SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[Notice in this column does not necessarily preclude subsequent review.]
Disraeli : a Play in Four Acts. By Louis N. Parker. (John Lane. is. net.)—It is conceivable that Disraeli would have tolerated this play and cynically have approved of his appearance as its hero. The epigrams that trip from his tongue, the extreme graciousness of manner, the aplomb and dexterity of his handling of spies, male and female, would probably have pleased him, and his frequent excursions into melodrama—particularly that fine moment when he, so to speak, holds a pistol to the head of the manager of the Bank of England—would have appealed to " Dizzy's " theatrical sense. Indeed, his great regret must have been that the actualities of life, even of Prime Ministers, are often so much less romantic. One can imagine him saying: "Bombast and pretentiousness are foreign to my nature and to my race, but the sense of adventure, spiritual and physical, is in our blood—and we do not try to see the world drab colour." One thing, however, he might have resented in Mr. Parker's treatment of him, and we resent it on his behalf. That is the deplorable stupidity with which he is credited in the matter of Charles, Viscount Deeford. Not to please the most charming of Lady Clarissas, we are sure, would the astute Minister, on the stage or off, have chosen that slow-witted and tiresome young Lord for any post whatever. As will be gathered, Mr. Parker is justified in his statement that Disraeli is "in no sense an historical play " ; but it is quite entertaining, and, from the acting point of view, well constructed.
Previous page
