New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-19
CRITICISM
AND BOOK NEWS
The Birth of the American Spirit in Virginia
A Valuable Contribution to Our
Historical Literature.

II may be that this great interest
Is largely due TO the fact that the
spiritual changes in Virginia were
probably greater and more significant
than in any other of the thirteen
states. In most Of them. indeed, the
-hanges were comparatively slight and
,sre of no significance whatever TO
he development of the nation. Any
changes In Virginia would have been
Of significance because of its com
mGnding size and rank among its fell
COWS. But they were in fact so great
that they would have commanded at
tontion If they had occurred in one of
the least instead of one of the greatest
Of the states For Virginia was the
state Of paradOXes and contradictions.
she was Cavalier, yet she was as re-
sistant to the Royal Prerogative and
10 Tory oppression as was Roundhead
Massachusetts. lntolerant in her
Anglican ecclesiasticism, she was one
of the leaders in free thought and in
he establishment OF religious free
dom and equality. surprising some OF
the Puritan states In such progress.
Tie home Of blue laws" rivalling
those of Connecticut-the real and not
the fabulous ones-she came in later
years TO chide Yankee bigotry." Es-
sentially and distinctively aristocratic
she was the cradle and the nursery Of
democracy.
We do not know that DR.. Eckenrode
meant the seemingly straightforward
title of his book 20 have a double
meaning, But we are INCLINED to wish
that he did. 1t may mean that part of
the American Revolution which was
enacted in Virginia. with which indeed
the book does deal. 1t may also and
as legitimately mean the spiritual rev
OlutiOn which was concurrently ef-
fected in Virginia herself, to which the
book is still more devoted 1t is with
this latter Interpretation of it that we
are now chiefly concerned. For that
revolution was notably complete, and
notably influential upon the affairs OF
the nation. New England educated
the whole country up to the Revolu-
tiOnary standard. Virginia was, on the
contrary, educated by the Revolution.
Then, at the end, Virginia in turn edu-
Gated the whole country in post-kevo-
lutionary democracy.
Just attention is given by the au-
thor to the County Committees OF VIZ
ginia. a feature of our early political
systems that has been too much neg
lected. The New England Town Meet
ings have been much and properly
dwelt upon, perhaps by foreign writers
more than BY American. De Tocque-
willie declared that the French colonies
in America failed because they had no
such meetings, and that the British
colonies succeeded because they had
them. The Virginia County Commit
tees did not perform the same function
as these. and not as important one,
but they did supplement them IN a
highly efficient manner. The Town
Meetings educated the nation in self
The County Committees
organized that self-government Tor
militant purposes. The House of Bur
gesses. too, performed invaluable ser
vices; at an early date sturdily resist
ing the expressions of royal governors.
And there was often need of such re-
sistanee. from Dinwiddie TO Dunmore.
Andres, in New England and New
York. has long been eXecrated as the
tvuical mis-governor. But we should
not forget that il was Dinwiddie, IN
Virginia. who in 1853 first attempted
Illegal and arbitrary taxation OF the
colonists. and who conceived the fatal
scheme which Granville and Town
shend carried 10 disastrous completion.
Dr.. Eckenrode has probably ehal-
lenged much criticism, from fellow
Virginians and others who are more
Virginisn than the Virginians them
selves by his treatment Of Jefferson
and his part in the political develop,
ment Of Virginia. To many it will
seem heresy, or treason, to portray
Jefferson as filing anything less than
the chief part in Revolutionary ,Nir-
rinia, and as ending his career there