THACKERAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 716, 15 January 1910, Page 9

THACKERAY.

■ V ;;'-.S ; ~HIS TBEATMENT OF TEE"TOirE -'V-- :{ v'- '. In ■ ■ '.'William : :Makepeace ;.;.;.. Thackeray/'.'by;Lewis■-.■'Melville,;..*.'Tho :;.!-, ;Timcs'!r*6ays:7- ; 'i;:.;'K':-'"■/; ■'"'SLThat;the: misnomer'.'r of. ;.cynib' should 3' ,{: applied;itp;:..Thatkeray,: -jest;,.seems j to' cause-; ihv •;vjM,iMelVille; exquisite ;pain. \>;',The';tei;m,-■■it :/.'.£,;'prngHt,fairly.; W v p6int«d^ont,;.has.*an^ch:H : - ;- : : cynics, ■{in:' comparison; with''all, ,' ; i;.'-!mentrader:. thu ; ty.{-{Thackeray was: forty' :.£:-1 by^hb;-time'she:,was . " : beginiiirijc" to"do' his v ; Vf lbesT-SjporK'j::{ Ho":had^run,;through"' his ;-. /'jpatrimbriyiV'had' associated .'with :a {good .'Sjf.jnany 5 of ..ths: ogres ,;.'aßd : :bucks he'- .was * KM fond:, of, depicting,; aud-had traversed- ';.':.::■ a. decidcdl.y'ibuckish" period -of his {own.. .-;; I-'Tho side" of. 1 lifo .was ; . no.' inysteryi \{v{to i ;him;-,;andjyctf we':fiid .himicbhtinur /-.•'.'p-BUy'vastonished;.: at. tha;'cougregatioh {.'of S-'-'i ■-.Pascals j'bf ";;his{own"creation.- ; ::--"I don't jt;*vkhow';where theni.fei ;V.J;; iainly.:;neyer;yiTed»'w ; ith; such - people." A--'. -;: The itendehcyMvhich 'gives : rise jto an" as; r; : ;; : &;pect : ;of :lifa : so;bitter .'"or "sour -as that: of -;-'/; clpsß\resemblance}xp. the ipro(s r.;;oess;;whibhiengehders. cynics';;' and, .'how-. ;/«, : Wo 'ihay-jbo' : that':.Tliacfc«-" 'J.v;Vvfray : ;nevei' ; crossed.;tho.;ffondor;'' there'.;is '-'-i/jvery little ground- for - much, astonishment - ■.'■■l v:.at;the'.' imputation.'; Theisame''applies";to" , .'.:.',■:' ihb::T charge..'; of:. disloyalty .'which '''was ::-vi^^(levelkdf by.'.well-meaning'-people' against ;::- ; .,[thp'lecturer von Georges'.''. For. '"i'-i'-ii "man";whb;~ had {.seen ■■ so {niuch; of'life: .;:;: , y ■; on "his.-.own' account as': Thackeray'' had, f.■{{ ;-.'_td~ apply'such'a"high standard::pf.'inbral- '.": '-?'•'ity,'to {the: first; gentleman .and'amorist': of ;;.:.;} Europe,...who'-lappened:at;the' same time to'have: bebnvthe; uncle of; the'-reigning ::-';,.;•'Boveieign.-, and; to ;bo: notoriously-defence-;^vv.Jless^;.was "not/'exactly: an ; exploit to ;dis-:-:.'play-in the'imirror;of {.chivalry. ; Tb'alT i .':£rthe:i,;;;;Gebrges, :: :in ;: vfact,:> ,as;:;:has ::>{ l>Mn;wfill- ■'said; •■.•; applied ,{, -,'' : ,the;.wrong'; method, J in.'the' wrong. man-' ■|;'-!;'..v(nCT, ;; ':'atitEo'V.wrong:':tim^'.;'.VMorally- speak- * jy ; .irifeito': public-:character;■ of'any'" other ;.; : i:v*ppch;_could.quite :be'expected'.to.'.''stand :; : "'{-{'tb^ ,;4:-iSto;;theextremo'ofexhibiting;: four, rather : ;;W;anoro thanvaveragely I :useful constitutional v/^Winonmeha'.respectively..'as:, types'-'of-:-bnmD-:{%.'ikin,•;miser,■: yokel,' ;ind boast:•■■;He'-crbsV ::;:-;;: : questions 'them :iika-,a'n :01dsBoiloy' bar-■'■<;"-..;:rister,: just.; as; :-;s:;; ; Bick..Sti:eleVand. 'poor'.. Horry {Pieldiiig >-.; ;.;for; rbystering;;"with a{ .sup«rlluous';' con-".■,;■;'.'descending:-.'kind;: of : . ■ charity, :and-.in- '..:.- taxiably;ends{by,'se'ntencing : them "to-tho • :.:.: Worst, indignities that Dr.-Birch could ;-. : Inflict, Nothing could vta-y.well bo;more :...,-. .antagonistic to tho interpretation ■of ..the ■ -~?.,,past than' this'didactic spirit from'which;>.;v/Xhack3r.'i/;.was;;so;seldom ;free: i.O'ic. so ~: :.v\«asfly.bored: prfput; out-by ..tho'-sermbns .;.4;.Land caricatures,of others'.'onght.-we' say,' ■& -'ife' '^ aTe ''itei.l iiv'little": mon) ■ forbearance ''; £: ilhiniself; but .in- making ' such" a remark '?v:;-iwe'!;jbin'.jssue ,;v (alas'!)! goodly .;::.V : :OlEcions.\))iographer,':.Mr.:':Helville. : V';lf '■:•& ','i Thackef ay-were Across-questioned': in" tho .:;-:ißarme; 'spirit;;in-;which he-.cross-questions . ..■;!the: ; ...T3nglisli'; "-Humourists,";'.';humane,' ;, ; generous,-.and- devoted .to his domestic :•:'.■' circle;;, though ..ho {was, he:; might .easily. ,-.-.... pe.'.maao : tq-appear'tbuchv, "■;vain, and : : :...:: ' n some ways .inconceivably' narrow. "We ;.;;havo only.{to read behveeu : the'. lines 'of i--":';''\ :^iP??-sarr .uloiis'-.'oi , ''-..Ti'Dn.;'to;'di«;orri *;A<™:*™jMtoSi: and these, Jiko those -',of ... .;;:-the ; loiu- boorges,: wore vorv mucli what ,: ■■/:. middle- .-,: -.^-joan^Posoditoythe^nhroten'spell .;...., of:indigestion,.and;.indiscriminatb. flattery ..-.. -B-nich' was; tho ' Unenviable - -" lot of the ;: r ,;ffiajor novelist, sixty. y<«rs-ago.'..No''one '..-. ■■;:, consigns spmuch; of himself to \ future -/{/{•Pjneration-asitha autobiographic novelist' ;.,'.''- : ;Most..: of,,the;;'messages.;.aro undeliieied. .-.: ;= -The present. work shows what- application .;.;, can do.in deciphering tho self-told story" who. is quite, as much of a demi;;;.l::Kod:to,.us.:as to. tho reading.public of .-. ;K"tho;early.sixties.;-. ':?•..■>';;'' ;\;;; '?;■/& ■ QeneralCSir.-Willianv jiutlor is : pub- .;':> Wishing,'through Mess-s".Srf,thaeu, ; iniDie- ;'■; -'V'diately,■■'. "The .'Light;: of.. tho i' West.": It ;;;-;;contains, among otlior:tKinirs, i>.'.lecture on ;' ! ,:Napoleon-r-said tq bb startling.in its c0n- ..:.-.; V'clusions—and.'ii .'Bymp'athe'tic.=- study . of '.■':■.! : PaTnell,; who,;in Sir,.William 7 ,. Butler's -:'; i/'opinibn, must'for ever.'rein aiii- a : huiriaa' '{-"mystery. Other ..articles are a study of { . St: Batriok, and some descriptions of the ■-':'■; ..characteristic, beauty, of.{lreland..-,. ■■■ '"Windsor" Xm as No.-'-A'.'superbly-il- •■",.; :,lustrated{double nvuiber. >