Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-21
BOOK REVIEWS.

UVVu UluuIVvVs
MAJORITY RULE AND THE judi
CIARY. BY William l.. Ransom on
New York n bar. AN 'n'r Sew York:
Charles Scribners Sons Washlhs-
ton: Brentano's.
- VERY voter is under moral oond
tn vote. More than this, he Is
under bond to make his vote eS-
rress an intelligent Will. Intel
ligent-sO voters must go 10
school eyery day The most OF them DO.
The newspaper, the magazine. the poiltl-
caI canpaign unite to make great teen
nical school for the study Of politics ana
ire allied embellishments and socl-
o,oev. B,1t these agents work, commonly,
under high pressure and while the ma
,er,al is red hot Therefore the output
10 often warped, or incomplete, or other
uise defective. Then the well considered
text hook appears in this school. In Its
making the author followed after the
urgent. hard pushed agents of the press
and campaign, gathering up their volu-
minous work. sorting out the permanent
and useful, correlaung the parts OF this
into a complete unit of political theory
and practice Mr.. Ransom's study Of the
majority rule in its relation to the judi
ciary is a text book Of this sort. con-
sidered, concentrate, clear exposition that
any reading man can understand. In
substance. the discussion Is a quest OF
the means by which a state constitution
may be electrified to keep In step Win
the matured and deliberate Will OF the
people of that state. The author says
ho thinking voters
now definitely conscious that state gov
eminent ought to be doing many things
which 1t declares itself unable to DO.
Since the people. through their votes
selves. have the right to so declare? 1t
turns out that the state court. under Its
hidebound construction of the Que proc
ess'' of law lying in the regulative ponce
power of the state, Is this nxity' TINS
bar, TO greater freedom of action SO.
in this particular, the constitution, In
place of standing as a hesh-and- blood
embodiment of the peoples Will. Is
buried mummy. The author traces the
origin and development of this sacro-
sanrt due process of the police power
of a state showing that IT set out 10 De
q live and virile thing. a constructive
agent of government lie then reviews
and explains the workings or piahs ior
lacking UP our state constitutions to
make them conform to the spirit OF the
, day and age in which they exist Inese
plans have one common advantage. Iney
may reasonably be expected to materiaiize
within the generation OF those proposing
them.
When one was young he had great
faith, undue faith, in the printed page:
He learned. later, that the best use OF
printers type Is to make the reaaer in-
ycstigate further, perhaps to make MIN
disagree and dispute. provided tnat ne
keep right on thinking meanwhile This
book is no exception to the general good
Office of print. 1t will arouse dissension
and argument. The authors learning.
his training experience and sincerity
however. will stand clear OF any sus.
picion. One. If he were q carper' mlSht
wish that the author had not talked
bit slantwise here toward certain VINO
equally honest with himself no doubt,
are not of his own way OF thinking. one
wishes he had not called them out oy
name in this meeting. One might WISH,
too, that the antlers OF a Dull moose did
not rest SO like yoke, across the snoul-
ders of this most interesting ana IN
structive writer.
LIFTED MASKS. BY Susan Glaspell,
ouered" etc. New York: trederlck
4. Stokes Company.
You will cry a bit over these stories
but not at all because you are unhappy.
Do YOU remember when you saw some
beautifully kind thing done, or something
brave and seIf-forgetful, or something
subtly comprehending and fit, perhaps,
coming quick and unexpected? You re-
member now this-one or another OF these
things-swelled your heart up TIL IL
crowded your throat and pushed the
water into your eyes? Wen. mere are
things of just that sort, healthy things
that simply make you look out upon
folks. your own self included, with fresh
understanding and liking. Little stories,
these, after each of which you say. This
in the best one" decision that steadily
moves on to the next You will remern-
Der for long that blessed American girl
in. the Paris shop. volunteering hrst aid
to the helpless Impossible American
buying pretty clothes for his wife back
home-and the heart-breaking pity OF that
wife. II you are lucky enough to know
a few real things about both boys and
dogs. then. 1.-The Anarchist; His Dog.
will mix your laughter and tears in
the governor. big enough to stop lyme
and bring himself to judgment and the
senator, great enough. even. to take
chance on his senatorship in order to
give the prison boy his chance. Ano
there are others-fine. true. inspired. al
of them. One remembers late that these
are not love stories. A snap Judgment
with Kipling for the moment forgotten
would have declared that any sketch to
he really absorbing must have CupiC
cavorting somewhere upon it's surface
Not so at all, as these tales alone prove.
Fanciful titles are commonly past find
ing out. Even the Unborn unraveler OF
puzzles can make no connection between
them and the themes capped by them.
This title Is an exception to the rule
Lifted Masks exactly describes the
prime quality of this group Of exception
al stories These are intimate, face-to-
face giimpses Of people in the momentary
between-whiles Of the great masquerade.
OUT OF THE WRECK i RISE. BY
Beatrice Harraden, author of "Ships
That Pass In the Night" etc. New
York: Frederick A. Stokes Company
Only a writer Of daring and originality
would be willing to take the risk of ar
Adrian Steele as the center Of romantic
story. Readers have acquired prescriptiv'
and vested rights in their heroes Of fic
ton. 1t goes without saying that. these
must be heroic-sizable. masterful and. b!