New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-28

THE HEROES OF DEFEAT BY william Jackson
Arust rong- Preface by Professor O. b Cal
breath, Ohio State Librarian With fro1tispieca
portrait OF the author $40, pp. xxi, 599. The
Robert Clarke Company
The sympathy Of mankind is inevitably ex-
tended to the under dog Mr.. Armstrong, ac-
cordingIy, has made no mistake. from the stand
point OF mere popularity, in the choice OF his
subject; but he has an ethical reason for his
literary adventure as we'll The volume appears %
have been written in protest against the doctrine
that there is a law Of progress in history; that
events are moral. that from within or without
there is a providence in human affairs by which
they are justified. and that the world. though by
inappreciable increments. is appr0Xiua-ing the
ideal state. in which right shah obtain and in
which wrongs shall be rectiied-" II seems. how
ever to the author that "in the presence OF rrev-
OcabIs injuries to the liberties Of peoples these
assumptions fall to the ground" and he finds
himself confronted by the dilemma that either
history is without moral guidance" OF that
'the love of freedom instructive in our kind is
a mockery Of nature. having no support in rea-
son" In the face of this dilemma he asks Is
weakness in disqualification justifying in human
affairs the survival Of the fitteste Is there BE-
nightly in the stronger battaliOns2 Do the ca
lamities Of submerged peoples inse1sioly pass
by some mysterious alchemy, into benedcencs
for the race, or. perhaps. for the peoples them
selves"
Mr.. Armstrong does not undertake 20 reply to
these queries CategOriCally. Instead. he tells N
eloquent prose the stories Of Scha-yl the SOL
der priest OF the Caucasus; of ABIDE R-der, the
intrepid and humane Sultan Of Algeria. OF
Scanderbeg Prince of Albania; Of TerCroseh
the Redman of Ohio, Of Vercinsstoriz and Of
KosciuskO Whether or not We accept these in
dividuaI instances as proving the truth Of the
aurbOr,s broad CONGRATULATIONS may admit
that they at least justify his inquiry. and fur
nish themes of moral grandeur Of which he
freely avails himself. In the tales of Urava--ins
heroism which he relates with fine enthusiasm
he has strengthened his position by selecting as
the central characters only those whose cause
has been that Of patriotism. whose single pur-
pose has been the preservation of liberty and
country, and who have been the helpers and
not the tyrants and exeCuuOners of their kind
While it might not be difficult to take the oppo-
site side of the question which the author raises
and to indicate directions in which the cases OF
Intellectual opposition to stronger and less be
nign forces. here presented may. nevertheless,
have ultimately contributed to the welfare Of
humanity and to the benefcent progress Of the
world, it cannot be gainsaid that Mr.. Armstrong
has succeeded in showing that nobility in hu-
man nature transcends the bounds of SCALED
civilized distinctions and that "nau has ever
cor at least sometmes) been superior 90 his
dogmas."
The character OF SchamyI the IesEh.a- chief
tain OF the Caucasus who for more tlaa thirty
years withstood the power OF Russia in MS
mountain state. is well illustrated by an incl
dent related by the author:
To his oath or perpetual deaa7c, ID, Russia he
- a ptucEtlnatlon that he would iu.it-- hun
i,,lSueS OF the kuoUt-d punishment Ilu''St
- Dfar- j
t4 win propositions of peICc on rg~l-.s snort q
-0SO-u'e independence for the mountains Ia c0n-