New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-11-28
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
ursroprcar ESSAYS By EDWARD A. FREEMAN. CIV
~i'''~' M, 416. Macmillan & CO.


,,,sro,,c,r ESSAYS nv EDWARD A. FREEMAS. $40
pp. 416. Macmillan Co -,
7, tho nresent volume which forms the thiru
ser,es of the authors collected historlVa "
been intended to fill the gap between the TWO previous
x,rs nv the discussion of the intermediate events III
Che poman history from the time OF the Fiavh S"s'rs
=, ,no, % the Emperor Frederick Barharossa Among
,n nh,ects now treated are " First Impressions Oh
Rome - {" The Goths at Ravenna"" The Byzantine I'm
p,re- First Impressions OF Athens, MenieN" anu
Modern Greece" Race and Language, me No''''i's
a, Palermo" 20 the discussion of which Mr. Freeman
nyipr The characteristic wealth of learning ana pointer
ness OF expression which always give punsen' "''
IN His writings both for the student OF history an"
the curious reader In the essay on h"ce anu '-'"
rusre- the author contends for certain pregnant s
,ncous between the sentiment of race ana symp''ns
sounded ON race and the feeling OF community Of re-
ncion and the feeling Of nationality In the narrower
Race as he views the matter, Is no'
80 simple or easy feeling as either OF tue oher ~
IL docs not lie on surface. The doctrine OF race i
essentially All artificial doctrine, learned doctrine.
is an inference from facts which the mass oI ni"n
could never have found themselves But docs
NOT tollow from this that the doctrine Ia OF no
value Like many other doctrines, 1t may be hed
that IL is neither universally good nor UNI
yersany evil. neither inherently wise nor Ia
herently foolish. IL may have range "i'"A
which IL may work for good while In some otnel
range IL nav work for evil But" Mt Freeman re-
foolish nothing more purely sentimental, than the TAX
of those who think that they can simply laugh down OF
shrek down any doctrine or sentiment WHICH 'hey
themselves do not understand" belief or aieehhg'
he which has practical effect on the cOhduc
OF great masses OF men may be very false ana very
,nischievous but at all events great and serious
fact which is 70 be looked gravely IN the face Men
who believe that all wisdom Is confined 10 themselves
and their own clique may think themselves vastly supe
ror 10 the great emotions which stir our tines as 'S
would doubtless have thought themselves VasuS sup'
ror 10 the emotions which stirred the nfst sar"ceus
,h art Crusaders But the emotions there all the
same and do their work all the same, and the most
highly educated man in the most highly eouea'c' so
ETY. cannot sheer them out of being In LOOKING at ne
mar strictly scientific aspect OF the subject Mr. Free
man regards doctrine of race as the uiec' OFFSPRING
of the study of scientific phology But s the studies
of the uoloeer and OF the ethnologer are quite
distinct and they deal with two wholly dereh sets VI
phenomena The science OF the ethnologer Is streIy
physical science. He has TO deal with purely physcai
phenomenal His business lies with the different Sarie
ties OF the human body, especially OF the human
skull His researches differ in nothing from those
Of the biologist except that he has TO deal
with the physical phenomena OF man whie 'hey
deal with the physical phenomena OF other animals Inc
science Of the phlolOger on the other hand is purely
historical He deals with phenomena which do not de-
mend ON physical la but the human will No mans
will saws Mr.. Freeman. have any direct influence
ON the shane OF bis skull. No by taking thought
can add cubit to his stature or make MS skui
Ell racbykephalc or doikokephalic" at pleasure But
the language which man speaks does depend on MS
will He can by taking thought make his speech Ro-
mana or Teutonc. No doubt in most cases he has
practically 10 choice. The Language which he speaks
ia determined for him by crowd Of things over which
he has no control But The compulson Is not physical
and Inevitable in the shape of the skull The Gaus
need not have changed their language for Latin.
The change not the result of physical necessity but
of many acts of the will the part of individual Gaus
Moral causes directed their choice aud determined that
Gaul should become Latin speaking land But
whether their skulls should be long short or their
hair black yellow, was question over
which the Gauls themselves had no direct
control whatever Mr. Freeman's atlrmations, as
In the present instance, sometimes have the
air of paradox but they will usually be found to rest
on a substantial basis both OF facts and reasoning. and
are not the products OF fancful ingenuity His style
IN these essays, healthy and bracng, free
from every o! historical dietantesm, but Of firm
sinewy strength positive, aggressive, uneomproms-
ing sometimes nconveniently uncivll, and perhaps
demanding reader OF athletic tastes to enjoy fully its
steelike tcnacity and force