The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-02-26
vher.upon thu workinsnen threw down the

vhersupon the w~orkinrrnen threw town the
statue Of George III. from It's pedestal.
Prot Sloane goes on TO recall the fact TINT
for many years large numbers OF persons In
tho United States regarded the Declaration OF
Independence as nm inspired aud immortal
document. although there were never want
ing voices to pronounce IL perfervid. rhetori.
cal. and radical. Rufus Cbonto seriously
damaged himself In the public opinion OF New
England whom. not long before the out
break Of tho war OF the rebellion. he pro-
nounced the Declaration . tissue Of gl!ttering
Peneralities. We have q calmer Judgment
now. and tho author OF this book expresses
opinions scarcely distin Sulshahle from those
OF Rufus Choate. He MYERS that on the one
hand there 10 nothing new or original In the
Bill OF Rights which the Declaration contained
and that. so far from its initiating n new Gov.
eminent. the political existence OF tho lnitea
Statos. az distinct from tho validity OF IT'S
municipal laws. dates from tho day OF I.eSinG-
ton. when q united reorle finding their uiti-
matnm scorned. resisted forco by force ana
began an organization which was neither
independent nor sovereign until the sue
ccssful issue OF war made 1t 30. Neither
Is il self evidently true that men are created
equal" MS the word was useia and understood
by its writer: 1t Is true that the sovereignty OF
George Ill was renouncej. not because ne
was q King, but merely because he was n ~
rant. There IL In those two clauses n curious
incopsistcncy in tho juxtapositlon OF Ideas. Mt
bottom irreconcilable with each other. IN the
other hand. thcro was In the language OF Je'-
fcrsun u cumulative statement OF grievances.
adlrectness OF singing censnre. AMI IN avowni
Of irrevocable purpose. all calculated for tho
attainment OF n most important end and wor-
thy Of the highest admiration. In spite OF the
irreligion and extreme radicalism which I'M
derlie tho Implications OF it's language. it was
adopted BY tho great popular majority ns the
best expression OF its " will. although the
people Of the colonies neither understood
nor sympathized with Rousssauisin. but were
pious and conservative to the core.
There ia no trace in this book OF the inflated
spirit which used to attribute the overthrow
OF English rule to the unwavering. unex-
ampled courage and fortitude OF the American
colonists. The many and complex causes to
which was due our success in ths Revolution
ary war arc analysed and described by Prof.
Sloane in u cool. impartial. md discriminat-
ing way. He does not deny that hud We made
throughout the contest u vigorous use OF our
resources we might ultimately have won our in
dependence without direct foreign assistance.
owing e the fact that European politics was Mt
tho time so complicated rs to throw tho whole
European Continent into tho scale against
England. and to tho additional fact that Ing
fish politics was so developing rs to create n
true liberal party. which was steadily n
friend to American liberalism. But we did
not persistcntly make u vigorous use
of our resources. It was only In tho
beginning Of tho Revolutionary war Tint We
proved our capacity to liberate ourselves.
1t was. rs n matter OF fact. the
French. our faithful and loyal allies to the end.
to whom We owe our eventual success In tho
conflict. and It was through tho adroit use OF
European diplomacy and English party poll
ties that We obtained tho favorable terms OF
peace which gave us IL territory essentially
national IN spite OF sectional proiudicee. In
Prof. Sloane's opinion tho contemplation OF
the weakness. vaciilation. and lukewarmness
DISPLAYED il at ono time or another in every sec
ton OF tho American colonies and by all
classes. except the ono class which was rom
posed Of u few steadfast lie ,ders with their do
followers. should overthrow that view OF
history which refers everything
good to tho forefathers and everything bad to
their successors. Estimating the men OF that
day in tho light Of their time. We may reasona-
bly, DO proud OF them. but We should also re-
member that what they began and perfected
has been preserved by at least equal wisdom
both In war and ponce: and that the stability
OF the small substratum has boon secured In a
supcrstructuro large beyond tho forecast OF
the original design. built by architects at least
rs capable as they. and perhaps as creative:
for the Federal Commonwealth. as we now
have II. was probably not in their mind at all.
The Constitution itself was in part the work
OF q generation which did not beEinthe Eevolu-
tioD. and has. by the Interpretation Of still later
generations. been steadily adapted to conGi-
tons not foreseen.