The Portland daily press., 1892-07-06

tlS Is 1o6 TeinafKdDle, since from the
restoration of the Stuarts republics have
not been fashionable in England.
When now we turn to the American
colonies, founded when the Netherland
influence was at its height in England
we find traces of the great republic in
every quarter. That they should have
been hitherto overlooked is explained by
the simple fact that American history
has always been written from an English
point of view, thus disregarding all the
foreign influences exerted on the Puri-
tans in New England, while even as to
the Pilgrim Fathers, who lived twelve
years in Holland, no attention has been
paid to what they learned in the home of
their adoption. In this work the author
points out the various channels through
which the laws and institutions of the
Netherlands worked their way, not only
into all the New England colonies
where the settlers were the most adj
vanced of their race-as well as into New
York and New Jersey, which were set
tied directly by the Dutch, but also into
Pennsylvania, whose great influence upon
the Federal Constitution has been little
noticed by historians.
From Mr.. CampbelIs summary of
these laws and institutions, unknown in
England, and derived directly or indirect
ly from the Netherland Republic, ''itself
the heir of all the ages the reader can
form some idea of the Importance of
this book, bearing the fact in mind that
the history of each institution is traced
out in full. This summary begins with
the novel features of our written Consti-
tuition and concludes with our modern
legal reforms recently adopted in Eng
land, reviewing, among other things, onr
free schools, free press, freedom of
religion, our land laws, township system,
written ballot penal institutions, and
charitable work. In conclusion the au-
thor claims that we have scarcely an in
stitution of English origin.
Much of this may appear novel to the
reader accustomed to regard our institu-
lions as of English origin, but all history
as it is being rewritten in the light of
modern research is series of surprises.
That of early America, as Mr.. Campbell
points out, stands, however, today sub
stantially where Bancroft left it fifty
years ago, before the days of scientific
investigation, and at time when many
historical records were inaccessible.
This is a work which will interets
many persons apart from those who
make history study, and those of
Dutch descent, who will be gratified to
see what their republican ancestors have
accomplished for the civilization of Eng
land and America
To all Baptists it will have pecu-
peculiar value, in showing their origin,
and their great but generally unrecog-
nized services in the cause of civil and
religious liberty. To the Quakers of
Pennsylvania it will open up new chap
ter in their history, showing the origin
and antiquity of their advanced institu-
tons, which played such an important
part in the formation of the Fee eral Con-
stitution. 1t need hardly be said that to
the Calvinist of every denomination it
will be of interest, as proving what Cal
vinism has done for the modern world.
To the English or American lawyer
who cares for the history of his science
this work will be of particular interest.
As no writer has done before, the author
traces the history of legal reform in Eng
land, giving the fullest account ever vet
attempted of the changes proposed in
the law of England by the famous COM
mittee on its reformation, of which Sir
Matthew Hale was chairman. These re-
forms were borrowed almost entirely
from the jurisprudence of Holland.
which was itself the inheritor of Roman
law as well as of Roman civil institu-
tious. They were at the time rejected
by the English Parliament, although they
have since been taken up in detail, form
ing in large part the basis of modern Eng
fish jurisprudence. Meantime America,
under a Netherland influence, adopted
them almost in their entirety, and hence
it has been the leader, and not the fol-
lower in all matters of legal reform for
the English-speaking world.
There is still another large body of
readers to whom this book will appeal
strongly. This is composed of the
Scotch-Irish, whose history in America
has never been written, so that few per-
sons have any idea of what great num-
bers of them were among our colonial
settlers, and what they have accom-
plished for their adopted home. Even
in New England their influence was not
unimportant, since they furnished to
Washington's Cabinet it's only New Eng
land member, General Henry Knox, and |
to the Continental army Generals John
Stark and John Sullivan; while one of
the race probably gave name to Bunker
Hill.
1t was in Pennsylvania and the South,
however, that their great influence was |