him to en-
bodv in his works that which, i'm the worlds
opinion. he ought to have carefully left out.
When Queen Victoria chose Sir Theodore
Martin as the boCrapher of her husband,
the Prince Consort. handing him her diaries
as aids in the task. he. of course was care
full to write the book in such a style as
would please her majesty, emitting q good
deal Of interesting matter that he did not
think she would like published. From those
rejected items Sir Theodore prepared n
most interesting volume for private refer
ence only, which he loaned to Sidney Lee
when on the death Of the old Queen, he
undertook to write what was expected to he
her most notable biography. But when the
hook came out Sir Theodore Martin became
exceedingly indignant TO find that much
more had been taken from his privately
printed volume than had been intended for
public information or than the royal family
publish
Had it not been for King Edward and
other influential personages intervening,
this quarrel would have given rise TO a
lawsuit Of international importance. As it
was. such a stir was made over the affair
that the publishers of Sidney Lees Life
Of the Queen" called in every free volume
Of the first edition and issued second
edition with the passages that were OBJ
jected TO by the royal family and by Sir
Theodore Martin eliminated.
Sidney Lee. who was lecturing in the
United States at the time of the issue OF
the first edition and it's suppression, re-
turned to England and vainly insisted that
the book should be reissued in its original
form, with the expurgated portions re-
stored In speaking of Sir Sidney Lee as a
professional biographer" I. Of course,
have in mind the fact that he is the editor
Of the Dictionary If National Biography
and that among his works are a Life of
William Shakespeare" Lord Herbert of
Cherbury's Autobiography" Great Eng
lshmen Of the Sixteenth Century etc.
BY way Of little personal biography Of
Sir Sidney himself. it might be stated that
he matriculated with honors at the Uni
versity of oxford under his real name.
which is Solomon Lazarus. His really
brilliant intellect caused the famous Master
of Balliol. DR.. Jowett, to take a particular
interest in him and to advise him 20 change
his name. pointing out that as solomon
Lazarus IL would he impossible for him to
attain the literary fame which was other
wise in store for him.
Acting upon this counsel. Solomon Laza-
rus relinquished both his surname and his
given name. assuming the cognomen or
"Sidnev Lee"