Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-17
BOOK REVIEWS.
THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF
THE PHILIPPINES: lS0S-l012. BY

THE PHILIPPINES: lS9S-1912. BY
James H. Blount, officer of United
states Volunteers in the Philippines,
lses-1901; United States district
Judge in the Philippines, 1901-l9O5.
With a map. New York: G. +. Put
nam's Sons
- HIS is plea for the political
liberation of the Filipinos.
written by one who has served
among them for the United
States. and who regards them
a. dcser1-ing If independence. It is a
Strong document. a readable personal
narrative. sweeping review of the
events which led up to the American en-
-ernrise in the archipelago and TO the
ultimate establishment of Our sovereignty
over tho islands. Mr. Blount, the title
mage of his work indicates. writes from
the standpoint of one who has personally
touched the situation. first in the military
ranks and second on the bench lie De
gins his work with chapter dealing with
the activities of Consul General fIatt al
S,npa pore. who led AguinaldO to believe
that the United States would uhuei
the liberation of the islands from Spanish
Then endeavoring to wrest cuba from
snatn for The sake of the Cubans. From
this point forward Mr.. Blolnt endeaNors
10 establish this proposition. that 1t was
originally the American purpose to sweep
Snain ont of the islands in order tnat the
FYIipinos might set up their own govern
mont He cites from documents ana from
tho testimony given at hearings ana In
,.sStipat;ons TO support this thesis, thus
stating his purpose:
..1-ba task here undertaken is to make
andihle 10 a great. free nation the voice
Of a weaker subject people, VINO Passion
ateIy and rightly long to be also Tree. Uul
whose longings have been Systematically
denied for the last fourteen years, SOME
times ignorantly sometimes viciously ana
ALWAYS cruelty, the wholly erroneous
idea that where the end is benevolent II
1ustifies the means. regardiess VI tue
means necessary to That END.
He urges that the Philippines are
handicap upon the American government
"a grave strategic and economic ms
take he expresses it-and that we are
in honor required to choose pe.weel iilan
ing the Filipino people free and mdepen-
dent without unnecessary delay, as lneS
of right ought to be. or else Importing
the perpetuity of our own INSTITUTIONS
By the creation and maintenance OF q
great standing army Sufflclent properly
to safeguard overseas possessions
Mr.. Blount takes issue with those VINO
aver that the Fil!pinos. that is TO say the
inhabitants of the archipelago, are ui-
verse and inharmoniouS people. saying, In
order to contrast them with the Cubans.
who are troubled even today by race
problems of a grave character: Inc
Philippine people are absolutely one peo-
pie as TO race. color and previous condi-
ton" These terms are perhaps exactly
correct. but they leave much to be said
regarding differences In language. tribal
habits, ancient prejudices. re1glonS ana
a wide variety of factors that. 1t is urged
by others. constitute an unsolvapie PROF.
lem of amalgamation.
The authors proposition is to assure the
Filipinos independence by 1921. the date set
in bill now pending in Congress, and to Sc
cure absolute naturalization by means of
treaties that will guarantee to the Islands
immunity from mOlestation equal to that
which is given to Switzerland and to Bel
GUM, though surrounded by potentially
hostile powers
The volume is written in a style certain
10 command continuous attention. Mr.
BIount invests the subject with the vigor
of a personal conviction, and phrases his
conclusions colloqLially and fearlessly.
He has presented the case of the Filipinos
strongly and ably, and has added to the
literature of the American occupation
work that will be rated as important. Mr..
Blount's residence in Washington, where
he is well known, assures a local reading
OF the work.
TINE LOWER DEPTHS; Play In Four
Acts. BY Maxim Gorki Translated
from the Russian by Laurence 1ry
ing. New York: Duffield & Co.
Maxim Gorkfs play progresses in a
crescendo of duMnesses. Spread out
here are four full acts of desert dreari-
ness in which no single paImy spot green's
the monotonous gray. One casts this
drama upon a stage of cellar twilight,
through which loathly human things crawl
dimly-ruffian and beggar harlot and
beast IL Cork means anything at all by
this play, other than to rid his own sys-
tenn temporarily OF Its chronic rheumS
and fevers. he means to draw an ailegory
of nature busy at her job of man-makng.
Nature. careless of wage and hour, once
in 1000 years achieves man. Mean
while, she is making experiments, waste
flu and inept experiments. which, with
Indifferent hand she throws out upon the
scrap heap. We are these abortions OF
her full intent. This play depicts one
of the dreariest, one of the most mai
odorous Of these mounds OF human odds
and ends. 1t is concocted. mostly. OF bile
gone wrong Its complexion is jaundiced.
Its tongue is heavy. its mind nerye-rid-
den. 1t has neither message to commend
IL nor art A plain human being. not OF
the genius type. IS much more reucent
about his purely functional processes,
much less willing to throw them upon the
film ttaS Cork has here been.
THE TORCH; Lectures Delivered He
fore the Lowell Institute of Boston.
By George Edward Woodbury.
New York: The Macmillan Com
pany-
Mr. Woodberry's theme here is. as
matter OF course. literature. In these
lectures, however, he orientates himself
anew before the subject 1t Is in this
attitude that much of the novel distinc-
ZION of these essays lies In proof and
disqualification OF a theory of race power
in literature, the author makes a COM
pIete and delightful study of Spenser.
Milton, Wordsworth, Shelley. According
to Mr.. Woodbury.. race thought roots.
as does race itself 1t springs into
bud of leaf and blossom. as the race
does. and finally comes into unique
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