The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-12
UNCOMMON BOOKS.
OF Popular Kind But OF a More Than
Readable Value.

4 w AfN1h Y hNt NNAbN 'tf"N N'+N NNfN'
instilled into about every American
! whether or not no has given much
\ thought ~ the subject that tho fathers
| who framed tho Constitution oi his glurl
4 Gus country were inspired diylnoly Co the
| production OF that remarkable document.
| This idea contributes To the oxaltatlOn on
| the American ideal and the elevations Oh
| our horOlc figures Of history 10 has bcen
| sufficiently demonstrated that mt dis
tance OF only hundred years IL IL DOS
| sible To create idols and thus early u
| number of eminent students Of American
| biography have deemed 10 20 the common
| good % fetch down some OF the more
conspicuous American gods and bring
! them near Co Jno cOntempOranCous Wow
for a readiustment OF their rating lest
their continued growth I'm elevation
should result some day In resolving them
! into shadows and myths. Now Mr.
Sydney George Fisher comes forward 20
tell las that,tho Constitution of tho United
states was neither an incXplicable inspI'
ration nor "a lucky strike, but like every
thing else in the world was the quite
natural achievement OF evolution, de
YolOpmont of progressive history ana not
an isolated document struck of at u
given time or an imitation OF English
or Dutch forms of governments
The enunciation of this proposition,
however, strikes ono as reasonable at tho
very outset. We feel that scholars in tho
Constitution ought generally 10 have re-
gardod 10 this way, even though no one
had been at pains 20 demonstrate 10 rs
Mr.. Fisher has done. But that this is
not at all sure, is indicated by the elabO-
ratoly developed theories from high
authority going to show both that the
American Constitution was an inspiration
and that it was an imitation. Those
views have indeed been given to the
world iR SO pronounced form that Mr.
Fisher feels his task undono when he has
made his own argument direct and SO mo
proceeds 10 demolish the work of writer's
who have held the contrary views We
are not prepared 10 say that Mr. Fishers
view is entirely novel or exclusive with
him up To the writing of his book, even
though ii has not been largely shared,
but there Is surely no other work so ex-
haustive i'm treatment upon that side OF
the case ms his and that the view he holds
has heretofore been lacking i'm expression
and Of small influence is sufficiently dem
onstrdtcd by tho position assumed by the
average school history and tho impression
almost universal, based upon the inspira-
tion or imitation idea. OFF hand, we have
no doubt nine people out Of ten, If not
ninety -nino out of a hundred, ii asked as
to tho origin of our Constitution, would
reply either that Ii was out OF the hand
Of Providence or copied from Holland, or
"A combination Of these Influences.
Now starting out from the ground and
going upward through two hundred
years of American history, Mr.. Fisher
tells n straight and convincing story oi the
of the instrument on Ameri-
can soil and by Americans, and then
completes and rounds his task by taking
Issue with views opposed and with
which we are more familiar ana demol-
lshes them, If they were not indeed done
quite away with TO the readers mind by
his original presentation.
This noble ana notable work marks
turning point IN our ideas of tho Consti-
tuition, We might almost saw in our ideas
OF our country s history since that instru-
mcnt is the axis Of SO great part Of our
history from the Mayilower to Mckinley.
Mr. Fisher writes interestingly quite
apart from the interest inherent in his
subject and while leaving no point un-
touched or neglecting anything that bears
at ali upon the theme he is brief and
cogont and has managed to compass his
subject i'm an amazingly small space. His
conclusion appeals 10 the patriotism as
well as tho reason Of his American
readers since the Constitution IA he views
IL Is evidently moro of our own home prod
uct than it could be regarded from any
other construction rs 10 its origin.
Tho book Is called 1.-THE Evolution of
and 1t Is published by the j. b. Lippin-
colt Company. IL is IL mo. volume
bound I'm red buckram, the print being
large, except I'm the extracts from the doc
umentary evidence. There is an index
The price is sl25. Preston a. Rounds
have IL.
A fine supplement To that most fetching
series of books under the common title
"a rltal. I.anHa | and Ia inUa - Il
now at hand in an exquisite volume called
American Lands and Letters, by Don
aid G.. Mitchell, TX Marvel of old.
America has no kings To weave into its
literary history except as they figured in
it's earlier times and influenced the
writers Of period hardly 100 years agone.
And that literary history may bo compre-
hensivcly sketched In one volume so long
as the author refrains from venturing in
among the moderns Of which he himself
Is "A conspicuous figure This beautifully
written book covers our literary life from
the "Mayilower' to Rip Van Wrinkle -
aud thoroughly enjoyable and inn
mcnsely instructive book ~ Is. 1t il writ
ten in the most agreeably chatty STYLE
yet, as may we'll bo believed with no
sighting of subject that is so amaz-
ingly inviting In so many different ways
aud from SO many points of view. IL Is
book 10 read through with zeSt and TO
pick up with everlasting pleasure. 1t Is
illustrated most attractively and lavishly.
portraits, scenes and documents figuring
III titt, pictures. fr frufrtfspiuCg Is WASH
ington lryings portrait The collection
and selection of illustration plainly rep-
resent an immense lot of research and
will prove a highly valued feature of a
quite perfCCt work. There Is an index
and a sheet OF Chronology aud sequence
of events having relation to development
OF American lands and letters. Tho
book should find conspicuous place In
the library, however modest, OF every
American homo. published by Charles
Scr.bucr Sons. Price l.50)
The publication Of "a new biography Of
Grant just at this timC may he said to be
particularly happy. In the Great Com
IuauGcrs series, issued by ID. Appleton a
Company and for sale By Gregory, tho
editor OF tho series, General James Grant
Wilson, has written OF General Grant. "
the twelfth volume. The books OF this
series are all Of value "a being readable
and accurately written and form Of thom-
solves u fine library Ter American youth.
The editor and writer of the new Grant
volume is peculiarly fitted To tell OF tho