REVIEW.

Press, Volume XXIX, Issue 3975, 22 April 1878, Page 3

REVIEW.

THE SIXETEEOTH CENTURY. FEBRUARY, IS7B.

It is extremely ussy for a monthly to deal ._ with a political question. Before its remarks can appear, another turn in the kaleidoscope is liielj topresent an entirely new aspect of affairs, lie " Nineteenth Century, ,, howeTer, has rnn the risk, and has come out of it without much lues of dignity or sagacity. 3lr Gladstone's paper on"" The Peace to Come" is a real contribution to the solution of what one is tired of calling the Eastern Question. Writing at the time of the armistice, Mr Gladstone of course saw in that the sign and hope of peace. Bat he saw clearly er.ongh that negotiations for peace involved matters of European concern, with which only Europe could deal. The article is written with singular clearness and moderation. Its drift' and substance may be expressed by the three following propositions : — First — There is ! iegitimale ground for jealousy of Russia. Second — The safest and most effectual check is to be found in the concert of_Europe. Thirdly—The setting up of separate interests and the advancement or separate claims, even without pasting beyond the sphere of diplomatic action, tend to break up that concert, and are, therefore, to be eschewed unless a" grave acd evident necessity. The ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Lowe, has met with more than his m&tch in Colonel Chesney, who writes " On the value of India to England." Mr Lowe, in hi paper in the " Fortnightly," had maintaicet that the foreign dominions of the Crown ar« more of a burden to Great Britain than i Messing. The maintenance of 60,000 men ir India is one of these alleged burdens. But th« Colonel maintains that this garrison of Indie is a burden on England ocly in the earn* sense that emigratica is a burden, by tendinj to keep np prices and to limit the laboui market. The India service is a populai service. Men enlist for that when they would not do so for any other. Under the" new system, by which all soldiers are to be transferred to the army reserre for the latter period of their eerviee.England will get the benefit,for the cost of training these men will have been paid br India. Moreover, if India draws troops from England, India in return raises her own. About this she fcaa no difficulty. Men are always waiting foi enlistment. " The Indian army is now simply made up of a large number of skeleton bat- ... talions, but the Government has only to give ijthe signal to draw recruit* to its colors to any Otent necessary, from the perfectly inexhaustible supply available both within and without Hβ borders, of the manly races possessing the qualities for making a splendid soldiery. In this way the military resources of India are capable of immediate and definite extension, without an additional soldier being sent from Europe." The Calonel then proceeds to show what a loss to British trade the loss =of India would bring about Considering til* money xotaretts involved in the army of officials, merchants, producers, and consumers, who gain a livelihood from, or whose convenience and prosperity are bound up with, our connection with India, it may be said " that the effect on them, and by consequence on the people of this country (England) of the loss of India, which Mr Lowe regards as a matter of trifling importance, would really amount to a tremendous calamity, affecting every das* of English, society. For all this trade and all this field of employment would be sacrificed if we surrendered our possession of that country. The loss of India would involve consequences quite different from those likely to result from the loss of any of our colonies. Canada or Australia might separate from us without any-enange in our commercial relations with them, and still affording the same outlet as before .for Hie energies of our redundant population. Bet the lose of India means the destruction of oar Indian trade, for the main- ■ tenanee of it is entirely dependent on our oosnpatton of that country. What its fate would be if we were from any cause to withdraw from it, no man can indeed foresee." Till we fullj think of the matter, we do not realise the fact that the actor has to do a good deal towards the creation of the dramatist's characters. These characters are not so dearly cut, and so vividly portrayed in words, . m v generally imagined, The words suppEfldbf the dramatist furnish the actor with : cnly'a small part of what he has really to -psffam. The words, we know, have to be spoken with becoming intonation and emphasis. Yet neither intonation nor emphasis is indicated by t&s printed copy. ; The expressions of the . bet, the attitude of the body, the action of the Embs, the life of it all have to be conceived, and expressed by the actor. Hence, the actor is not merely the interpreter, but to a great extent the creator of the character he assumes. These thoughts are suggested by a most admirable paper in the present " Nineteenth Century" on Mrs Siddons as Lady Macbeth. :2S is compiled from .the contemporary notes ■ «f Piofessor G-. J. Bell, who was a man of « ftne taste and keen sensibility, as well a* of

superior ability and aouteness, Being an ardent admirer of Mrs Siddone'acting, he took the trouble to write down his impressions of her power, and especially where the -text leaves the great actress free to the play of her own conceptions, and ..intuition*. The professor has marked by the ■ nraal elocution signs the rise and the fall of

l£r» Siddone , Twice, and besides this has added notes describing the tones or the manner uj which a particular passage was given. For inffftanow; The passage beginning " The Kavsnhimself ia hoarse tfiafc croaks the fatal

estnnce of Duncan," is said to hare been

■ "begun in s> low Toice—a whisper of horrid Jfetfamination. But at the words " Come to

'Taj woman's treasts," the voice became quite supernatural, as in a horrible dream, and the jM&Morsaye he was chilled with horror at hollow whisper of this wonderful "oateer —Aim, - " All our serrice, in every jM*g* 'twice done,'" was given with great %pty and simplicity. " Beautifully spoken, quite musical in her.tones," and in the proairociation soothing and satisfying- the -ear." The following note on the play as a whole is worth transcribing, written as

■ it ni after rialieing Mrs Siddons' conception ©I the character "of Lady Macbeth. There k not a great deal in this play, bat the wonderful genius of Mrs Siddone makes it the **»!»!•;■'■ She makes it tell the whole etory of I the ambitious project, the disappointment, * fi*e remorse, the sickness and despair of ; JwUy ambition, the attainment of whose object is no cure for the wounds of the b tpttit. . , . . . Her turbulent and inhuman strength of spirit does all. She turns k Macbeth, to her purpose, makes him the mere instrument, guides, directs, and inspires the whole plot. like Maebeth's eril genius, she hurries, him on in her mad career of ambition

and cruelty, from which his nature would have shrunk. The Sagging of her spirit, the melwicholy and dirmal blank beginning to ■teal apes her, is one at the finest lessons of the drama. The moral is complete in the despair of. Macbeth, the fond regret of both for that state of innocence from which their wild ambition has hurried them to their

undoing." ' It has been, somewhere said that there are few voices and many echoes. This is true in jpoo&rj, but BtQl more of philosophy. Goethe ass often been praised for bis originality; but he was a huge Sorrower. His best things come from Spinoza. And as with Goethe so with

■e*ny others. Spinoza was a living -roice, and xot an echo. Trae, he has founded no diefeet school of thought. But he has done defter—given an immense stimulus to thought *ypel£. Definite, wide-ranging ideas are the Ere of the mind, and tho glory of man ; and away o£ the cobles* of these have been created by the simple and even «unUy minded philosopher of the Hague. MM. Janet and fienan have lately borne tiuar to the value of S^bJVd^ , "J** , " «"«>« « Englishm*n, Hg , .P^ock l andi D »ol e «i J . writte * 4nd '"??%**?!**" V*V** *>*»& the man and hi* thoughts before ns. Of Mm it may be "y* 1 " 8 "* Christian in xn**x things without professing it. Does not this" breathe the very eswnce of the gospel ?—"The spirit « san is OTercome, not by force of arms ' *ut by lore and nigh-micdedness. If a man wakes to help others by word or deed to the common enjoyment of the highest good, he •flafl fir* of ail endeavor himself to win their low*e him; but cot to draw them into admiration'of binuelf,that a doctrine may be called after his name, nor in any manner to t l|We cause tot offence. Also in common talk be wai woid telling of men's faults, and will .- human weakness. But • * c speak hwgdy of man's excellence and -JWMii- -end the means whereby it may be ?-P|»ect«d, that so men maj strive to live after ■ceamandmenfc of reason, so far as in •^Tf 8 b^ a S uxov«d tliereto, not by fear or i ■■"**PPfc bat in pure joyf ulness." ihe t resty pagee of criticism, or " Kecent j iatertture, ,, by Ftoiettor H. Morley, v » J

rich treat for all lovers of high-class reading. It is an interesting fact that the Professor of Literature in the University of London should thus step out into the daylight, and that what is usually given to the select fewshould thus become the immediate and grateful possession of the many. Writers and reader* alike are in this way taught at once, the former what they should produce, and the latter what they should expect. Criticism, ac created by Leasing, and as perfected by Sainte Beuve, and as maintained by such men as the two Morleys, is now a science. In the present contribution Professor Morley deals chiefly with Robert Browning's new poems, "Pacchiaroito," and the transcript of "The Agamemnon of JEechylus." Tv common with some other critics, Ifr Morley regrets the expenditure of so much poetic fire on the old Greek life, and thought if, like Tennyeon, Browning had thrown himself more into our modern life and aspirations, the result would have been a higher place for the poet, and a richer pleasure for the world. The concluding pages pay a deserved tribute to the poetry of Sir Aubrey Dβ Tere, whose writings display fine taste, generous temper, and a noble aim. Bnt it hag not been till iitely that their sterling merita have been duly recognised and appreciated. This paper is very valuable, and it is gratifying to know that it is but the precursor of similar monthly critiques upon the highest literature of the day.