Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-20


which connects the chief dramatic elements
of the story. is rUggedly portrayed. dy-
ing lion. beset by foes and conscience and
dominated by the most ferocious passions
Between these two move a stagefu of
lesser characters. young VergiliuS. protege
of Augustus and lover of ARIA his ward;
Antipater. Herod's vicious. murderous son;
Appius. Arrias brother; Salome, Herod's
daughter, and many others. The scene
opens in Rome and shifts to Jerusalem,
and the story reaches its climax on the
hills of Bethlehem, where the young trib-
une of Rome. Nergilus has just gazad in
alteration upon the face of the newborn
Christ. and has in that hour forgiven his
mortal enemy and has then gone forth to
welcome his love. The tale is chiefly of the
mysterious power OF the idea of Christian
ity even before the birth of the Saviour,
through the faith of those Jews who await
ed the advent of a new king. 1t turns
upon the utter degeneracy of Rome the
lewdnesS. cruelty, dishonesty and greed of
her people. and the low estate of woman
hood through the lack of an ennoblIng con-
Cepton of love.
Mr.. Bachelor has told his story briefly
that il Will rank with the shortest of the
season. 1t is too early to pronounce 1t the
best, for many are to come. But in simple
sincerity, in strong narrative interest and
in warmly eloquent passages, it Will score
high on the records. Only occasionally
does the machinery of the plot CRATE an
noyingly. Thus. the last scene of violence
there being much blood-letting in the
book-marking the final combat between
Nergilius and Antipater, is decidedly the
atrical with its obviously artificial and
threadbare device of a slave girl finging
herself into the arena to save the man she
secretly loves. But this is amply condoned
by a genuinely dramatic episode, that of
the breakup of the secret ConCiaVe of the
conspirators against Herod. who meet in
utter darkness and do not know one an
other.
The svmpathetie reader will be pleased,
of course. with the ending of the story,
but he is likely to wonder what will hap
pen when young Vergilius has his interview
with Augustus Caesar.
THE STORY OF ANGLO SAXON INSTITUTIONS;
or the Development Of constitutional Govern
ment. by sidney &. Tapp Ph.B. New York:
G.. L. Putnam's sons.
In a scholarly philosophical manner Mr.
Tapp who is a member of the bar of At
lanta Ca. traces the lines of influence
which. working among many peoples and
during two thousand years. have cumi-
mated in the evolution of the ideal state in
this republic. The United States govern
meut, lie holds, is the greatest product of
the force which he styles Anglo Saxonism.
1t is based upon the bedrock principles of
human society which he learnedly and
clearly propounds in his first chapter His
chief purpose in proclaiming this fact is to
awaken the American people to a danger
which threatens them. due not to any in
herent fault in the theory of their govern
ment. but to a perversion of its principles
TO selfish ends Mr.. Tapp describes this
danger in terms of what he thus outlines
as the existing domestic situation:
This monopoly has been one Of the
powers of tyranny and oppression in all
governments in all ages. 1t is converting
the trusted power from all the people to
the agency of government for the common
welfare of all to the private gains and
nTptttS few citizens. Here in
this American Union this is the growing
evil and the great peril of the republic A
republic founded on simplicity and equality
before the law. and whose founders de-
clared that there should never be any no.
bility. royal recognition or privileged class
within her confines, Is today within the
clamps and clutches of royal commercial
ariStoCracy. Institutions created by the gov
eminent are issuing money as Il medium OF
exchange, prerogative that the govern
meat the representative of the body
sovereign should exercise Eminent do
main. an attribute of sovereignty. is
granted to public utility institutions
which are. in the nature of things. natu-
raj monopolies. Glass legislation is toler-
ated which restraints trade and COM
merce and thereby permits Il special few
to levy tribute at will on the necessities
OF life and the daily earnings of the toll
commercial policy of about eighty mill
ions of Industrious and progressive peo-
pie is at the mercy of the will of less
than hundred men. BY giving the word
and concert OF action these men can
bankrupt the republic and paralyze its
governmental functions The Treasury
Department must consult the wishes of
their bank account before il acts. The
political party of free trade or of protec-
ton must know their wishes before it
writes a platform. Public men and states
men must secure their consent before
they express an opinion. These
men constitute a political-commercial oil
garchy In the Industrial and political af-
fairs OF the country and shape its finan-
cial Industrial and political policies They
tell the constituted authorities when war
must be declared and when peace must
be proclaimed and this is true regardless
OF patriotic motives and Justice: and
when only they can reap financial and
commercial gains by the actions of the
government, at the expense of the social
and political body. regardless of right
justice and honor They are more power
full than government"
Much of this has familiar ring and
yet IL does not ring true. The gloom of
the observer is too deep. His case is not
strengthened by his very obvious gener-
alizations. which are strongly suggestive
of the oratorical hyperbole of the cam
paign speaker. Yet there is in this ac-