The New York herald., 1921-04-17

COMMENTARIES ON THE GALLO AND
CIVIL WARS. BY julius Cesar, Rome g.
Bell & Sons. Ltd. London.
w TIE frankly admit that we do not care
\A to review this book. 1t was un-
fortunate that it was laid upon
our desk for criticism. 1t is the most deadly
dun volume ever done into print In COM
parison the Congressional Record reads like
a dime novel.
Our dislike for julius Caesar and his Com
mentaries dates back to the time when
the efforts to compel us to read it began.
Possibly it is just as well to admit now
that we have never read it. and never will
but we know we do not like it,
The Commentaries contain an account of
how this fellow Cesar who lived in Rome
Just before the Christian era began, led an
army through Europe, pillaglng, devastating,
sacking villages and burning crops He dis
covered that the .Begians and the Germans
were at war with each other. Then he sent
back a telegram saying: II came; I saw
| conquered" which in those days was con-
sidered a marvel for brevity and wit.
Cesar wasn't willing to let it go at that,
however and when he got back home he
proceeded to write an enormous volume,
which. when all is said and done, does not
contain more essential information than is
found in his six word message. His book
was the beginning of his unpopularity. Ever
since his day il has been the custom for
great Generals and Admrals to coin neat
phrases about battles they gain or wars
they win, phrases which have a fine ring
to them and which make heroes Of the vic
tors, and then they come back home and
write or talk themselves into oblivion. This
custom is one of the evil things that Cesar
did which lives after him
About the dulneSs of this volume ii is
hardly necessary to say very much. Every
high school boy already knows. The first
Commentaries we ever saw in Latin,
We successfully translated the first phrase.
which says, "All Gaul is divided into three
parts" and then we gave up the struggle.
Having set standard, we could not main
tain it, and from there on we became dub.
After that when the professor looked at US
steadily over the top Of his glasses we grew
to expect something like, Second failure
this week Next" and whenever we gave
absolutely perfect translation he always
said, "Humph Suspicously correct" and
came quietly behind us TO see If we had
pony inside the regular volume We have
never understood why In translating the
Commentaries we were wrong if we were
right and stayed after school TO study il we
were wrong.
So that is how we grew to dislike Caesar
the account of his assassination by Brutus
We have always loved and admired Brutus.
He did for US what we would gladly have
done
The only man who has adequately eN
pressed our opinion of Julius Cesar Is
Pierre Boulgny. that wonderful Frenchman
whose well known book "LENplCation Com
plete du Manque des Cuisniers Suporieurs
dams les Maisons Aristocratiques issued
from the press of Plon- Nourrit et Gle in
1S4S. and now understood to be out Of print
placed him at once in the front rank of
the literary critics Of his day. He relates
in his book that upon one occasion he en-
tered a dining room with the soup TO find
the head of the family reading Caesars
Commentaries for the edhcation of the
household. Hastily placing the toureen
upon the table, Pierre, his voice vibrating
with emotion and his body trembling with
passion. dramatically said:
''Ners monde avez ellie auparavant Je
fusaient sans comiques tous minces favour
entire pousser que raison beaucoup avec
comprenda."
Unfortunately, this is one of those French
sentences which cannot be translated into
English. The meaning. while quite clea
does not lend itself. on account of its sub
tlety TO English idioms. but it made so grea
an impression in France that the reading
Of Cesars Commentaries at the dinner
table fell into popular disfavor at once
II YOU are looking for light reading. some
thing 10 take the duh edge OF of life for
you possibly you had better not try Cesar