Lord Acton, A Great European.

The article focuses on Lord Acton, an English historian, and his works. According to the author, scholars of twenty years ago frequently pointed out examples of literary criticism from his pen that were of exceptional value. His essay on the "Introduction to L. A. Burd's Edition of Il Principe by Machiavelli" has been selected several times as a unique specimen of critical achievement. As a critic, Acton has been accused of severity and ruthlessness, and there may be some truth in this. But when it is realized how high the standard was that he set for himself, no one should take exception to it. The intellectual caliber of Acton appears in many of his reviews, but there is none that shows it so brilliantly as the one on "George Eliot's Life." She is now forgotten, but she had a great influence on the English people while Acton was at work. Her atheism did not preclude her from his consideration. According to the author, it is impossible to read many pages of Acton's essays and miss the flashes of enlightenment, which reveal a well-stored mind.