Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-18

Sons.
TRINCs the interstate commerce
agitation of the last lialf-dozen
wears or so the Constitution
was shaken, aired and inspected
more thoroughly than In all the
,rocadipy wears of its existence save. per
haps, in it's earliest aud trial ones. 10 ue-
ternine the fun import and intent Oh tht
constitutional rights OF Congress to reeu-
late interstate trade was the impulse IN
der this recent activity OF examination
The volume in hand dcNoteS NseH, dlso'
10 All investigation of the constitution
along the same lines The work here
however. IS carried on under the direct
control of the purpose that originated
this document the author holding that
conclusions on the subject lose weight
proport!onately to the neglect of this
point. The bulk of the present discussion,
therefore, is on the period when this IN
strument was in the making and when 1t
was on trial as a means of government
Trade was one of the uppermost themes
OF debate at this time. trade conditions
among the most depressing. Tariff walls
between colonies, total lack Of uniform
lty in trade values and customs. wrought
hopeless confusion and economic us
tresS In consequence, aSSe mbiieS ana
conventions turned to an almost eXclu-
sive consideration of measures for COM
mercial Succor. The failure of trade
meeting of the colonies at Annapolis In
1856 was the occasion for calling what
turned OUT to be the constitutional con-
ventlon in Philadelphia the following
year-a fact to give color to the theory
that the Constitution is by original intent
merely, chiefly, an instrument for the
regulation of commerce. The Philadelphia
convention was. however, dominated by
men of larger purpose. men committed
to the determination of making the
framework Of national government,
strong in coercive power to maintain Or
der civil peace, strong to protect
property. Among the powers granted In
this larger scheme was the power to
regulate commerce, incident along
with others-not the pivotal motive and
concern. Maintaining that this view of
original intent is essential to any sub
stantial opinion on the matter, the au-
thor passes to a review of the various
commercial clauses of the First Congress
and the early administrations in the light
of their historical foundation.
INTERPRETERS OF LIFE. And the
Modern Spirit. BY Arch bald Hen
derson. New York: Mitchell Ken
nerley.
The five are brought together here by
the tie of a common modernity of out
look and effort. by the bond of a phio-
sophie basis for literary art. Meredith,
Wilde, Maeterlinck. Ibsen. Shaw. with
novel and essay, dramatic and lyric poet
ry, as the media of self-expression make
UP the brilliant group toward which a
throng of readers stand deep in debt for
the most searching and comprehensive
commentary on current social life. The
author. in a discriminatory appreciative
review, measures each of these by the
degree of his devotion to truth. whatever
Guise it may wear. and by the extent to
which he makes this the groundwork of
his art. Contrasts come, and individual
stamp, by the play of special tempera-
ment upon this basis of reality. Acct
dental drifts, out of birth and surround
ings. reveal themselves in the superficial
vagaries and charms of manner, but.
substantially and in differing rank, these
five stand together dauntless. on the
fearsome ground of truth. The complete
conservation of all of them to the god
of-things-as-they-are" comes out in
Meredith's apostrophe: Then, ah! then
will the novelists art have attained it's
majority. We can then be veraciousy
historical. honestly transcriptive. Rose
pink and dirty drab will alike have pass
ed away. Philosophy is the foe of both.
and their silly canoeing contest will no
longer battle the contemplation of natural
flesh. smother no longer the soul issuing
out of our incessant strife. Philosophy
bids us to see that we are not SO pretty
as rose-pink. not SO repulsiye as dirty
drab; but that the sight of ourselves
is wholesome, bearable, fructifying. final
ly delight. Do but perceive that we
are coming TO philosophy. the stride to-
ward il will be giant's-a century day.
And imagine the celestial refreshment
Of having a pure decency i'm the place
Of sham: real flesh, soul born active,
wind beaten. but ascending.
THE SECRET MEMOIRS OF THE
REGENCY: The Minority Of Louis
Nv. BY Charles Pinot Duclos, his
Photographer of France. Translated
L.
New York: Sturgis & Walton Com
pany. Washington: Woodward &
Lothrop.
Not more than a degree or so marks
me difference between French memoirs
Of the secret and those of the open
sort. shade more of recorded social
diosyncrasy, franker exposure of king
~ frailty Montespan and Maintenon,
Pompadour and DuBarry set off the
reign of one Louis from that of the
next. The present secret memoirs" of
the regency differ from those before and
after them only in that there is here
no reigning monarch to gild with glamour
the profigacy of the period. These, there
fore lose the edge of their appeal since
scandal bears a direct ratio to the status
IF its principals. NJ. Ducos. court histor-
an OF the time of Philippe D'Orleans re-
gent, acknowledges his handicap by pay.
ing unusual devor to the plain stuff of
history. The reader Is able to gather
out from this maze of social gossip d
slight but distinct political movement to-
ward individual freedom. a clear re-
action against the absolutsm of Louis
XIN-a something to grow to the bulk of
the French revolution, with Louis XVI
paying the full score for himself and the
other two. The memoirs contain. too.
An interesting account of the financial
operations of John Law. promoter. with
their sequence of national panic and
disaster. These constitute tie two sub
stantial historic features of the regency.
The volume makes part of the series
designed by NJ. Meras to cover the in
innate aspects of period whose limits
are the death OF Louis XIV and the
close of the first empire
NEW GfOGR ApHIES: Second Book.
Fly Ralph 3 Tarr. Il. s, +. G. :. A.,
professor of physical geography at
Cornell University, and Frank NJ.
McMurray. Phi. D.. professor of Gle
mentary education at Teachers Col
fege. Columbia University. With col
ored maps and illustrations. New
York: The Macm Han Company.
Washington: Brentano'S.
In continuation of this series of excep-
tionally instructive and effectively ar
ranged geographic lessons comes this
volume brought closely up to date
as possible with numerous maps trade
lila grams and other illustrations calcu-
lated TO the Interest of young
readers and students The scenes are all
modern ard thus this geography is ma
teriaIy different from the old style work