New-York tribune., 1889-12-24
SOME NEW BOOKS.

aNfilitary Miscellanes,n by General James b. Try
C3rentano) include twenty-six notes. essays a"' ~
criticisms on persons, things and prihcpies
with the art and history Of war ana the so'el"o"'
81 armies. The varied experience anu ..a,,,,s
kin and fairness Of the author renoer inc ''"''"'
,narfcularly valuable to the military student. :.
Tho Constitutional History of the United staoes
r p putnams sons), in course OF hVe ieo'"io'
originally delivered before the PohucA o.ie"'
socjation of the University OF Michigah, uae0o w
development Of American law through u'e oe0'',o"'
~ the supreme Court from its foundation down 70
80 % a. ,,,o recent After an introduction by Pro
t.ssor Henry Wade Rogers the place OF thc supreme
r,o,rt IN the American Constitutional system Is uis
cussed by Thomas NJ Cooley the decisions curing 'o
fhirty-fve years Of Chief Justice Marshah Nv ii0'
hitchcock those of his successor. Chef Jusuce isS'
who sat for twenty eight years. by George w. buu
those since 1864 by Charles A. Kent; ana ue SVaVo
judiciary by Daniel II. Chamberlain. Inc cole0'.
work of these lawyers forms q valuable ahuiuoh ~
fhe LIST of textbooks a branch OF law hot heiVN
pccular to oursown country, but absolutely essehUai
to the success of its political system. ~
In "Redeeming the Republic by Charles |Siio'o"
Coffin Harper Brothers,, the author 'aheS up WV
story of the war for the Union, of which his Drum
Reat OF the Nations formed the first volume (whefe
the second part called Marching TO Victory droppeo
I'D, and carries the reader through the summer CAM
paigns OF 1864 The pictures and the harra'i'o "i'
both of the popular order and are alike picturesque
There is nothing very in either though tle acOS
are newly colated and arranged, including perhaps
some that in the light OF recent developments
might have been permitted TO disappear. AS IN all
histories of the kind called popular the search ior
scolors has required the author to lay dlspro-
poronae stress upon things said or said TO nave been
said as compared with things merely done; there are
a good many "reminiscences wherein the author and
Others tell us what they severally did, iet' saw
heard and said; and and then, emulatmg the
of Mr.
a friendly way On the whole the story is vivid
and clear and the author has succeeded in what he
set out to do.
The fourteen Pamphlets the Constitution OF
the United States published during its discussion by
the People, 17s7-l7sA now collected and edited
by Paul Leicester Ford, form valuable addition TO
the literature of American Constitutional law and
history. The photography and reference list at the
end of the volume especially useful. The opinions
and arguments of Elbrdge Gerry, Meancthon Smith.
Richard Henry Lee and George Mason are set forth
against the adoption Of the Constitution Edmund Ran
dolph contends for its amendment; while In its sup
port stand Noah Webster John Jay, Pelatah Webster
Tench Coke, James Wilson, John Dickinson, Alexander
Contee Hanson, James Iredell and David Ramsay.
A rather curious argument, but OF no great
present use, might be drawn from the strong
contention, on the part of the antifederal writers,
that this Objectionable union extinguishes the inde
pendence Of the States. Even more curious and
OF perennial interest is the prophecy Of George
Mason the bIieest yet the most outspoken and most
dogmatc Of them all. One can almost see the
prophets forefnger going and his very mantle Quiv-
ering as he thus gives over: "Ths Government will
commence in moderate aristocracy: ii is at present
impossible to foresee whether ii will, in its operation
produce monarchy o a corrupt oppressive aristoc-
racy: IL will most probably vibrate some years be-
tween the two and then terminate in one or the other
GEORGE MASON"