TheNation 1897 - Caoba Review

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    April 15; 1897] T h e ISTation 287Frenc h navy , and knew by men ta l processes^ how the fea t could be done . He had zea lfrom boyhoo d; judg me nt h e a lso had whenhe c om m a nde d t he Agamemnon; bu t hi s phenom enal abi l i ty r ipened yea r by year . Hel a c ked B ona pa r t e ' s p re c oc i t y . W he t he r i nna tura l ins ight Nelson fe l l short of Napoleon' s measure , need not here be considered;th at he was at th is t im e [1796] far inferibr,in the po wers of a t ra in ed inte l lec t , to hi syounger compet i tor in the race for fame, i sman i fes t . Five years of the Med i te rranean

    were needed to w iden hi s pol i t i ca l horizon andto se t t l e hi s convic t ions of nav a l methodWhen Capt .Mahan reaches the campaign of theNi le he can say: Th e two e lements menta land mora l powerare often found separa te ly,ra re ly in due combina t ion. In Nelson theymet , and the i r , coinc idence wi th the excep-t iona l oppo rtuni t i es af iEorded him const i tutedhis good fortun e and hi s grea tn ess . He hada t las t become a foe wo rthy of 'N apoleon anda leader wo rthy of the force he swayed. Dr.Arnold, in a f ine passage , l ikens the s ixteenyears ' s t rugg le of Hann iba l aga ins t Rome tothe seventeen year s ' s t rug gle of B onap artea ga i ns t E ng l a nd . We c a nno t m a ke ou t aperfec t com pari son, bu t i f Wel l ington in thePe n i nsu l a wa s the Pa b i ua Ma xi m us C unc t a t o rof the la te r s t r i fe , i t was Nelson who won theba t t l e of the Metaurus .

    A- hero ou t of employm ent i s apt to be api t i ful objec t . Lieut . Laym an, who vis i t edNelson a t Merton, sa id of him tha t he wasl i t t l e in l i t t l e things , but by fa r the grea tes tman in grea t things^ he ever saw; tha t he hadseen him p etu lan t in trifles, an d as cool andcol lec ted as a phi losopher when surroun ded bydangers , in which men of common minds ,wi th c louded countenances , would say, 'Ah,wh at i s - to be done ? ' The egot i sm of hi scorrespondence becomes intole r able unless a l lowance i s made for di sposi t ion and c i rcumstance . How ever, se lf asser t ion se ldom cropped out in da i ly inte rcourse , for the evidenceof his mildness especially before he waswounded in the headis overw helmin g. AtVi e nna i n 1800he was equa l ly r idiculous abou tLady Hami l ton and unaffec ted towards oldfr iends . Lad y Minto, reca l l ing the i r Cors icanacqua intance , wr i tes : He has the same shockhead and the same honest , s imple manners .. . . He i s a gig from riband s , orders , andsta rs , b ut he i s jus t the same w i th us as he everw a s . Of mod est demeano r when he fe l t tha the was be ing made much of or even apprec ia ted. Nelson a t heart was omn ivorous offlattery.

    The most de l ica te part of Capt . Mah an'staskthe accoun t of Lad y Ham i l ton and he rinfluenceis to expla in Nelson' s capture by ac lever , infe r ior w oma n whose des i re to dazz leEuro pe was har dly second to hi s own. Herbe a u t y wa s bound up wi t h t a wdr i ne s s , a ndher da i ly paeans would have soon di sgustedthe common-sense , commonplace individua l .Nelson fe l l vic t im to a da i ly Carmagnole ,His cha rm er was certa in ly gi f ted w i th en te rpri se , and di splayed enoug h pag an vi r tueto supply hi s warm, idea l iz ing ins t inc t anuc leus .

    Un der the s t imulus of exc i tem ent , of self-consc ious ma gna nim i ty, for the gl i t t e r of e ffec t ive perfo rman ce and the ap plause of onlookers , she was capable of heroic ac t ion. I twas thi s dar ing spi r i t , coarse ly akin to muchtha t was bes t in himself and of which shemad e proof und er hi s ow n eyes , tha t N elsonreco'gnized; and this . . . wa s the body oft ruth from which hi s enthusiasm, enkindledby he r c ha rm s a nd by he r t e nde rne s s t owa rd shimself projec ted such a s ingu lar p han tasmof rom a nt i c pe r fe e t i ons .

    Capt . Mahan's s tory of the connec t ion, coupled with his est ima te of i ts resu lts, seems tous incapable of impr ovem ent . The prim e ofNelson' s mi l i t a r y pow ers coinc ides- wi th amora l descent which i s pa te nt to hi s contempo raries and which i s pa te nt to us , b utwhich self-esteem and the violence of afl^ec-t ion c loaked in la rge measure from the cul pri t . Quest ions of com para t iv e e thics fa i r ly.br i s t l e about the s i tua t ion, and a person ofl ibera l mind must be on hi s guard aga ins tant inqmianism , should he seek to measureNelson' s publ ic i ty wi th th e so rdid s ins ofman y war riors and s ta tesmen.- Capt . Mabankeeps to the plain pa th of fact . The severance of duty into publ ic and priv a te codes , thewron g to hi s wi fe and Si r Wi l l i am Ham i l ton,the myst i f lca tion abou t Ho ra t ia , the qua rre lwi t h T roubr i dge , t he ne w a nd g rowi ng i r r i t a bil i ty, the recollection of Nisbet 's debt to himand his forge t fulness t ha t Nisbe t saved h i sl ife, the longing to be dead and over with i tthese are the signs of Nelson's Nem esis. Gr anted tha t he was worse than a fool . We shouldbe ashamed of ourse lves if w e were not movedby the s inceri ty of hi s l as t thoug hts , and of hi slas t charge to hi s count ry.

    Other wri te rs o n ' the same subjec t hav eshown the i r biographica l .ski l l or nau t ica l info rm a t i on . Ha rd l y one ha s shown a de q ua t egrasp of the European inte res t s a t s take .Capt . Mahan's meri t i s tha t he t rea t s wi th 'ful l competence the three aspec ts involvedpersonal , profess iona l, and pol i t i ca l . W ehave conflned our notice to his image of Nelson' s individ ua l i ty tha t the exte nt of hi s rangemay be di scerned. The preceding volumes of' Se a Pow e r ' ha ve p rove d h i s t bough t fu l ne s sand his comm and of hi s tor y, both n ava l and-genera l . But to place the conc lus ion of theseries on an equal l eve lto avoid an ant i c l imaxfacul ties of more vivid na rra t ive andc loser ana lys i s of mo t ive were deman ded.The reader wi l l f ind tha t they a re present , toge ther wi th perfec t honesty. Cap t . Ma han'sprofessional eloquence often reminds us ofSouthey' s pa t r iot ic e loquence , and s t i l l hedoes not cha lk hi s bul l before leading him outto sacrifice.

    One ar t i c le in the rev iewer ' s c reed i s th a tthe bes t of books , i f pr operly examined, canbe made to yie ld a cer ta in quo ta of s l ips andovers ights . We could, w ere we put on ourdefence , indica te two or thr ee cases of wh atwe deem mino r blemish in these pages , but werefra in from doing so, pa rt ly because they re - ,l a te to mat te rs of opinion ra ther than of fac t ,and part ly because they a re ins igni f icant . Before we reached them, many quest ions whichwe have been compel led to pass by wouldc la im a t tent ion. We hav e ven tured to speakour mind concerning the exce l lence , in i t sway, of Southey' s book, and i t s permanentva lue . ' But , a centur y a f te r Nelson leaped tofame a t St . Vincent , the world dema nds thet ru th and the hi s tor ica l mean ing of hi s l ife .These Capt . Mahan gives as th ey have nevert i l l now been presented. The ' Inf luence ofSea Po we r ' f ini shes s t ron g. ^Esthe t ic canonsof themselves requi re tha t the a uth or shouldend the series at Nelso n's dea th. He can contempla te wi th las t ing sa t i s fac t ion the achievemen t of a work which, whi le gr ea t in i t s des ign, in i t s execut ion deserves the pra i se ,t o t us , te re s , at que ro t u ndu s .

    R E C E N T N O V E L S .An Outcast of the Islands. By Joseph Con

    rad. D. Apple ton & Co.Cadba, the Guerilla Chief: A R e a l R om a nc e

    of the Cuban R ebel l ion. By P. , H. Emerso n.L ondon : Da v i d Nut t .

    McLeod of the Camerons. By M. Ham i l ton.D. Apple ton & Co.

    A Reluctant Evangelist, and Other Stories .B y Al i c e Sp i nne r . E dw a rd Arno l d .

    The Red Scaur. B y P . Ande rson Gra ha m .Longmans, Green & Co.

    The White-faced Priest, a nd Ot he r ' Nor t h um b r i a n E p i sode s . B y Howa rd Pe a se .L ondon: Ga y & B i rd .

    Tyne Folk. By Joseph Par ker . P . H. Revel lCo.

    That First Affair. By J . A. Mi tche l l .Charles Scribner ' s Sons .

    The Forge in the Forest: An .Acadian Romanc e . By Charles G. D. Rob ert s . Boston : Lamson, .Wo lffe & Co.

    The Country of the Pointed Firs. B y Sa ra hOrne Jew et t . Hou ghto n, Miffl in & Co.

    The Well at the World's End. By Wil l i amMo rri s . Long man s, Green & Co.B E L I E F in the benefits of foreign travel haslong been a cheri shed supers t i t ion, and m ightsurv ive e te rn a l ly i f t rave l le rs would keepthe i r impress ions to themselves , guar dingthem as jea lously as the spoi l s picked up andpaid for by the way . I t i s when the fore igna i r goes to the i r heads , persuading them th a ti t is a specific for the creation of bri l l iantnove lists, th at the faith (>f the un trav elled \begins to waver and comple te di s i l lus iont h re a t e ns .

    / T h e nove l s wr i t t e n by Mr . Jose ph C onra di l lus t ra te thi s e ffec t of fore ign t rave l whichone c a nno t he l p r e ga rd i ng a s r a t he r c ur i oustha n benefic ia l . There i s no reason to suppose tha t he is by na t ur e i rra t io na l or va in,or tha t he wou ld have m is taken hi s voca t ionhad he c lung to cent res of c ivi l iza t ion. Butthe acc ident of res idence in Bo rneo, Celebes ,and c i rcuma mbie nt i s les has tempted h im towri te nvels , and has therefore made himappear a person of l i t t l e di scernment andpoor judgm ent . The c l imate and the vege tat ion of the East Indies ins t iga ted a book; andthe soc ie ty, black and whi te , of a sort whichno re pu t a b l e pe r son woul d m e e t a t hom e ,comm anded a novel . In the f i rst nove l , ent i t l ed 'Almayer ' s Pol ly, ' the most prominentmem ber of th a t soc ie ty i s an immora l andba d- t e m pe re d t r a de r , na m e d Al m a ye r . Heappe ars in the second, ent i t l ed 'An Ou tcas t ofthe Is lands , ' a lmos t vi r tu ous and pleas ing inc om pa r i son wi t h Wi l le m s , a Dut c hm a n , whoadds hypocri sy and ingra t i tude to a varie ty ofc rude r v i c e s . R i gh t l y to unde r s t a nd t he in t r i gue s c a r r i e d on b y Ara b a dve n t ure r s a n dnegro poten ta tes , one would need the unl imi tedle i sure of Borneo and a posi t ive avers ion forediflcation. The mo ral of the books seems tobe th a t wh i te Chri s t i an s can be much w orseth an black pag ans , and gener a l ly a re , a long^ e S t ra i t s o f Ma c a s sa r . .

    The poin t to be mad e i s , not tha t a compe.tent no vel i s t would be bea ten in a s t rugglewi th the Spice Is lands , bu t tha t jus t havin gbeen ther e i s not eno ugh to mak e a good oreven passable novel i s t . Nei the r i s havingbeen in Cuba , an acc id ent which b e t rayedMr. P. H. Emerson into the mis take of w hathe ca ll s a ' Rea l Rom ance , ' the full and somewh at m is leading t i t l e of which i s , ' Ca6ba ,the Gue ri l l a Chief : A Re al Romance of theCuba n Rebel l ion . ' Both rom ance and rebe l l ion a re fortu na te l y compressed into a fewc ha p t e r s t owa rds t he e nd , whi l e t he g re a t e rpart i s given to a descript ion of Cuban l i fedur i ng a bou t t e n ye a r s p re c e d i ng t he ou t -

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    8 8 Tlie N"atioii [Vol. 64, No. 1659bre ak of the rebell ion of the seven ties. Thesec ha p t e r s a re s c ra ppy , a nd t he a t t e m pt satcharac te r iza t ion a re too feeble tobe consi- dered, bu t they a re ful l of informat ion abo utt he m a na ge m e nt o f a g re a t p l a n t a t i on , g i v i ngc lear accounts ofp l a n t i ng a nd g r i nd i ng o fcane , of the maste r ' s l i fe and the s lave ' s , andthe re la t ions be tween them . Du ring a l l thi speaceful t ime Cafiba is notachief o r evenagueri l l a , but a cheerful house-ser vant an dfa i thful s lave . Once a rm ed, he becomesashocking blackg uard , abando ned to impuls ivec r i m e m uc h m ore . a ppa l l i ng t ha n a rethewel l -ordered a t roc i t i es of the Spanish regula rs . On both s ides the deeds narr a ted a res imi la r to those provid ed by the d a i ly pressunde r the he a d- li ne , C u ba n H or ror s asimi la r i ty w hich ma y es tabl ish the vera c i tyof the press , for Mr. Emers on says hi s s tor iesare t rue . He a l so says tha t he sym path izeswi t h ne i t he r s i de , a nd t ha t t h e Uni t e dSta tes of Am erica i s the cou nt ry to inte rfe rea nd a nne x t he i s l a nd . Itis superfluous toa dd t h a t he i s e qua l l y wi t hou t sym pa t hy o reven compassion for the Uni ted Sta tes .

    A season in M al ta is ra t he r an excuse tha na reason for ' McLeod of the Cam erons , ' by M.Ha m i l t on , p re sum a bl y a young l a dy .Shewas ful l to burs t ing wi th garr i son goss ip andarm y s lang, and Mal ta g ave the chance foran explos ion. Her account of the soc ia l gr iev-ances sufle red by Mrs . Stodd art , who on thes l ightes t provo ca t ion and w i thou t s toppin g toask, had marriedama n of no f amily at al l , ispoignant , and the soc ia l abyss gaping be tweena n ava l engineer and a l ieutenant i s madehideously c lear . W ha t i s more obscure i s theeagerness for not ice from dissolute lords andl ight -minded ladies di splayed by Mrs . Stod-dart ,>who worsh ips the beaut i ful and t rue inart , h as a fee l ing for the soul of thin gs , and,when remov ed from her own se t and conde m ne d t o t he i gnom i nyofManch este r an dher h usban d's people , a t once becomesadist inguished novel i s t . The Scotch t i t l e chosenby the au tho r in dica tes even less thanthe loca l i ty. M cLeod isan officer of theC a m e ron Hi gh l a nde r s wi t ha tenden cy to insani ty and no com pensa t in g caut ion. He hasl i t e ra ry tas tes and can com pel magaz in e editors to accept s tor ies , a t ra i t which may be accepted as na t io na l . St i l l , to keep hi s na t iona l i ty in mind, the occas iona l re fe rence to hi sful l -dress ki l t an d hi s und ress t re ws is rea l lynecessary. Thou gh the au thor i s not uptodis t inc t or consi s tent charac te r iza t ion, sheh a sa frank , s t ra i gh t way of describing thet r ivia l inte res t s of those whose ser ious movements a re ra r e , and in goss iping ta lk sheisext reme ly gl ib. Afte r a period of s il ent medi ta t ion on ' the beaut i ful and t rue and the soulof things , she mig ht w ri te a novel whichshou l d show a n unde r s t a nd i ng o f suc h t e rm sand efface the offence of the i r use as c lapt rapand gibberi sh.

    By way of con t ras t to such ins tances of theinsufficiency oft r a v e l toc re a t e c om pe t e n twri te rs of f i c tion, th ere i s good fortun e in having a t hand a volum e which shows tha t t rav e lcan urge l i t e ra ry impulse to express ion.Thea u t h o r of 'AR e l uc t a n t E va nge l i s t ' ha s a nexce l lent and wel l t ra in ed gi f t for s tory te l l i ng . T he i nc i de n t s a nd c ha ra c t e r s of herta les of the West Indies hav e a bu nd ant loca lcolor , bu t tha t is the i r s l igh tes t c la im on fa vora b l e no t ic e . We s t Ind i a n c us t om s , m a nners , c l imate , scenery, l egends , and supers t i t ions a re essent ia l for a tmo sphe re and de ta i l ,bu t a re no t use d fo r m o re t ha n t he y a r e wor t has condi t ions tha t a ffec t charac te r , he lp tom a k eas i t ua t i on , o r c a r ry t he burde n o f a n

    adv entur e . Besides the fic tion, there is ac h a p t e r"C onc e rn i ng Dupp i e s wr i t t e n wit henough vivac i ty to di scredi t the author amongserious invest iga tors of folk-lore .Am on g the write rs of Eng lish local fiction,t hose o f Nor t hum be r l a nd a re j us t now ve ryindu st r iou s . They are taking considerablepa ins to di ssoc ia te the border count ry fromexci t ing t rad i t ions of Ot te rbu rn and ChevyChase , and a re harmoniously theologica l , dia lec t ica l , and dul l - Her e and ther e in ' T h eRed S ca ur ' the re i s a good note of charac te r i za t ion,a c lear an d p a the t ic v i s ionof a fluena t u r e unc on t a m i na t e d by ha rd c i r cum s t a nc e sand sordid assoc ia t ion. The author , how ever,has so l i t t l e not ionofarran gem ent or se lect ion that the discovery of his fine touches is aw o r k oft ime an d pa t ience for which theymight easily be considered insufficient reward.Such books a re proba bly read w i th inte res tand p leasure by people who know the co unt ryand the pla in, l imi ted exis tence ofB orde rfa rm e rs .

    ' The Red S cau r ' ha s the a i r of a t ruthfu l re port , and can doubt less be recommendedtospur the emot ion of recogni t ion. So wi th thes to ries ' in the volume ent it l ed 'The W hi te -faced Pries t . ' Most of the narra t io n and descript ion is inthe North umb erland dia lec t ,which, e i ther wri t t en or spoken, i s the roughes t and most a rbi t ra ry of Engl i sh dia lec t s ;applied to theo logical d isputes, as in most ofthese stories,itpresen ts difficult ies which fewreaders not na t ives of the di s t r ic t can care toconfront .

    Diale ct in the volu me called ' Tyn e Folk ' isnot so lavishly employed. Theologica l di spute has a shareofthe a t tent ionofthe author , who appears as a c r i t i ca l spec ta tor moreamused than edi fied. The s tor ies a re not re m a r k a b l e forinc ident or charac te r iza t ion,but a re wel l told and enl ivened wi tha gooddea l of i ronica l hum or, an d inc lude somebroadly comic s i tua t ions .Coming af te r the de l ight ful t a leof' AmosJudd, ' Mr. Mi tche l l ' s l i t t l e volume ent i t l ed

    ' T ha t F i r s t Af fa i r ' isdisappoint ing.Themisfortune ofas t r iking dSbut infictionisthe high s tand ard es tabl i shed by the a utho rfo r himself. If he can no t wr ite up to i t, i t isbe t t e r for hi s repu ta t ion th a t he should notwri te a t a ll . The workman ship of thi s secondbook i s nea t and c lever , butit isall decorat ion wit ho ut sub stance. The first sketch, forwhich the legend of the Garden of Eden i s thesuggestion, is in bad taste, fl ippant and strained. The res tofthe ske tches , bar r ing someapt ly humorous comment and c lever phrases ,a re innocent of inte res t .Mr. Rob ert s ' s A cadian romance , ' TheForge inthe Fores t , ' opens wel l , promis ingflne ly for rom ant ic adven ture . The t imeisafte r the t rea ty of Ut recht and before the expu l s i on oft he Ac a d i a ns , whe n t he nom i na l

    owne rs of Nova Scot ia , th e Engl i sh, w erevery much a t the mercy of the French popu-la t ioi i and the i r Ind ian a l li es . Mr. Rob ert shas perceived the fi tness of t ime and scene fora s tory, and has se ized the e lements , but apparent ly has not known how to hold them toge the r . His se lec tionof adispossessed A cadian se igneur, f il led wi th ha t re dofthe conque ror s , ofsome New Eng land se t t l e rsatAnnap ol i s , and of the Black AbbS, an i nt r iguiug and malicious priest , is of the best sortfor hi s purpo se . By some s t ran ge overs ight ,wi th scene , charac te rs , and inc idents a l l ready,he forgo t to provide a mot ive for the Abba ' swickedness , and he neglec ted the invent ion ofcompl ica t ions which should prove the abi l i tyand power ascribed to the Abb6 as wel l as the

    supe ra bun da n t m a l i c e . T he r e su l t of suchovers ight i s a feeble , di s jointed ta le , for wh ichone asks a t the end the reason w hy. As Mr.R obe r t s p roba b l y ha d i n m i nd t he Abb^ L eLout re , an able , ingenious , and implacable foeof the Engl i sh, hi s melodr ama t ic and fut i l eBlack Ab be i s a l l the mor e surpri s in g and di sa ppo i n t i ng . T he E ngl i sh oft he na r ra t o r ,Jea n de Mer, i s most pecul ia r , be ing ne i thera nc i e n t nor m od e rn , nor a n a t te m pt e d r e nde r i ng ofFre nc h i d iom . We c a nn o t t h i nktha t hi s poe t ica l descript ions of na ture a re inchara c te r , bi i t a re than kful for them becausethe i r de l icacy and beauty offe r some compensation for the defects of his tale.. As the bes t m ater ia l for s tor ies maybewasted by unski l l ed hand s , so' the pla in, th emeagre , the commonplace , may be usedtom a rve l l ous a dva n t a ge by t he m a s t e r softhecraft . Miss Jew et t ' s'Cou nt ry of the P ointedFi rs ' is a case in point . Al l she has to workoh is a fishing vil lage on the Maine coast , andan old woma n who grow s herbs and maint a i ns a sor t of a m a t e ur d i spe nsa ry .Thecasua l observer could see l i t t l e of iute res there , the average wri te r could make l i t t l e ofwh at he sees ; but the acu te and sym pathe t icobserver , the except iona l wri te r , comes onthe scene , looks about , thinks , wri tes , and behold a fasc ina t in g s tory. Du nne t appears asone of the most inte re s t ing spots on the faceof the earth, and the cent re of inte res t istheherb -gard en. Li fe radia tes from it, flowsabout i t , and i t s a romat ic scents blend del ight ful ly w i th the sa l t of the sea . The pon derous figure ofMrs . Almira Todd, re t icen tye t garru lous , dom ina tes the town 's soc ie tyand hi s tory, and her capable hand holds andspins and cu ts the thread ofdest iny. Thusb yac e n t ra l i z a t ion ofinte res t which seemsbut i s not an easy process , we ge ta s tory instead of a seriesofske tches ,a comple te andsa t i s fac tory impress ion ofwha t t h e a u t h orme ant to do and accompl i shed. To defrau d.ne i t he r t he i m a gi na t i on nor r e a son of t hereade r is the pla in duty of a l l s tory-te l le rs ,aduty w hich, how ever, only the very bes t canbe tru ste d to fulfi l.

    A na r ra t o r who c a n a f fo rd toignore theappea l to reason and s take a l l on hi s power tof i re the imagina t ion, is firstofa ll a poet,wh ether he wri te in prose or verse . Wi l l i amMo rris, in his reviv als or rechauffe s of mediaeva l romances , properly le f t reason oi j t of thecount , a nd s t ro ve only to enve lop the r ead erin the glow of bi s own imagina t ion and l igh taresponsive f lame. Am on g the roma nces ofwhich the form has the la t i tu de of prose anda subt le ins inua t ionofpoe t ic rhy t hm , ' T h eWe l l a t t he Wo r l d ' s E nd ' ismost successfulin c rea t ing the i l lus ion of ac tua l i ty, compel l ing fa i th which exc ludes quest ion and dims'a n i r r i t a t i ng pe rc e p t i on of art ifice. It ishumanized fa i ry-lore , wi th nomore novelsubjec t than the quest for the founta in ofe te rna l yoi i th. Before the youn g knig htR a l ph ofUproe a ds a nd t he m a i de n Ursu l aof low degre e reach th e wel l and drink, th eyhave to face sorrow and pa in and dea th, an dto tes t by experience both the i r des i re andtheir fi tness to l ive long inaworld wh ere sucht r ia l s a re as cer ta in as the r i s ing and the se t t ing of the sun. The only source from w hichMr. Morri s be l ieved such fort i tud e couldspring i s expressed by the Sage of Swevenhamto the young adv entu rers , the peri l s of whosewa y a r e no t ye t pa s t .

    W ere ye as wise as Solomon and as mi gh tya s Al e xa nde r ,I wi l l fay th i s muc h unto you,th a t i f ye love not th e eart h and the w orldwi th a l l yo ur souls , and wi l l no t s t r ive a l l y e

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    April 15, 1897] T h e nSTatioii. Q89ma y to be frank and happ y there in, your toiland peril afores aid shall win you no blessing,bu t a c u r s e .

    H e pray e th bes t vpho love th bes t , sa idColeridge , and he liveth best who loveth best ,sa id Morri sloveth not only hi s kind, but theeart h and sea and sky and a l l tha t on or inthe m i sloveth, . moreo ver , hi s work , whichfrequen t ly offe rs such adv antag es for ha t in g.Unq uest iona bly he loved hi s own work^ andto none of the many kinds to which he se t hi sbra in and hand did he fa i l to give tha t sort ofbea uty which springs from joy in th e doing.' The Wel l a t th e World-s En d ' could n everhav e been wri t t e n from a sense of duty, or forfame or pay; i t is an expressio n of joy in theplay and whims of imagina t ion, and one mustbe hopelessly dull and depressed not to getpleasure from i t s beauty and ca tch enthusiasmfrom i t s spi r i t .

    A Critical Study of Nullification in So uthCarolina. B y Da vi d F ra n k l i n Hous t on .[H arv ard His torica l Studies , Vol . I II . ]Lon gm ans, Gree n & Co. 1896. Pp . ix, 169.M HOUSTON has done well to confine himselfto a definite and l imited field, and to workt ha t t horough l y . He ha s m a de no a t t e m p t todiscuss null ification in all i ts bearings, and haswise ly re fra ined from t ra ver s ing aga in thegroun d a l re ady gone over by wri te rs on ourconst i tut ion a l h i s tory ; ins tead, he has undert a ke n t o t r a c e t he o r i g i n a nd de ve l opm e nt o fnull ification in South Carolina, and to discussthe va l idi ty of the leading doc t r ine in thel ight of the precedents on which the nuUifle rsmainly re l ied, and of South Carol ina earlyhis tory. His wor k is thus a supplem ent toexis t ing accou nts of the movem ent , a nd assuch is welcome. If the narr a t iv e touchesoften upon fam i l ia r mat te rs , the s tory neverthe less ga ins apprec ia bly in s igni f icance b ythi s concent ra t ion of inte res t , as wel l as bythe c learness wi th which i t i s told. Natu ra l lyMr. Houston f inds l i t t l e lu e i ther the theoryor the prac t ice of nul l if i ca t ion to comm end,and does not hes i ta te to indica te from t ime tot ime hi s own op inion of the mer i t s pf the case ;bu t he ha s wr i t t e n wi t hou t p re j ud i c e , a nd weapprehend tha t hi s conc lus ions wi l l f ind moregenera l accep tance than he himsel f ( if we mayjudge from a remark in the preface) seems toant ic ipa te . W e have space to re fe r to buttwo or three topics on which hi s researchesshed new l ight .

    The nul l i f ica t ion mo vem ent a imed to checkthe cent ra l iz ing tendencies of the na t iona lGove rnm e nt , a s shown m os t p rom i ne n t l y i nprotec t ive-ta r i ff l egi s la t ion; and Mr. Houstonis a t pa ins to make c lear the a t t i tude of SouthCarol ina tow ards thi s par t icula r i ssue . Thata t t i t ud e was not free from inconsi s tency . Ingenera l . South Carol ina did not di rec t i t s opposi t ion aga in s t high dut ies as such, i f thene e ds o f t he Gove rn m e nt r e qu i re d t he m , bu taga in s t dut ies l evied for the sake of protect ion. But , down to 1823, the represe nta t ivesof Sou th Carol ina in Congress based the i robjec t ions to the princ ip le of protec t io n onlyon groun ds of expediency and ju s t ice , t ac i t lyadm i t t ing i t s const i tut ion a l i ty, and not u nt i la f te r tha t da te was i t s const i tut iona l i ty denied (p. 5), The tur ni ng point came in 1816,howev er, when Calhoun and others voted forthe ta r i ff bi l l of tha t year . Fro m th a t t imether e grew rapidly in South Carol ina a feel ing tha t the inte res t s of the South were notident ica l wi th thos e of the Nor th, and tha tthe coi i rse of na t iona l a ffa i rs , under increasing Northern cont rol , was l ike ly to run in op

    posi t ion to the inte res t s of the S ta te . Thisgrowing di ssa t i s fac t ion, sharply accentua tedby di sappointment and ch agrin over the re sult of the election of 1834, prep ared th e wayfor a change in the theory of the Const i tut iona change the m ore necessary s ince Sou thCarol ina , in the persons of Eldred Simkins ,Georg e McDuffie, an d Calhoun , had in thepast approved of the exerc i se of im pl ied powers, and of the theory on which the i r exerc i sewas based.

    The s teps by which thi s change of front , between 1817 and_lS38, was bro ugh t a bo ut a ret raced by Mr. H ouston wi th much weal th ofde ta i l , and wi th espec ial care . The p roblemwas to change publ ic sent iment from the negat ive a t t i tude of opposi t ion J to the na t iona lGovern ment to the posi t ive s tand point of enthusiasm for a new theory of the C onst i tut ion. The chief part in organ iz ing the movement , up to 1826, was taken by Sen ator Wi l l iam Smith . Sm ith began his poli t ical l ife byopposing Calhoun's pol icy, fought the Bo nu sBil l of 1817 and the tariff th e yea r following,and, a f te r hi s re t i rem ent from th e Sena te in1833 to make room for Hay ne , devoted himsel f to fur thering the cause in South C arol ina .His efi icient al ly was Dr . Tho mas Cooper, P res ident of the 'So uth Carol ina Col lege , whomJohn Quincy Ada ms charac te r ize d as alearned, ingenious, scientific, and talentedmad cap. From 1831 to 1824, protes t s aga ins tprotec t ion poured into Congress from a lmostevery county of South Ca rol in a ; w hi le inDecem ber, 1825, Sm ith succeeded in car ryi ngthroug h the Legis la ture resolut ions which re versed Calhoun's pol icy and formal ly pledgedthe Sta te to the do c t r ine of s t r i c t const ruct io n (p. 59). The do ctrine of null ification, asfinally enunciated by Calhoun and his school,c la imed foundat ion in the Federalist, theKen tucky and Vi rgin ia R esolut ions , the a t t i tude of New En gland durin g th e wa r of 1813,the cont roversy, as ye t unse t t l ed, be tweenGe org i a a nd t he Uni t e d S t a t e s , a nd t h e unders tanding tha t South Carol ina had had fromthe beginning as to the n a tur e of the Un ion.Mr. Houston examines each of these a rgu ments in turn , an d shows not only tha t ne i thert h e Federalist no r th e Resolu tions of 1798afford support for such a doc t r ine , bu t a l sotha t the early hi s tory of the Sta te was aga ins ti t , and tha t in South. Carol ina th e Har t for dConvent ion had been genera l ly condemned.Only in the Georgia cont roversy was encouragem ent to be found for such ac t ion asthe Sta te now theore t ica l ly proposed to itself.

    I t has been genera l ly assumed tha t Calhounwas the principa l figure in the null ificationmovem ent , but Mr. Houston' s inv est iga t ionstend to qua li fy thi s view very materia l ly. Ashe ' r igh t ly reminds us a t th e outse t (p. 3),South Carol ina-and Calhoun did not a lwayss tand for the same thin g. We have a l r eadyseen th a t Calhoun had app roved the doc t r ineof impl ied powers , an d as ear ly as 1814 he h adcommit ted himsel f to advocacy of protec t ion.In 1817, how ever, h e ret ired fro m Congress,and, wi th Pres ident ia l aspi ra t ions to res t ra inhim, re fra ined for a numb er of years from fre qu ent or explicit expression of opinion on pu bl ic quest ions . Ju s t a t wh at t ime, says Mr.Hou ston (p. 60), Calho un changed from aprotectionist to a free-trader, from a l iberal toa conserva t ive , f rom a l ibera l const ruc t ionis tto a s t r i c t const ruc t ionis t , f rom a progressionist to an obstructionist , has been difficult tode te rm ine . One thing i s c learhis change fol lowed tha t of the majo ri ty of the people of theSta te ; and whatev er p ressure ther e was , wasexerted by the Sta t e on him, and n ot by him

    on t he S t a t e . An i n t e re s t i ng l e t t e r t o R ob e r tS. Gar ne t t of Vi rgin ia , da ted July 3, 1834,but first published in 1893, in the MontgomeryDaily Advertiser, shows tha t a t tha t t ime hi sviews had no t changed ; nor did he hes i ta te , in1835, to rep ro ba te . . . any concertedunion be tween Sta tes for inte res ted or sect iona l objec t s . I t was not unt i l a f te r thepassage of the tariff act of 1828 tha t he became .thoro ugh ly convinced of the poss ible dange rsof a protec t ive sys tem, and began a s tudy ofthe Const i tut ion whose outcomewa gthe theo ryof nul l i f i ca tion. Th at theory, however, hada l read y been formu la ted, in 1827, by Rob ertJ . T u rnbu l l , i n ' T h e C r i s i s ' ; a nd a l t houghCalhoun re f ined the doc t r ine , put i t intoshape , and e labor a ted i t , the honor, if suchi t may be ca l led, of or igina t ing i t would seemto be long to Turnb ul l . Tha t Calhoun musthav e seen ' The Cri s i s ' i s evident from thefac t th a t he uses man y of i t s prec i se p hrases .I t i s as an expoun der , and as l i t t l e e l se , tha tCalhou n f igures in the cont roversy. He wasnot the origina tor of the doc t r ine , and heplayed scarce ly any par t as an ac to r in frontof the scenes up to January, 1833 (p. 80). A sfor his own chan ge of front , i t would bem uc h n e a re r t he t ru t h t o s a y t ha t Sou t h C a rol ina coerced Calhoun, th an to say tha t Cal houn misguided South Caro l ina (p. 64).

    We have sa id enough to show the importance of Mr. Houston ' s s tudy . An appendixconta ins Calhoun's l e t t e r re fe rred to above , afew ext rac t s from documents , and a bibl iog ra ph y . We no t e r e fere nc es , t h rougho ut t hevo l um e t o Niles Begister, except in theb i b l i ogra phy , whe re i tMs, properly, NUBS'.On p age 101 the n ame of H ug h S. Legarfi appears twice wi thout the accent .

    A Dictionary of Bird's. By Alfred Newton,ass i s ted by Ha ns Gadow, wi th cont r ib ut ionsfrom Rich ard L ydek ker , Charles S. Roy,etc. L on don : A da m & C ha r l e s B l a c k ;New Yo rk : The Macmillan Co. 1893-1896.1 vol . , 8vo, pp. i-xii 1-1S4, i-v-iii, 1-1088,map, and unnum bered f igures in t ext .PARTS I . and I I . of thi s t ruly mon ume nta lwo rk appea red in 1893, and were reviewed a tconsidera ble length in these columns. Pa rt

    III . , Moa-S hea thbi l l , was pub l i shed in 1894.Part IV. , f ini shing the a lphabet wi th Zygo-dac tyl i , and con ta ining by fa r the most impo rtan t fea ture ( the Int rod uct ion to thewhole) , bes ides the permanent Ti t l e , Preface ,etc., was i ssued la te l as t year . The Dic t ionaryhas overrun our or igina l es t imate of about1,000 pages, to the extent of a total of 1,338pages , and the event more than jus t i f i es ourpre d i c t ion t ha t t h i s work would p ro ve t hemo st useful s ingle volume ev er publ i shed onorni th olog y. No be t te r ba lanced t rea t i se ofl ike ma gni t ude exis t s in the l i t e ra ture of sc ience ; tEere i s none in which a s tan dard of exce l lence se t up a t the s ta r t i s more equ ablymain ta ined to the f inish. That s tand ard,m ore ove r , is one h i t he r t o une x a m pl e d ; P ro- ,fessor Ne wton has no equa l in e rudi t ion, sofar as the sc ience of orni tholo gy i s concerned,-and few peers in the a r t of exposi t ion. Hislong Incumbency of an important cha i r inthe Univ ers i ty of Cam bridg e has mad e hima m aster ly teacher , and we have in thi s Dict ionary the most mature frui t s of l i fe longdevot io n to hi s favo ri te s tudy, se t for th wi thrar e ski l l and tac t . Excep t iona l ly c lose sc rut iny of Pa rt s I II . and IV. not only confi rmsbu t accen tua tes our comm endat ion of ear l i e rpo r t i on s a s c on t a i n i ng t he g re a t e s t a m oun tof t horo ugh l y t rus t w or t hy o rn i t ho log i c a l in -