New-York tribune., 1919-03-15
Two of Our National Capitals BIO

and social progress which the United
States has covered in the last century.
For the story of Washington's develop
ment really begins at the close of the
second British war, when men re-
turned and rebuilt the edifces which
unpreparedness had abandoned to the
despoiler. 1t was then that the era of
our national expansion began. 1t was
then that men talked of the United
States as being "bounded on the north
by the Aurora Borealis, on the south
by the Procession of the Equinoxes, on
the east by Primeval Chaos, and on
the west by the Day of Judgment" A
country of such distances must needs
have capital city of magnificent dis
tances But at least comparable are
the distances traversed in passing from
that hifalutin' jingoism to the prudent
heart-searching of some later years
from slavery to freedom, from Grass
and bigoted provincialism to a gen
orous and cultured cosmopolitanism
from town that was social night
mare to city that is the delight of
the worlds diplomats and from
oumptious young bounder that exulted
in being "earth's biggest country" to
q self-continent and dignfied power
that earnestly and reverently seeks to
be "earth's greatest nation" The dis
tance between the last two estates
makes the whole extent of Pennsylva-
MIA Avenue seem but step.
Mr.. Bryan's first volume semed we'll
nigh perfect. but the second sur.
passes it, That is because, while he
maintains fully his former painstak-
ing care and his profuson of accurate
details and his unfailing facility and
felicity of expression, he has an in
comparably more interesting array Of
topics. Before 1915 was the era Of
planning and foundation. with innu-
merable important but technical de-
tails. Since that date has been the
era of growth, both Of the city itself
and of the nation, of Which the city
is political and social epitome Upon
the stage of the Federal District what
dramas-comedies and tragedies have
been enacted! There was the actual
duelling ground where brave men fell
victims to the devils "code of hcnor,"
and there was the greater duelling
tions the sectional conflict between
North and South was waged. There
centred the fight over canals and
other public works at national ex-
pense. There the Bank fight was
fought. There at an early date the
anti-slavery campaign was waged and
the underground railroad" had
great union station.
There the contrast between the
elder Adams and jefferson, at the
change Of administration, was dupli-
Gated and far intensified in that be-
tween the younger Adams and Jack
son. There political and personal
journalism fourishcd as nowhere else.
| Y ciu
ural, engineering. sanitary, moral, ad-
ministrative, financial, social. educa-
tional, arose and was thrashed over if
not thrashed out. There religious and
racial animosities and prejudices nox-
iously flourished, and were happily
suppressed. All these grew constant
ly more intense, until the supreme
crisis of the Civil War broke uron the
city and the nation. During those
four years Washington was in a pecu-
liar sense the storm centre of the ma
ton, and as a result of those years
the city as completely as the nation
herd administration marked the cul-
mination Of the old system. an ad-
ministration in which evil and good
were strangely commingled With it's
passing away came the organic act
establishing permanent commission
government, an achievement which
marks the ending of the present his
tory.
Obviously the story of Washington
from 1916 to 1878 is replete with
multifarious interest, personal, social,
picturesque, and what not else. With
such phases of the subject Mr.. Bryan
deals with fine discretion and taste,
He makes his book q living chronicle,
clothed with flesh and blood, yet not
an ola podrida of gossip and scan
dal. Withal, he combines the techni-
cal facts of legislation and admins
tration with the kaleidoscope narra-
tive of personal and social dongs so
teftly and so judiciously as to make
the volume equally appreciable as a
compendium e facts for reference
and as entertaining and delightful
general reading.
Indeed, these two volumes form a
really monumental work in American
historical literature. No other Amer
can city has been so adequately and
admirably dealt with, and not many
cities Of any land have enjoyed superi
or historiography Other works will
be written, have been written, on vari-
Gus phases Of Washington life, in his
tory and in fiction. But we shall be
| surprised II Mr.. BryanS superb vol
umes do not stand for many year
as the authentic and supreme record
Of the national capital. We could
wish for his work only two changes
One would be the addition of third
volume. covering the period from 1878
to the present, or to the date when
snch volume is written-and there
is material enough in that period to
make such q volume, rivalling either
of its predecessors in interest and
Importance. The other would be the
issuing of an adequately illustrated
edition of the whole work. To wish
| for these things does not, however.
imply dissatisfaction with the work
as it stands without them. We have
made the acquaintance of many Amer
lean histories, but with none on the
whole more satisfying, with the i'm
nrcssion Of thorough excellence. than
| his