The Life of Sir Morell Mackenzie.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 178, 29 July 1893, Page 3 (Supplement)

The Life of Sir Morell Mackenzie.

There is a great to-do over the Rev. H. R, Haweis' • Life of Sir Morell Mackenzie,' the publication of which the Empress of Germany wished to stop. It seems that soon ft fter the great surgeon's death, his family invited Mr Haweis to become his biographer, and placed all papers, letters, etc., ab tho reverend gentloman's disposal. The book was completed to the apparent satisfaction of the Mackenzies (who suggestod various modifications, which were duly carried out), and, as an acb of courtesy, the proof sheets were senb to the Empress Frederick for revision. She never returned them or communicated with Mr Haweis, but 6oon afterwards the reverend gentleman received a round-robin from the Mackenzie family asking him to suppress tho book. After some thoughb he replied he was willing to meet the family's wishes if they could square the publishers. 'If,' he said, 'the book is to be suppressed it can only be by paying the \ printer's bill and refunding them the portion of the honorarium already advanced to me.' The printer's bill waß presented and pronounced extortionate. The latter then said, ' Very well, name a sum you will pay,' and the Mackenzies fixed £300. This meant thab Haweis himself would get nothing for writing the book, bu^ to close an unpleasant incident ho persuaded Aliens (the publisher) to accept the terms. When, however,- a clerk was senb for the cheque the Mackenzie's lawyer backed out of the contracb and refused to pay a farthing. Upon this, of course, the book was promptly published. The chief fault the average person will find with 'The Life of Sir Morell MeKenzie' is that the central figure is the writer,- and not the subjocb of the memoir. The colossal egotism of Mr Haweis simply swamps poor Sir Morell. The latter merely answers .the pnrpose of a peg upon which tho biographer hangs incidents illustrative of his acquaintance with Tennyson, Maurice, Kingsley, Jenny Lind, Garabaldi, Taitand Ronan. All these celebrities, and mnny more we are given to understand, might have been alive and happy now if only Mr Haweis had nob been too bußy to pay them the attention tor which they were craving. When Mr Haweis comes to the culminating episode of Sir Morell's earcor, i.6., his attendance on the Emperor Frederick, he makes no attempb to treab the subject judicially, bub simply slices out the most objectionable passages from the ' Life of Frederick the Noble,' and covers with obloquy all who differed with Sir Morell. The opposition which the famous specialist met with during tho lasb years of his life within his own profession is ascribed to jealousy and similar ignoble motives. When, in facb, Mr Hawois isn'b egotistical, he's hopelessly prejudiced, indiscreet and inaccurate. The book has been so savagely reviewed in the daily papers that everybody is asking for it at the libraries.