New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-23

William ii. Morrison.
The appearance within a short period oil TWO
volumes of American history so similar IN scope ana
80 different in spirit as the recent nstalments OF
the works of Professor McMaster and Dir. Schouier
points an instructive contrast. Both writer's have
undertaken 70 deal with original materials, but
their judgments of what constitutes the material
for history are at vide variance. Professor
McMaster makes such ample use OF scurrilous
pamphlets. heated party debates and the rancorous
disputes of a newspaper press FAR more unscrupu-
Ions and vulgar than the journals OF any time
which our generation can remember, that ms
pages read like old campaign literature OF partc-
ularly nasty kind He makes little account OF the
personal influence Of even the most accomplished
statesmen in shaping the national policy and lar
too much account of the vain gabble OF coHee-
houses quarrellng over it. We pnt down MS
volume with feeling of disgust at the popular
temper exhibited in it. and of wonder that ont oil
the mass of ignorance and meanness which 1t
describes great and generous nation should nave
arisen Such at least would be ON feeiing were 1t
mot for tbe reelection that any writer who selected
the same sort of materials might represent our
own time. or any other time, i'll about the same
light.
Mr. Schoulcr by no means neglectS the puohc
Journals and other ephcmeral literature OF the
period. bat he realizes that they ought 10 DC
studied in connection with the personal careers OF
our great men, History is always narrative oil
Individual action. quite as mucn as OF the general
movements Of masses. and often the personal
element is by far the most important factor. lhat
was the case during the whole formative perou 81
the American Republic which Mr. Scbouler ana MT
Mcuaster have both been treating. Mr.. Schouler
accordingly does well in pushing his researches
thoroughly among the unpublished correspondence,
~. ,tal LET
American political leaders. In the present volume
he has made great use of the papers of Monroe lie
declares that he =" has gone through tie whole
unpublished Monroe Spondencc at the state
Department and obtained rich materials for this
volume never before explored OF course he does
not mean that the Monroe correspondence IS an
unworSed field OF investigation, but he has drawn
from it facts which other writers have not ulcd'
The volume includes the administrations OF
Monroe and John Quincy Adams, and the first
administration of jackson and the author has
taken great pains to present the most vivid Por-
traItures of these Presidents which 1t WAS possible
for him to draw.
His estimate OF Monroe Is much higher than that
which has been common in our popular histories.
Monroe came into power at the hcgnninI OF that
era of good feeling which is likely to remain for
ever unique in our political annals. 4 time of
material prosperity, the reaction after loug-con-
tinued national mi5iortunes. coiacdel with the
practical extinction Of of the two great political
parties For several years there were 10 important
issues to divert the attention OF the people from
their shops and farms, and the organization of
oice-hunting a domestic industry had not yet
degraded the public service and made facti "a
perennial In surh time Of rcpose, administrative
talents and personal integrity the best recon-
lnendatons for he chief executive office. Because
f,r hes. L. l1l
il mas become the fashion to assume that he lacked
the more brilliant powers OF Il statesman. But ID
reality there IS 10 warrant for treating him IS q
respectable me1iocrity. His cast OF mind Wa, no,
original daring. He was Gel ueratc and per
hapS in sudden emergency lie might have been
found too slow; yet If he hestjtcd it was not from
a habit Of iudccision COR a sluggish intellect, bat
from o determination to study the subject on a!
Sides Mr. SchOuler quotes, from the Monroe
correspondence at Washington, part OF an unpub
lished letter of Calhoun'5 written to Gouyeneur
on the news of MonrOc's death: 4" lie had wonder
ful Intellectual patience and could. above all
that ever knew, when called to decide on an
important point, bold the subject immovably fixed
under his attention ti he had mastered in all its
relations. 1t WAS mainly 10 this admirable quality
that he owed lis lshly accurate Judgment. have
known many much more rapid in reaching the con-
clusion. but very few with a certainty unerrng.'
HIS judicial and impartial temperament was
reflected i'm. his careful State papers; they were
detailed ana prolix; Mr. Schouler says boldly that
they were prOsy. Monroe hal no literary aptitude,
although be was well educated and this deficiency
taken with his failure as a public speaker,
trlbuted to the false estimate Of his intellectual
powers In the famous declaration of our foreign
policy, with which his name is mseparably con-
nected. he showed craftsmanship which ought to
hay left lis fam ~ rip htsl hf
euuncatcd not new national policy is
never manufactured to order out of tho brain Cf a
popular ruler; il is necessarily prepared beforehand
by public opinion; the merit of Monroe is that lie
knew how to formulate the vague notions Of his
countrymcn into clear principle OF action; that
he stated his propositions IN language 50 wei
chosen that eXpercuce has never found fault IN
1t; and that he seized the exact opportunity for
giving his message to the world.
The sketch which Mr. Schouer offers OF Mon!oe's
private virtues is allur.ng. The last OF the old
school Of Presidents there WAS a touch of folmality
and reserve in his manner tempered, however by
an engaging simplicity of character lie had a
punctilious sense of honor, and magnanimity so
noble that according to critics it spoiled him
for politics. But it was not until after The spoils
system came in with Jackson that vengeance and
jealousy were erected into political virtues. We
speak of honor truthfulncss, sincerity, high
mindedness and justice as the private virtues of
Monroe The story of his career may lead us to ask
& whether, after ALL they not among the chief
public virtues which we ought TO desire in a
President
Mr. SchOuer is only moderately successful in his
portraiture of John Quincy Adams. over which no
has evidently aOored too hard. His account of the
beginning of the new order of things under jackson,
on the contrary, is animated and elective. In
general it may be said that ne is most readable
where he is least ambitious Where he finds the
way clear his style is often easy aud agreeable it
Is when he stops to think that his rhetoric runs
away with MIN. Thus in the description of complex
characfers the nnrIHfiYe of eNenfs OF