The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-12-15
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.


Tux UNITED STATES, by Louis j. Jennings
New York: Charles Scribner X Co., 1865.
II has been said OF the soil OF tropical country that
had only to sickle II with hoe and It laughed
with harvest This rank and ready form OF fruitful
ness ia peculiar to intellects we'll to certain
rolls and is VIGOROUSLY attribute OF the minds OF
writing Englshmen. The slightest possible stimulus
applied to their brains provokes written
return and the shelves Of half the Libraries
in the English speaking world groaD with the rubbish
Of their printed paper-paper that would have done
quite as much good TO mankind II It had remained in
It's original rags aud covered the nakodness OF beg
CARS Travelling Englishmen naturally than
all Others, they exposed to more temptation
They enter country at end, rush through It's
whole extent by rail and whom they leave 1t at the
other extremity they carry in their travelling bags
manuscript volumes whose primary purpose Is TO es-
tablish that the country In question 10 not
Eng and and nothing like IL; and TO con-
vince men that the government Of said country
10 bunder its public scoundrcls and the whole
Of its people fools and wretchsS Mr. Jennings
book falls little shortrof this time honored type. This
gentleman short period the correspondent OF
the London Times in this country. He now reproduces
OF the letters he wrote homo to that Journal ac-
companied with essays that see tho light for the FIRST
time we believe in their present FORM And in small
Voiuue tuuS luduo up NO Bvon thioush suo ""o'S
history and political aud social system Of
peopledscusses their polity, their Jurisprudence,
their theories. and ventures to pronounce for
them that their government judged by the ideas
they set out With, 10 q failure. Hamilton, Madison,
Jefferson, Geary Story, Kent, Webster, gave their
thoughts and lives great sub ec-did what was In
than to set up . government an to make clear and
perpetuate its principles; and Mr. Louis j. Jennings has
the complasance to lot us know what plumbers they
made. No doubt he has fulfilled his destiny
IT'S pleasant sure to see one's name in print:
A books book, although there's nothing int.
Mr.. jennings book is . patry summary Of such
flaws and defects in political system and in the ad
ministra,ion our government he has observed
imagines he has observed during some fcw months
residence here, which summary constantly made to
tell against by comparison always either stated
implied with tho British system and government; and
the author seems fancy that he has made out his
case and established himself above all charge Of
when he has i,tod to each allegation against some
citation from American authority, outragsously dis
ored from It's original purpose to t into his argument
He appears to writo throughout from the prccon.
ceivsd thought and a 70 establish tho proposition
that in It's best points political system s no better
than that OF Great Britain, while In all other than it's
best points II Ia far worse His chary acknowledge
mens Of any good in our government show his st2nd
point distinctly than do his objections He says
'.ths United States passed through tho tremendous
assaults made upon in the civil war with resolution
and success which could not have been exceled had il
been in tho hands Of q small and privileged class, -
which phrase thinly covers the real thought that
even tho government Of England could not have
done better. No question ever entered his
mind as to whether il could have done so
we'll In following this argument from preconceved
notion, he lls his pages with comparisons drawn from
his preudces against and his natural preferences in
favor Of whatever Ia English. "The House of Com
mons year 1892 has been said 70 DO eptome
OF the English nAson;' and any attempt to mako Il
more like Congress must be looked upon with pro-
found anxiety and apprehension" Many passages
OF this nature suggest that this little volume
10 eay faint attempt to cot up barrier against the
present tendency 70 popularzs some British insttu
tons against the inevitable results OF the Reform bill
TO hold up Institutions political bugRboo that
may frighten England from following the reformsrs
Mr. Jennings uses these words Of the statements Of
another English writer the United States -sThcse
representations are probably NOT intended 10 con-
vey the truth about America 70 much a. 70
serve certain party purposes In Englandn No
writer ever more accurately described himself in the
attempt 10 describe another Mr. Jennings docs what
he may make opinion in England against the liberal
party, and strikes 81 John Bright over shoulders
With this In view he gives vague declarations Of men
" long experience" this side or the Atlantic who
are Said have said 'the English government Is the
only one in the world likely TO last. and
the only one which Is just and equal In
It's treatment Of all classes Of tho people," How
recrsans must any EngIishman be who viii love all
tho old British institutions better than whom Amer
DO quoted saying such things their favor
shall an EpglishmAn, forsooth, admire English instu-
tons less than American But n there 10 anything
In this OF argument match these utteranccs
line for line, BY far stronger things that EngIshmen
have said IN favor OF Those. Mr. Jennings would
understand, were only sintended 70 party pur
poses in England"
Inconsistencies, miscellaneous, errors OF all kinds
and classes are or course be found every page
but that swallows up all the rest lies In the
authors own misconception OF what he Is doing His
avowed purpose to show that government has in
practice departed from all the theories upon which It's
founders based II In tho attempt 10 establish this
he gives his statement or those theories and then
q statement Of the working Of tho government,
and the dssimianty between the two his argu
msnt that eighty years OF practice have exploded our
theories He does that the only thing exploded
In his statement Of the theories He does that
he has merely dsprovsd by part Of his volume the
statements made at the other and that the ngurs he
knocks down is only one he had himself
set up But this the fact His statement
on his very FIRST page Of sucb clear
matter Of the object Of the American Revolution
10 bald error; while bis remarks on our theory OF
government such Chinese puzzle Of msconcep.
tons 70 be beyond all dissntangIement In page
constitution s pictured worthless because Of tho
readiness with which may suffer change, being always
dependent the breath Of ignorant populsce: on
another assured that worthless the
mower 20 change u resides only In ian impossible
majority" A. moment critic or opinion that
must necessarily 80 to the dogs because
ment 10 not in 'the hands OF . small and privileged
u has too much or the vulgar mass
mrch Of the crude popular element In ~ at another he
prophecay cons:gns to early because the peo-
pie are not felt in tho government ., all There no
profit in following these b'unders. Similar ones have
beea common IN all ages TO men who, Whiting
great subjects less forth truth than ven