Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-30

Picture of the Victorian Age" etc. Trans
lated from the French by Hamish Miles. New
York: d. Appleton Co.
mr. ANY who have never read line
HH of Byron'S poetry pass Judgment
/HA upon its vicious influence and
cast aSperSions upon its technic.
Many who have not a single au-
thentic fact upon Byron himself hustle him
away among the condemned, simply because
some said that some one else Said-and an
old rumOr is brought out and reshaken for pos
sibly another morsel of scandal to roll upon the
tongue and SAVIOR within the mouth. And no.
body really loses in this engagement. save the
ono who allows himself to take into his system
she poiSOnS of suspicion and evil report. Ger
tainly it cannot harm Byron. Instead, only the
one who holds himself away from genius and
from art. M. Maurois has the hope that this
review of the life of the poet will send readers
to Byron for the treasure which he holds for
them. Into the study has gone all that was al
ready known of the poet and much besides that
has come to light through the opening up of
new facts, of new situations. To this material
the author has given the same sort of treat
ment that he so competently gave to Shelley, TO
DiSraeli, treatment whose effect is re-embod.-
ment rather than mere portrayal. One signifi-
cant, and interesting, purpose of the Maurois
study is to trace the evolution of Byron-from
a young man OF Puritan heritage, a chivalrous
affectionate youth to an ultimate cynic his
against disinterested friendship, against sincere
homage. genius certainly-but a OF
vanity, of passionate moods, impossible man.
And that which this. biographer sets out to
prove is that despite this unfortunate develop
ment, that despite these forbidding externals,
there was deep within him still the fine up
standing boy, Lord Byron His point of conten-
ton. and proof. is that the last Byron was in
reality the first Byron. The errancy in appear
ance was due, according to Maurois, to deep
psychological conflict. whose nature is of vital
Importance to every man, whose depth is a
revelation of the dangers that beset all human
feelings and thinkings. This is the great pur-
pose of the work in hand. To achieve the end
desired it was important that the author delve
into all the realities of Byrons life. And so out
of these delvings there come facts fair and not
so fair. All are not only useful, but of the
highest importance, well. And we read OF
loves, lawful and unlawful of children born in
wedlock and out of it, of wild doingS in almost
every direction. Butt is to remember that
here Is passionate nature to start with, SenSi-
tive instrument of amazing delicacy of response
And here 1S-thiS for us to realize and make
use of-here is commanding genius whose
creations are for the use of all men, inspiring
creations, which we have no business to reject
for no better reason than that we were born
PuritanS. We are not responsible for that any
more than Byron was responsible for his lineage
but we can get over it il we try. At any rate
here is rich and colorfuI nfe-wrong aboug
as often as right-but life of high achieve
ment, not only in poetry but in politics as WELL
in an unselfish dedication of himself to the
cause of a distressed people. A great story told
greatly Il should be happy if this book
Mauois talking-"were fortunate enough to
send back to Byron's work some of the readers
both English and French. who pass stern judg-
ment upon them without knowing them" And
ne is bound to be happy" from exactly this
cause. for, certainly, nothing less than a re-
birth, or new birth Of readers Is bound to
follow upon this authentic and absorbing story
OF great English genius at the hands of a
great French biographer.
~
STEPHAN ESCOTT. BY Ludwig
lewiston, author of ''The Island