Evening star., 1924-06-29

MODERN DEMOCRACIEs. By James
Commonwealth" etc. New York:
The Macmillan Company.
UnEMoCRACY really means moth
ing more nor less than the rule
OF the whole people expressing their
sovereign will by their votes" This
Is the foundation upon which Wis
count Bryce bases Modern Democ-
racies." The study itself consists of
a measurement of democracies, both
modern and more remote, by this
standard of government. The method
of this study is in large part a per-
sonaI and objective study, the author
himself Investigating by immediate
encounter the degree of democracy
existent and operative in the conspic-
general preliminary consideration
democracy with it's theoretical foun-
dations. He defines liberty and
equality, in essence and in practice.
He projects the true democracy in its
education, religion, and the freedom
of the press. Upon this groundwork
democracies. in origin and growth
and ultimate achievement. Among
these are the old republics of Athens
and certain ones of Spanish America
A consideration of later free gov
ernment includes France, Switzer-
land, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
the United States. To Americans the
studies of the western hemisphere
are of special point and interest.
All Of them, however. are necessary
to complete the picture of free
peoples, to establish facts of prog
ress, to point upon lines of develop
ment. to indicate drifts of menace
and Impairment, to set STANDARDS
for future attainment. Modern
Democracies' is important for the
same reasons that make The Ameri-
can Commonwealth" important. Its
theme is, today, of supreme political
1t embodies exact knowl-
edge of wide scope, gathered at hrst
hand. The broad relations OF the
subject are cleverly drawn and set
facts are sound, pertinent, illuminat-
ing. To this substantial basis the
author is able to add the art OF
writing in a manner that not ohiy
drives the subject to its destinatlon'
but in a manner also that holds the
lure of the story. Indeed, there Is hluch
of the story in this carefully con-
sidered discussion of free govern
mentS.
PROPHET OF UNITY.
BY Hermann Hagedorn. New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
"Strive for unity. We must be
united. If we are not united we shall
slip into the gulf Of measureless dls-
aster" Theodore Roosevelt talking
And this book. drawn off from Mr.:
more general StuoleS OF
the life of Roosevelt, Is given IN eV.
dence that the fundamental service OF
the great American was that or pro,
noting unity of political outlook and
policy on the part OF the American
people. Holding national unity as
the foundation of democratic, gov
to himself and to his countrymen was
to fight for such unity. From TINS
standpoint, this central and vital
standpoint, Mr. Hogedorn studies the
character and service of Roosevelt.
A battling personality, whose many,
sided gifts and achieyemen,s; Ieaa
more than once to an obscuration OF
the basic principle Of his political
career; indeed, sometimes to a con-
tradiction of this. Out from the
brilliant overtones and the spectacu-
lar surface currents this author leads
sources of Theodore Roosevelts
Of his craftsmanship. Orderly and
logical and convincing is NJ. mage
dorn's work. And it is more than
that. This author is rich in the lore
out being that most futile of ex-
positors. a blind believer A rich
store of material, logical mind. ex-
pert in orderly statement. a sympa-
.hetic fronting upon his theme,
admiration. a picturesque
~ f,,l ritaY-thaSe the
materials out Of which Mr.. Hage-
dorm has produced little book that
ought to prove, and will prove to be,
4 source of pride and inspiration to
all Americans
THE MISTY VALLEY. BY Joanna
Cannan. New York: George H.
Doran Company.
If a young writer desires to achieve
originality it must be clear to even
the most hopeful of these that this ef-
feet must spring from something
apart from the story theme itself.
Those are all old. The more impor-
.ant and vital they are the older
has been written about
from every possible angle, in every
possible combination. Discouraging
and dampening situation. One Won
1ers at the courage that lets writ
ar start out on the over-worn road.
Yet, here is Joanna Cannan, with just
a little bit of story in her hand-an
Did, old story of youth. and love, and
marriage, and the mistake that the
marriage seemed to be-. And she has
turned the trick of freshness and Zest
and originality. Within two pages
,ou wake up. Within two chapters
you are ready to deny that youth has
charm to youth alone, that love is
stale, that marriage is not worth try
ng. even If it should later go wrong.
And sonehoW following this deWy
trail, you< come to believe
hat this is, after all, the true story.
That all the love is not folly, that all
he marriages are not failures. Rath-
IT these get into print, where the
great majority, on the other hand, do
work out into a larger and finer ex-
,erience than we have hitherto
hought. 1t is just Joanna Canaan
hat is leading us astray with her eff
ect of clear seeing and trustful
with her humor and her
est. with her courage to picture life
IS a pretty good thing after all, its
people clean and decent and wanting
o get things right. Coming out of