The Washington herald., 1911-06-04
ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF
AMERICAN CONSTITUTION
How the Federal Government Was Established Told
in Interesting Style.

III 1uteIe .
THE rEEESsSnS oH9sIS AYR os1M3a or TIL. II.
mentary evidence a. TO the making Of
ernment enbcdisd 10 the. existinS Con-
stitution Of the United States II. for
as sna con- ccnsistens s whole. Vi t y s HsnSis Fay.
es or rainSurss SR ana 3 pusiin sns 0iassssa Hcassson
Mimin Company. Boston and New
When Mr.. Taylor completed THE
Origin ana Growth Of the Eneiish Con.
stitution' the Review Of Reviews said:
THE completion Of the second volume
rounds out one Of the most important
recent achievements Of American scholar
ship" Montagu Burrows, professor
Of modern history at Oxford. said: mo
other book exhibits 30 clear q view Of
the English constitution. broadening
down from precedent to. precedent
Edward J. Phelps. Ambassador to Great
Britain, said: THE work ia. In my
Judgment. q mastery. philosophical. and
exhaustive treatment Of the most I'M
portant chapter. Of political history which
See" In his preface the author says:
THE very cordial reception given to
that work throughout the English
speaking world and beyond It naturally
susgested a sequel to be entitled The
Origin and Growth Of the American
Constitution which has been completed
on the same plan, The student Of Amer
lean constitutional history has no rea-
son to fear to 60 behind the scenes;
the real facts as attested by the docu-
ments are quite as wonderful as any
thing we have been accustomed to- be.
lievs. In the light Of the real facts. As
attested BY the documents. an attempt
has been made herein to outline, with
frequent elaborations. the origin and
growth Of the American Constitution In
such q way as to enable every American
citi3en. layman az well as lawyer, to
read within narrow limits the entire
history Of the wonderful Constitution
under which he lives" The New York
World in its review declares that. in
his effort to popularife the study Of
the Constitution. the author has realized
his dream. It says: 'As Mr.. Taylor
be reserved for the dry perusal Of pro-
fessional students. His pen makes q
human interest story Of It. ~ engaging
and marvellous as any other chapter Of
history. It tells clearly how, emerging
from youth to adult stature, It has car
ried its increasing burdens lightly and
naturally, fully justifying not only all
the hopes of those who fathered II, but
the high opinions pronounced upon It
by the worlds best judgment"
The book opens with the statement that
the sources OF the English and Ameri-
can constitutions have only recently been
explored. mo effort was ever made to
write the history Of the English consti-
tuition until very recent times, and when
the work did begin. the historians con-
fined themselves almost entirely to the
aftergrowth, leaving the initial period.
the starting point Of everything. almost
And 90 we have permitted
the beginnings Of the American Constitu-
ton to remain . sealed book, with the
inspiration theory as Its clasp. despite
the fact that the clearest and most for
NAL Of all documentary evidence as to
the truth was easily accessible" The au-
thor says that after thirty years Of effort
to unfold the histories of the two close
ly related constitutions as one progressive
development. he was blessed with
piece Of good fortune, which has more
than requited all the labor bestowed.
That good fortune consisted Of the un-
earthing Of q priceless document very
near the surface, which has cast bright
light into what was heretofore very
dark place. It explains for the first time
the real history Of the invention OF that
marvellous system Of government. partly
federal and partly national, given to the
world by the Federal convention at the
close Of its labors at Philadelphia, on
September II. 17S7. It L. q great thing to
know for certain that the most notable
Of all political inventions had q personal
inventor, that the entirely unique and
path-breaking creation embodied IN the
American Constitution came into being
in q psrfectly normal way; that its birth
was neither mythical nor miraculous"
The Federal convention Of 1851, which
shrouded its proceedings In a secrecy
as profound as that which incloses a Ma
sonic lodge. sealed its records at the
close and committed them to Washing
ton. Not until 1s1s did Congress partially
break the seal OF that secrecy by joint
resolution directing the publication OF the
Journal, which had been very imperfect
ly kept. The real record Of the pro-
ceedinEs OF the convention. prepared by
the semi-ofhcial reporter, James Mad
feon, and now embodied In the three vol.
tunes Of his priceless 'papers,' was not
publishetl by Gilpin until 1s4l. In that
way fift..fouf years passed by after the
adjournment Of the convention before
the full report OF the secret proceedings
was given to the world. During that
half century Of mystery and suppression
It was that the mythical history OF what
actually took place in the secret con-
clave crystallized into q series Of misty
ana misleading Impressions 20 fixed In
the minds Of many that II 10 now diff1eult
to dislodge them even with the aid OF
clear and explicit documentary evidence.
My siege Il Finished exclaimed vertot,
when offered new documents which stul-
tined his narrative. In the same spirit
many OF the devotses OF the Inspiration
theory 90 justly ridiculed by Won Hoist,
stiA respond even when the connected
documentary history Of all that occurred
u offered them"
The famous French critic and historian.
Charles ". Langiois. has said: ''Hlstory
10 studied from documents. Documents
are the traces which have bean len BY
the thoughts and actions Of men Of for
mer times. There II no substitute for
documents; NO documents. no history"
When the myths and legends are put
aside. and the history Of the origin Of
the great invention In political science
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