The Washington herald., 1913-07-27
By A, ID. JACOBSON.

By A. ID. JACOBSON.
THE INFLUENCE OF MoNARcHs: STEPS IN
A NEW SCIENCE OF HISTORY: BY Ffede-
nick Adams Wood New fork-The Macmillan
Company.
DR.. Woods present effort is the hrst
application of the method Of historical
measurement of the question of national
growth and decline. II Is a historical 1acs
that great nations have had their pc
riods of splendor and decay, but these
transformations thus far never have oeen
represented with definiteness. For TINS
reason alone a tabulation OF political and
economical movements in Europe has
specific value.
The present compilation comprises GATE
between the tenth and the sixteenth CEN
turies, carrying the study as Tar as the
time of the French revolution. Altera-
tions in fourteen European countries
their material conditions during S6S reigns
are described, also the personalities OF
the monarchs whose mental and moral
characteristics are summarized. Ihen
the parallels are drawn. Very rarely
nation progresses in its political and eco
nomic aspects save under the leadership
of a strong sovereign. This PLAIN ana
simple truth has never been dwelt upon
heretofore. A very pertinent question
Have the rulers caused the changing
conditions, or have the monarchs been
the product OF the environments tney
lived in?
That the genealogical method should
furnish the clew to the successful inter-
probation of history is not surprising,
since the genealogical Interpretation Is
the only correct Interpretation Tor mai
Lral history. (All classification OF AMI
mails and of plants is based upon de-
scentD Neither heredity nor personality
may be everything, but they go so far
toward being everything that well they
may be made the first forces to be meas
ured If the differences among the kings
OF history whose varying types range all
the way from lmDecInty to genius, ana
from bestiality TO heroism, IN their es-
Sence, are caused by qualities contained
in and carried by the germ plasm. from
which they have been engenuered; ana
of these differences among rulers nave
been OF such transcendent Importance
then, the author argues, the master key
of history is heredity.
The present attempt TO make history
scientific and to find correlations to weigh
causes Is the first effort of its kind, and
is altogether original in its conception
There is a fascinating interest in explain
ing the decline of the great civilizations
Of the mast No cause or factor therein
Is more important than the dynastic FAC
tor, and, indeed, the whole arlstocrauc
fabric. OF which royalty Is but the top
or crown.
Because Egypt, Greece. Rome. Spain
or Portugal declined, there should be no
reason why other nations should follow
in the same track. A knowledge OF tie
relative intellectual differences between
wnllln
be a desideratum for each nation and
each age. and the author has been try
ing to find the way TO ascertain these
facts.
Going a step farther In his research
DIR. Woods asks this: II the monarchs
have had great weight in directing the
course of history, how did they get this
importance and how, when and why did
they lose it? He attempts to say some
thing about the origin and doctrine o:
the royal power, but mainly he dwells
upon the use which these privileged per
sons have made OF their exceptional
positions, or in other words: what has
been the personal influence Of monarchs
OF political and economic history?
The book is worth while reading. and is
recommended to students of States, ecC-
EomiCs, and politics.
THE MEN AROUND THE KAIsER-THE
MAKERS OF MODERN GERMANY: BY
Frederic William Vile. Phadelphia-J. Il. LIP
nincUtt COMPANY.
volume of 271 pages. containing
thirty-two pen pictures of various per-
sonalities. runs great risk of being dry
because il might develop into a compia-
tion of dates and dongs, or tedious, by
simply being sketches OF unaIloyed praise.
Mr. NIlP who rhp | npdnn
Daily Mail in Berlin, has managed to
avoid both. and his descriptions have
each a distinCtness, charm. concseness,
Yet a thOroughness which makes the vol
ume quite a remarkable achievement-a
handy reference book, yet a most inter
csting one TO be read through and
through.
1t is remarkable how little is known
about the great men around the Kaiser.
ADMIRAL Won Tirpitz-''the Eternar'-oc-
cupies the place of honor. Germany, says
Mr.. Vile, is not strong in men of pre-
miership rank. Won Tirpitz is one of
them, and it is not unlikely that he may
become Imperial Chancellor. 1t would
libel Won Tirpitz to stigmatize him as
-Anglophobe. He is anything but that.
He is profound admirer of everything
British. All his children have been edu-
Gated in England. English naval tradi-
tions command his reverential respect.
He has never ceased 20 hold them up as
a model and inspiration.
The sketch of Betel is an excellent
piece of writing. and that on Max Rein
hardt little masterpiece of its kind.
Two journalists are included in the por-
trait gallery-Harden and Scherl. Har-
Gen, since his great onslaught on several
members of the Kaisers encourage, has
been well known in this country, and of
him Mr.. Vile SAYS: mo man now writing
in the language of Goethe and Schiller
has so large a personal following or so
influential A voice. An incurable icono-
clast he has the fascination of
Horace Walpole and the sledgehammer
incisiviness of Cobbett. He believes heads
are made to hit. If they bear a crown,
or wabble on the shoulders of pedantic
chancellors, he hits them all the harder.
SCherl is the man VINO, more than any
other, brought life and progress to Ger
man Journalism. 1t was as the genius
behind the Lokal-AnZeiger that he
nrst surprised Berlin, giving a newspaper
with news-up-to-date news-to the Ber-
liners, who had been raised on a news
paper diet of Schappenhauer, Kant, and
Treitschke. Berlin was shocked TO ma
itself in a twenty-four hour, instead OF
weekly or 1ortmgntly, touch with the
great world beyond Germany. Yet. ne
soon became the recognized Napoleon OF
the craft Today he owns nve dailies
and half a dozen weeklies including the
chief illustrated sportion weekly. Sport
in Bid. and Gartenlanbe, the most
widely read family periodical, with a
colossal circulation. Such is an outline
OF the accomplishment or a man VINO,
in the early SOS, came to Berlin penni-
less