New-York tribune., 1896-12-31
SOVEREIGNTY IN EUROPE.
THIN HISTORY OF ITS TRANSFER FROM
THE THRONES TO THE PEOPLE

ERN EUROPE From IN" ,,,or,ss SonssM n Andrews.
Associate Professor OF his!o'y ~, III '" IL O. p
Putnam's Sons.
This volume takes up the history Oh Tu''P
.,o no,nt. approximately. where the so-caheu
p..o,.o,ert pespots disappeared from the stage |
re- srst glance AZ the European world. therefore,
-oyss,s a scene in which nearly all the NV'Ns
.-oos ~ society are hidden behind the out"orh
n,a.,, Of feudalis,n with its fixed orders It's UNI
xersal empire and its universal Church' i"o
mask is so thin that the eighteenth century
s.o,es can be sem within II developing 'he"
separa,e life. When they finally emerge 'hes
are instinct with the theory that the state IS
unity embodied In the person OF the sovereign
He is the head ot the State. the Churcn ana Oh
soc,al life the fountain OF Justice, the author
OF law the dispenser Of honors and worst OF all
the devourer Of the wealth gathered by the
noonle The people exist only for the State. and
he Is the state.
There were gllmpses OF better civilization.
The narrow legalsm which had created the
.,rh,eenth century State out OF suggestions from
Roman law. canon law. custom. and distorted
historical precedents was not the only ph'i-
osophv There were thinEers who perceived
that the State was means. not an emu anu
that the State which destroyed It's own people
had small claim to exist. Somehow these thihh-
ers got the ear Of kings. and the result was inc
era of Benevolent Despets. one OF the nios'
ironical chapters in history. These kings ciuis
a. ,,s,r ahso,utism. but at the same time they
desired 10 be the fathers of their people i"eS
might he as unrelenting as Frederick the Great
as visionary as Joseph ii. as Incapable as LOUIS
XVI: hut they must still be the sole oeheiac'o'S
=, their countrvmen reforming all abuses py
roval fat and adjusting all doubts by the IN
<auih,e roval conscience Professor Andrewss
pages show how this benevoence lroi" '"'
throne acted on the people AS lohs do Wv
King confined himself to the supposed soou -
tina. ideal personality, the STATE e'i"ouN "
himself the criticisms Of the common peope vi
the errors Of politicians might pe lo'Neu va 20
,mpertinent. But the case was d'nereh' ""'
the King degned TO inquire into the Ills "n'"
his subjects complained Of ~ ne appheu
ramasv and it proved worse than the disease
who was more likely to know this tnan 'he SUI
farer? And who was more hKelv u 'o'N ~
tho roval auaCk's failure?
>.I.~ FASTENED the march Of Europe tow
I'D ss,fconscjousness more rapidly than THESE
efforts of kings to do for the people w"a' ."e'
would not allow the people to DO l"r ,Ne'''e'N'
The latte- soon came TO see thaI t"ei' -.
were different from those OF the o'a'e do ann
,iallv constructed. They had interests III '
oo with tn peoples of other nations but 'he
s,a,a according to the legal theory oil the ''''e'
had no sympathy for any other state anu 'o"''
exnect none in return. An international Ss ''e'i'
,.as d.v.,oped based on the principle that one
nations gain is another nations loss anu 'ne
interests OF one are necessarily opposed 10 'he
,.-., 20 all" States were constantly liable
g, IN denrived Of portions OF their territory IN
.ha anor,s 10 adjust the fanciful balance Oh
mower Masses OF people were thus hahueu
about from one ruler to another ike persona.
chattels. subject to the caprice or necessity VI
kings: and this too. IN the race OF sr'"iis
.;o,,or oven in roval minds that the people
had rights In this way the kings 'eNPe'eu
the blade for their own necks Force anu 'he
convenience Of the sovereigns had pecome '"e
supreme law 10 the States or the eis"'ee"'"
csr,,rv and at the time OF the French Revoiu-
,ion when Yin theory at least. sovereignty re-
sided not in ,he prince but in the people II be-
o.,,e tho sunreme law to the revolutionists who
nod hu, IN turn against the State system its own
methods destroy it
But as Professor Andrews shows, this was
not the way TO attain liberty. In the rrehc"
Revolution the people simply changed masters.
first one group Of politicians. then announcer ""eu
with the old traditions of absolute authority
until AT last there was no alternative except 'he
,o,sr;alis,n Of Napoleon an intelligent and IN
,euieihle government which dealt little in the
favorite distractions of the Revolution. but saw
MON as they we're filled with prejudice domi-
mated by religious and national antipathies' que
,o hereditv and historical cond'iors. II was
these real men, just as they stood. WIN WHOM
NaDoleon decided to deal. So far as ne WaS
ccrcarned they were ali equal, II they were
cara,le of serving his purposes as ruler or Will
ting ,o do so Incompetence and oppositlon 10
bis vill'' were the only obstacles TO advance
ment This was not because Napoleon nd" "i''
theories. II was simply due TO the iacl 'hd' 'i'
NODDED the services Of every Frenchhidh caPa"'e
OF action in the field or al nome IL was :" "''i"
OF decay in Napoleons system acC''"S
Professor Andrews. when he alheo hii'isei "'
..r;ooe with ancient ROYALTY and became
eager TO transmit his power 10 son, anu
u..s ono NJ the errors that fastened his fali'
There was not much room for freedom III va
o,oo,.s svs.en, hardly more than there was III
xi arr,ies There was room 10 rise, ana 'ha'
49, III +, as Professor Andrews says. 'his
.o,. r,ra ~ desrotism without the hereditary
o,o-rsrt was the inevitable alternative OF '"e VI"
monarchy and the revolutionary a""' ''"' "
France then he might go further 'han he '
IN the way Of showing that IL was INV
Cor tho res. OF Europe where the same S''Nee
IA hag,n hetween absout!sm ana the a'p""
,,ors ~ the people. Everywhere Napoieo" "e'.
M. the hone of liberty 10 the peopie'
,hsro from their ancient oppresso'9 a"" .
dominance OF ancestral ideas. 30 lai as "
IT, 20 do so he destroyed every
.ha, old Europe which wearied him
B,, he nowhere CAV, liberty ,.u
~, ,roed,a,e result Of Napoleons oo"Hia'i
,,.as ~. attempted restoration Of Europe 70 .ne
oxsc, condition in which II had oeeh oeioie mo
c.reer began But II was imposslpe 10 e""
ALI new ideas from mems minds though II wa
-os.,,,s % restore the map and the dethroned
,ovs,t,e. Of the Continent The most d's''nc'
advance upon old ideas was shown IN 'he ''S