New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-19

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ment Of the Cambridge modern history fills one
long felt want. that Of a scholarly. interesting
and comprehensive survey Of American history
IN one volume. Compared with President Wood
Wilson's recent work. we should estimate
that this volume contains about one-auarter
more matter than HIS five. and that in the treat
ment OF the last forty years it IS far more de-
tailed and richer in concrete facts The dual
clientage 20 which the book appeals is singular
ly attested in ,his volume well in the first.
There the Church before the Reformation is de-
picted with natural divergence by Catholic
and a Protestant Here equal distinction is
accorded TO the American Revolution. The
quarrel with Great Britain d761-'76) is recount
ed and explained first by Mr.. Doyle in Chapter
V. and then in Chapter VI the ground is all
gone again from the traditional American
standpoint by Professor Melville Bigelow, under
the title OF The Declaration of Independence"
one wonders IL this policy OF hearing beth sides
is to be extended to the other great revolutions.
Either Il is not, the editors fail to accord that
distinction TO our Civil War. In this instance
even the internal history of the Confederacy is
from a Northern writer.
OF the individual essays only general impress
stems, with here and there criticism Of details.
can be attempted. The parallel accounts OF the
rise Of the English and of the French colonies
by Mr.. Doyle and Miss Mary Bateson, Of Newn-
ham College. are admirable examples Of what
such work ought 10 be- one difference between
the older and the younger writer may be no.
ticed. Mr.. Doyle has confined himself to con-
ventionaI limits and ignored the English West
Indies Miss Bateson, with what seems TO US
Is a true comprehension of the situation. has
embraced in her survey both Canada and the
West Indies. From the imperial standpoint the
islands and the mainland constituted single
interest. and it the conception OF this
single interest which dominated the colonial
legislation Of both France and England. 1t Is
only in the light Of this bread conception that
the real character and true bearing Of the legis-
latisn that brought the Revolution can be
understood. IL was by trying to merge ana
consolidate the economic interests OF the main
land the islands and the mother country into
one great system that the Revolution WAS pre-
cipitated. and. equally, 1t WAS trying TO sever
corauletelv the ties OF common economic inter-
ests between the emancipated colonies and their
island neighbors which remained in the empire
that lay al the bottom Of our troubles with
England for the decades following independ-
euce In one other respect Mr.. Doyle seems 10
have fallen short OF his opportunity. lie mas
failed 10 indicate with sufficient clearnesS the
factors which contributed TO the rise OF re-
ligious liberty.
Mr.. 4 q Bradley is on familiar ground in his
aot certain but that our phrase familiar ground
should be taken hguratIveIy, when We read page
l:s, of The battle on the Plains of Abraham;
d. Al daylight Wolfe was marshalling mis- toopsJ
on the plateau Ui trout of the city 1t is sur
prise too TO md in the last sentence OF his
chapter such serious errors as are contained Ia
The assertion that after the treaty OF 100
"au the territory that was now left to the
French in North America was the small colony
loo zaasa he
great colony of Louisiana. with its nearly a |
million square miles had been ceded by France |
10 Spain the year before
Mr. DOYLE writes Of the Revolution in dis |
passionate and distinctly modern tone Profess
sor BigeOU's parallel chapters are made Up. IN /
the main OF a careful restatement OF the con- /
temporary discussions in America Of the points |
at issue between the cOlonlsts and the mother |
country. Similarly, ia Chapter VIII, entitled |
The Constitution OI16-l1S3),' Mr.. Blgelow |
takes Up nfty-three Of his sixty-seven pages in |
al analysis OF the debates IN the convention Of |
I7S7. To the formation and ratification of the |
Articles OF Confederation thirteen lines are de- i
voted and the momentous struggle over the |
ratification Of the Constitution is dismissed with
the statement. 1t does not fail within the pur- |
pose OF these pages 10 speak in particular OF the
State Convention" (sic). such distribution Of |
space seems purely arbitrary. and quite out OF !
accord with true historical proportions. The |
debates in the Federal Convention have been so /
thoroughly analysed by several writers in re- |
cent years that a part Of this space could have |
been used TO much better advantage. In his |
final paragraph Mir. Bigelow declares Hamilton |
TO have been the master spirit Of the convention.
That he was IN some respects the ablest member |
viii be readily acknowledged, but his influence |
in shaping its deliberations was far less than |
A1adison's
With the exception Of the years 1S12-1S15. |
Professor J. Il. AicMsster supplies the narrative
for the period l1S3-lS5O in three chapters. en-
titled, respectively, The Struggle for CONNER
cial Independence O7S3-1S12)." The Growth of
the Nation OS15-1S2s)" and Commerce, Ex-
pansion and Slavery OS2S-1S50).' The story Is
then continued by President Woodrow Wilson
till 1850; by the late John G. Nicolay for the
military and political sides of the Civil War, and
by Professor Schwab for the internal history Of
the Confederacy Their treatment OF these
topics is the familiar lines Of their more elab-
crate works. and where these have been in
vestigatIons involving minute or Intricate detail
like the History Of the People of the United
States" the Life Of Lincoln and Professor
Schwab's The Southern Confederacy.' these
contributions viii be much resorted to by those
who want 10 get the gist OF the matter in an
authoritative form The only English writer
who contributes to that part Of the volume de-
voted TO the national period is the naval spe-
cialist Mr. II. W. Wilson. who writes Of the
War OF 1872 and OF the naval side Of the Civil
War. The latter is brief but mastery sur
freshest and most instructive in the whole vol
The thorny subject Of Reconstruction is
lucidlY reviewed by Professor 7. c. Smith IN
Of he ind he haS