Evening star., 1923-05-08
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES. James M. Beck.
George H. Doran Company.

-
UNITED STATES. James NJ Beck.
George H. Doran Company.
The study by the solicitor general
is, in both substance and intent. a
special application of President
Harding's general theory of basic in
ternational relations. The phase Of
tooth and claw has practically passed
among individuals, the majority of
whom now settle their differences
without recourse to violence. And
Mr.. Harding takes the ground that
nations also have reached that stage
OF progress where. given the chance,
they. too, will adjust their disagree
ments by reason and compromise
rather than by the sheer unreason of
war and it's inevitable sequence OF
yet more war. The President Is the
apostle of political conference and
di scussion-reasonable, honest, open
discussion between nation and nation
as the solvent Of their misunderstand-
ings and antagonisms. He is thor
oughly committed to the homely and
simple plan of getting together. OF
up the different points of view. OF
exercising the wholesome practice OF
give and take. So ingrained Is this
plan, SO habltually does his instinct
turn him toward 1t. and SO notably
spect that. when a final estimate OF
his work is made. this enlightened
and noble policy will stand as sig
nal achievement in political insight
and international progress.
Hundreds of Intelligent and public.
spirited Americans. each. according
to his own talents. and training, and
experience. and opportunity. are sup
porting the President in this cam
paign Of modern political education
For that is what 1t is.
X r X
The book in hand by solicitor gen
eral James NJ. Beck is a notable ex-
ample in this program of general
political education. Paris peace con.
ference, to indicate only the most con-
spicious recent case in point, demon.
strated in striking and unfortunate
manner, that Europeans generally
failed to grasp the nature of this gov
ernment in the distribution Of its
powers. When Mr.. Wilson. then exec.
utive head of the government pro-
moted and accepted the league of ma.
tions, that act translated itself to
the European mind not only as ar
expression of the will of the Amer.
lean people but also a formal and
conclusive acceptance of the league
Thi misapprehension rose from ignor-
ance of the technic of our govern.
rnent, from ignorance of the fact that
a branch of the government; co-ordl'
nate with that of the executive. must
by constitutional authority, concur
with the latter in order to consum
mate the international agreement
One does not need to recall the Ions
controversy at home over this. MOI
the bewilderment abroad with Its ire.
ouent charge of bad faith on oui
part. course of eduction is clear
versity of London urged upon ouI
solicitor it's wish to have hin
come across to lecture TO its unoer
graduates on the Constitution OF tnt
lands understanding of us through
better knowledge of the spirit ane
form of our government. These Zee
view: THE Genesis of the Constitu
ton The Formulation of the Con
stitution." THE Political Philosopn.
of the Constitution" with a slngi,'
aea,nst Authority" these lectures
form the substance of the book III
hand.
Reading here, one by choice trans
fers himself easily to the time ano
circumstances of the lectures them
sa,ves There in the ancient hall oi
Ciray's Inn. surrounded not only ps
the body OF undergraduates. but p9
barristers, jurists and statesmen al
we'll one finds himself possessed u
/ a very real proprietary pride in thi:
American who. though backed BY
wide knowledge and distinguished
exnerieuce. talks in clear simpliclt.
and in an indescribably human
| warmth on the Constitution OF tn
United States The first lecture IS {
dramatic triumph as we'll as a schoi
arly exposition of the genesis or TN
Constitution. One must keep IN Ihi't
that these are Englishmen listenlnt
to the story of a political adventur'
! in which their own blood, triun
j phant. divided their own Kingdom II !
! historic fidelity. the lecturer hoid
! fast TO the facts of colonial life. III
calls I'D innumerable events 10 snow
| the natural growth OF the loea o
self-government. The remote llie Wa
so conditioned. physicaiis, as 10 III
nose no small degree of local controi
This developed capacity. The capac
itv enlarged by circumstance, re
| yived the English Instinct for iesall:
constituted authority as set oi
against the absoluttsm of pure mon
archy. This instinct must have peel
alive before King John, else 1T coui'
not have eventuated at Runnymed
| in the Great Charter. These coio
nists possessed ii, and along with
the English political tradition am
the English veneration for the com
mon law. When they salleo .aS,e 49,
a new world this stream OF lnnuenc
was not shut off. They took II VIII
them. And out of it, in the new en-
| yfronment. there came the Amerlcal
commonwealth, based on conStltu
ltional law, for which all Engisnne'
! must feel a participating prlue lma
| their own blood projected ana sus
tained this new political vision. :
spiendidly illuminating lecture-on.
calculated. too, to tighten the alreao.
secure bond between these TWO Nd
| tions of single speech
| The second lecture describes tn
great convention where for month
. handful Of men-mostly young mel
i-wrestled with the complex fact
and the, almost unsolvable problem
| merging the colonies into an organ
| ized commonwealth. Patience, WIS
dom, sagacity and self-restraint' al
almost beyond belief, went into thi
| great secret meeting. about whicn 8
| little is known or can be known. IN
| triumphant fact is. however, tina
| out OF IL came the immortal charte
of our republican government. I'M
fresh exposition of that great con
yention renews ones faith IN tn
\ genius and self-forgetting or the me-
| who produced the instrument upol
| which our commonwealth Is based.
X X
And in the third lecture the soiiclto