New-York tribune., 1911-04-08

xiv, $50. Henry Holt Go.
The American Historical Series
under the editorship Of Professor Charles
II. Haskins, of Harvard University mas
been planned on the principles oil the
American Science Series 1t is to con-
sist of comprehensive, systematic ana
authoritative textbooks, written by
American scholars with special reference
To American educational needs. Inc
treatment will be descriptive as well as
narrative. and due attention VIII be
given to economic and social condi-
,ions and TO institutional Developments
Professor Hazen's Europe since
1S1J." the third Of the volumes OF thiS
new series in the order Of their an
nouncement. but the first TO be pub
lished. opens il auspiciously. 1t is cap
;taI piece Of work. soundly planned. well
balanced. discerning in its appreciation
Of values. clear in its system oi pro-
eressive presentation, and helpluilN con-
sistent. II traces the main currents or
nolitical and social changes IN European
history since the fall OF Napoleon. with
duo consideration Of cultural and ma
terial evolution. An excellent teXlpooh
for educators, it is also a capital, amply
informing survey for the general reauer'
and it is agreeably written.
The author treats the period from the
Congress of Vienna to the establishment
Of the German Empire and the klngdom
or Italv as past politics. but also as the
source Of present conditions. His point
oe dorartuve is Metternich, whose Quad
ruple Alliance was in reality SO much
more important in the shaping ol the
roIicy Of reaction that followed Waterloo
than WAS the visionary Holy Alliance OF
tho Russian Emperor. This part Of the
book epitomizes an era with adihHaple
defuitcness. The author groups TO-
gether Austria, Prussia. Italy anu
France. whose political evolution is 80
closely interrelated during the period
covered: then. returning TO 1910, he
takes w England. Russia and turkey
follows these up with the smaller states
of Europe and thereafter expands ms
subject 10 take in world politics as a
result OF national economic develop
ments and as a cause Of history still 70
be made.
The transference Of the deciding power
in the state from rulers TO people IS the
main historical theme, accompanied
since the middle of the last century, by
a growing consciousness of the urgency
Of political and social problems. After
1870 Professor Hazcn deals with move
ments still in progress, and is careful tt
give them their contemporary. still un-
decided value as tendencies toward de-
velopmcnts that can be but dinlly anc
uncertainty foroseen. The great problem
before the German nation he sees in the
apnroaching struSglc for a greater meas
ure Of political power FOR the mass OF
the people; Italy's overwhelming Interest
he finds in industrial development
| France he leaves face to face with tht
relations Of Church and State, making
no mention Of the interesting. purely
economic tendency of .he struggle be-
tween labor and capital in the republic
which contrasts so yivdly with the as
yet almost exclusively political nature o
the movement in England This is no
meant T. point out an omission In Pro
fcsso, IIazen's book, ii is merely {
glance ahead from Tie point where h'
appropriately closes his record.
The bricf studies OF the salient per
sonalities OF the period surveyed-o
Mettcrnich, Cavour. Napoleon III. Bis
marck and many other historical figure
are exemplary bits Of condemnation
Whatever plan an historian may adop
for the writing OF general history lik
this viii unavoidably develop weak
nessos in its application. Professo
Hazcns book is 70 exception to the rule
tut its merits 30 far surpess it, limita
tons that criticism of detail would b.
unjust, even If it were far less incon