New-York tribune., 1919-11-26

The Oxford University Press has just
issued a small volume of little more
than two hundred pages consisting of
selections from Boswell's Life of Sam
uel Johnson" r. W. Chapman is the
editor. 1t is rather unfortunate that
there should be any necessity for
abridgng Boswell, even though the life
For our part. we have always felt that
the most casual reader could get a lot
Of fun out of Boswell, with a little ju-
dicious skipping. We have not the
stamina ourself to get very far into
a forbidding book, but Boswell never
gave us any trouble. We deny We
hemently that it is in any sense a dull
book.
But, since 1T has unjustly acquired a
certain fame as weighty literature, and
since its very bulk may frighten all
but the most venturesome, Mr.. Chap
man has performed a useful service,
even though no such brief book can
begin to give all that is diverting in
Boswell's johnson" In his preface
Mr. Chapman says: "If any apology is
required for making a selection from a
work in its nature discontinuous. the
authority may be cited of johnson HIM
self, who was at first angry with
Bishop Hurd for publishing mutilated
Cowley, bat, afterward relentng, al
hot 10
mans publishing as much as he
chooses of any author, If he does not
put the rest out Of the way"
Perhaps some who have never read
the life entire may come upon Mr.
Chapman's little book, and reading the
account Of the meeting Of DR.. johnson
and John Wilkes, or his letter to Ches-
terfield, may be tempted to wade into
the big book and find some of the
treasures which the editor had omitted
1t is in the Chesterfield letter that the
famous line occurs, "Is not Patron
my Lord, one who looks with unconcern
on man struggling for life in the
water, and, when he has reached ground
cncumbers him with help"
Mr.. Chapman has purposely omitted
some of the best known Johnsonian
repartee for fear that his little book
will seem no more than collection OF
humorous sayings, but he has not passed
by such old favorites as, "Sir, woman's
preaching is like q dogs walking or
MS hinder legs. 1t is not done we'll:
but you are surprised to find it done al
ALL" and "Why, sir, sherry is dull
naturally dull; but it must have taken
him a great deal of pains to become
what we now see him. Such an excess
of stupidity, sir, is not in Nature" as
well as Much may be made of g
Scotchman, if he can be caught young
There is also something of johnson
in his unconsciously humorous moments
as in the scene of which Boswell
records:
"He seemed to take q pleasure ir
speaking in his own style; for when h,
had carelessly missed it, he would re
peat the thought translated into it
Talking of the comedy of The Rehear
SAL he said, 1T has not wit enough t.
keep it sweet This was easy: h,
therefore caught himself, and pro
nounced more round sentence: Il
has not vitality enough to preserve i
from putrefaction.'
There is in one passage selected b,
Mr.. Chapman, the soundest sort of ad
vice for all those who are minded 70
the first time to make reading al
interest. Johnson said:
Il am always for getting a boy for
ward in his learning; for that is sur
good. l would let him at first rea
any English book which happens to en-
gage his attention; because you hav
done great deal when you hav