New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-22

hands. There Is strong eNiuehce ~ '''V -,
something like this was done 10: me as
tural system that prevailed IN hnsianu .'' 80
ef,er the Norman conquest was In It's bas'e cha,'
.c,or Celtic. The three -Reid' system o. cuit'-
elton which prevailed In England Is found j"
Co,t,c countries like Gaul, but not In Mortimer"
Germany; therefore. the Teutonic i'''au''s
either did not come from Northern Germnhy' "
,,,r accented agricultural conditions In brr'a'n
AS they found them. -.
VIZ CibbIns sets these facts forth Win bre"
c,carness. and 70 the general reader who - ~
,o,ertcd in the discussion OF the Celtic Sei wa
IN and influence upon English life ana h'e'a
ture. this will prove one or the n'os' nv
ing pnrts of the book. Perhaps. however 's
author is at his best In his picture Vi
Arnold Toynbee so nttingiy naineo u''e
trial Revolution. tho period OK 'he ,,,a
cha,;c,l inventions and Of the consequent h"P'u
aovo,onn,ent. of the modern factory system" "'o
modern capitalism. The movement "e'e
oo,oo,vsr, hitherto there has been ce'eiop-
r,ort with exasperatng slowness that 10
striking commentary OH the amount "
rience necessary to inculcate lcsSo" nv
human mind The peasant VINO was io'
~, statute under Elizabeth 10 Tie MS P'o"e
his horses or oys tai, had his inea'
IN Arthur Young's time at the close ot w ",,
century. who still broke the SURFACE "a
in that stupid fashion. In the per'o" Va
dustrial Revolution. however. there 10 ,Po
~, with lightning rapidity. The ecoho'i,''
'...,. =. untold centuries advancing at the
nrovious rate is condensed INFO le"
~ y, change are too fleet for the
eye 20 follow. -. ,ource eug-
o,co N overy one as it does 10 MI
So 49,, or,omnoraneous French RevoIu-
lion but the points OF contrast arc i' toa,,
,,,o,s ord ca great that 1t is desperate '"'N
IN .. ,,;rd q conception of the less hno""
g., oo,,noricon with the more familiar Oh '''''e
-. hor,os Roth were efforts to snake o''
-, orrross;,,a burden of the centuries anu oo
-. o,r In the one case ii was pohtica'
,ao, IN tho other an economic burden bo'"
o tho bursting of the bonds OF ola cohu''''"'
cor tho sake OF that greater freedom Which ii'ou
orn If, demands One was sPec'"~
yl,on,ed like lambert flame across '"o N'
all ,nanlind The other was almost uho'' IVY.
CHANCES took place with confusing
The protecting hand of custom was -
peonlo suffered and wondered Ana 1t was 49,
Yct there want not economists WHO W." 49,
that "a regards their consequences upon Inv 49,
- - h,,noni,y the English revolution II Oh
the greater Importance Democrat! 'H''''
fore tho bcs. blood of France was Po"'e" W.
that q populace might eXult in It's ne" wy "
,,o,ro. Rut what may be called economic oe
r,ocracy. modern industrial freedom coi'p.
t,on fraed as far as possible from 'he Si
Of custom. with ill that means IN inc his'oS "
tbo world to-day came into being win INC r-'ie
lsh industrial revolution
Mr.. Gibbns presents graphic pic'uie VI III.
.,,o,o movement He tells how Englishmen'
tIa
who had used for centuries the tooiS Vi NV"
,o,hors sud6enlv conceived how greater me-
chanical contrivances might he prousr' " '"o
a;d of labor in increasing production how these
rreat inventions Of the latter part Oh inc chs"
teonth century worked together each necessary
. ,,, ,,,,est fruition Of the other how, as the
machines came into use. 1t became necessary u
horca tbon, and labor In the Same building ana
how. consequently. tho factory system anu t'e
oroudin1 together of labor into industrial CLUES
rosr,ted. how production increased beyond the
nieb- If lamentations how at the same time lhat
scononi, barriers were being broken GOV"
economic thought was also being led D. Aoaih
Smith toward greater freedom
Tho revolution caused terrible SUFFERING rs
great and sudden changes always 40 lhoSe
whom custom protected, as IT always does SONIC
in society. who can do what they ana theH
fotherg had done but cannot adapt themselves
TO change went down with custom. NO Po"c'
ful public opinion existed to protect inc Weah.
It had not yet grown up. IL had DC n auap'eu
to the past phase OF society, and the pupiic '''e
,o,,,,r,hendco the existing phase. People knew
only vaguely about what went on In the mys-
ferrous humming mills that were going up on All
hands 1t took quarter Of century TO make
them understand that gangs of white chlidrch
of the tcnderest age, treated more crueHy lhIh
any black slaves, were being tortured to death
,o turn out wealth This is no cxaggeration of
the brutality that greed. unrestrained by law or
public opinion. employed in its own satisfaction
Even II society had known Of this cruelty, 1t Is
question whether it would have interfered sooner
than II did for II was so enraptured with the
sense Of economic freedom brought by the reVo-
luton that it hesitated long over the proprety
of interfering in what il thought the sacred right
OF employer and employed to regulate their own
relations This too. though the employed was
but lisping infancy. Mr.. Gitbirs, like many
others of the historical school of economists, re-
CARDS this unrcstrained greed and brutality as
an example Of the economic riot and license in
which "laissez faire" results The doctrine OK
'laissez fairc" had indeed, beer made popula"
by Adam Smith at this time, and was more
fully put into practice than at any other period
The test, however Is not fair one. "Laissez
faire." as a rule Of economic politics, is adapted
to industrial society in its ordinary conditions,
not in a revolutionary phase. No more has ever
been claimed for 4.
Mr.. Gbbns tells his story In brief and at
tractive way. He possesses one happy faculty
which cannot be too much praised. Hi5 style Is
clear and direct without being dry and barren.
His work will doubtless be used rs textbook
In many American universities. which are devot-
irg much time to the study OF economic history.
BOOKS or TIE WEEK.