New-York tribune., 1918-10-19

view; others rivalling this in that in
terest OF incident and narrative which
fiction shares with history, and still
others as keenly analytical of educa-
tional processes. But we protest that
VIC should be at loss to name any
other work which in its single compass
so greatly excelled in all three respects.
1t is obvious that life covering in
its span the last two thirds Of the nine
teenth and the first decade and more
of the twentieth century was in touch
with the most interesting period in all
the history of the world. The life with
which we arc concerned was not, more
over, passively vegetative. 1t was ex-
ceptionally active, alert, observant, ap-
preciative, sympathetic; one of which it
could be said with Terence that what
eyer concerned humanity concerned it.
Nor is it easy to imagine any other In
that period with more ample and opu-
lent opportunities of seeing and study
ing that which was best worth while in
the world. The grandson Of one Presi-
dent and greatgrandson of another he
was OF the supreme hierarchy of Bos-
ton "Brahminism"-as the first page of
the book suggests-and was therefore
in touch with both the social distinc-
tion and the intellectual eminence Of
perhaps the most splendid era in Amer
lean social and intellectual history
The confidential secretary Of his father
lister to England during our Civil War.
nc had an unsurpassed introduction to
the greatest affairs of state and to the
: personality of some Of the most inter-
csting people in the world
\ single passage will give some no
! ton Of the extraordinary fascination of
these pages. 1t was at Cambridge
House Palmerston's-" thousand
reasons the best diplomatic house in
London:
The small fry Of the legations
were admitted there, or tolerated.
without further effort to recognize
tnelr existence; but they were
pieased' because rarely tolerated
anywhere else, and there they could
at least stand in corner and look
at bishop, or even duke This
was the social diversion of Young
Adams. No one new him-not even
the lackeys. The last Saturday
evening he ever attended he gave
MS name, as usual, at the foot of
: the staircase, and was rather dis
turbed to hear it shouted up as "Mr.
Handrew Hadams" He tried to cor
rect it, and the footn,an shouted
more loudly "Mr. Hanthony Adams!"
NiIA some temper ne repeated the
! correction, and was finally announced
as Mir. Halexander Hadams"; and
under this name made his bow for
the last time to Lord Palmerston.
who certainly knew no better,
Far down the staircase one heard
Lord Pamerston's laugh, as he stood
at the door receiving his guests.
talking probably to one Of his bench.
men-Delane, Borthwick or Harvard
who were sure to be near. The
laugh was singular, mechanical.
wooden. and did not seem to disturb
his features. "Ha. Ha. Hat" Each
was G. slow, deliberate ejaculation.
AID all were in the same tone Sc
though he meant to say "Yes! Yes!
ies!' by way of assurance. II was .
laugh of 1910 and the Congress- or
Vienna. Adams would have much
liked to stop a moment and ask
whether William Pitt and the DukA
OF Wellington had laughed so.
OF the bewildering wealth of nh;lo.
sophical observation and discuss;on
With which much OF the book is ta]len
UP it is impossible to sneak in The
BRIEF compass Of this notice. That will
make I as much priced by the peda-
gogue and the metaphysician as the en-.