Evening star., 1927-10-15
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BoOkLoUer..

Remarkably happy, full. rich and
successful as was the life of James
Bryce, Fl. A. L. Fisher in his recent
biography of the author of THE
American Commonwealth" points out
that he never succeeded in rising IL
the highest eminence as member OF
the House of Commons. He entered
Parliament at AZ years Of age and was
continually a member for nearly 2f
years-that is, until he came to the
United States as British Ambassador
in 1907. He was always esteemed as
n valuable member and held office in
three Liberal cabinets. His speeches
were "ably constructed, well argued,
couched in good perspicuous Engllsh
and always full to OVerfi0Wlng with
accurate information. He never rose
without saying something Whlch was
a distinctive contribution 10 tne ue-
bate. He was never fumblinS or un'
certain. - Nevertheless he was not
a parliamentary success. He was con-
sidered to be too academic and pro-
fessorial" Bryce, who was above
ALI things. an historian. desired to tel
the truth. the whole truth and noth'
i: :. but the truth" Joseph Chamber,
lain. knowing how little the House OF
Cor1mons thinks of academic intel
,ects. was always careful to allude 10
him as "Professor.' Bryce'S de1ects
seem to have been "a certain lack Oh
villa bility. an insistent voice, temper
ament somewhat deficient in the GOOD.
humored composure which is one OF
the most valuable of parliamentary
gifts, a turn of phrase incislve rather
than humorous. preValilnsly SERIOUS
outlook, coupled with excessive
indulgence in historical disquisitions
and analogies." In England pubic men
are usually estimated by their parila'
n,entarv eouipment and success. He
was not a first,class parliamentary
figure and so did not exert either In
the House or in the country the IN
fiuence that belongs to man whose
word is decisive in shaping puoilc
opinion. AS a consequence, MS plog
raDher states, the estimate Whicn
was formed of him was surprisingly
below his real deserts" Bryce strong
lv criticized the government for It's
South African policy during the Boer
War, and throughout his parllanleh,
tary career championed the cause ol
the Armenians against the TURKS: IN
his final estimate of Bryce, Mr. isn'
or saws that had he spent himself less
nrobably have made a greater impress
sion upon his parliamentary contem
poraries."
On his return from America, Bryce
entered the House of LORDS, haVlhS
haon created in 1914 Viscount Bryce
of Dechmont. His. biosrapner states
that for the title he cared nothing,
he 1ne
House of Lords, since it gave him an
onnortunity of expressing his m no
on public affairs and kept him In the
arena of politics. This phase OF ma
ma parliamentary career seems to have
been distinctly more successful. Inls
was perhaps in part due to the more
TRANQUIL atmosphere Of the House OF
Lords. where the keennesS or party
difference is muffled by long tradi'
ton Of stately courtesy" Al any
rate. Bryce there attained to posi-
ton as a speaker which had never
belonged to him" in the House OF
Commons. But his success there Is
perhaps even more due to the expert
ence he had gained as public speak
er in the United States. 1t appears
that the feeling of constraint ana
difficulty which often overcame MIN
when addressing the critical bencnes
at Westminster fell away when ne
found himself face to face with the
more responsive audiences OF the
New World. To them he spoke more
freely, more eloquently and with
new sense of animation. AS re-
suit of this experience, in his later
life the defects Of his early parma
mentary style in the House or COM
mons disappeared and he became one
Of the best and most graceful or pup
lie speakers in England. Much prac
tice had given him not only ease and
fiuency but a remarkable command
OF striking and appropriate vocab-
ularv. The sense of strain which
marred his earlier efforts passed away.
He spoke as if speaking were as pleas
ant and natural function as breath
ing itself and established without
difficulty and from the first that
pleasant bond of spiritual sympathy
which unites the true orator with MS
audience"
M. Andre Tardieu. French states
man, former professor at Harvard and
French high commissioner to the
United States during the World War,
has analyzed the causes of dissatis-
faction between France and the United
States in recent book. France and
America" He sees faults on both
sides. The obligation imposed on the
United States by Lafayette'S part in
the American Revolution has been ex-
aggerated, he says, as Lafayette was
merely an incident in that struggle
for liberty. No unusual friendship
has ever existed between France and
the United States, which has for years
been fayorably inclined toward Teu-
tOnism He repudiates the necessity
for gratitude from France toward the
United States because of her part IN
the World War, as the United States
fought for her own interest, not for
France, and found the war an asset" !"
not a catastrophe. He plainly says
that selfishness was the motive for
the entry of the UnitSd States into
the war, as American trade was in
volved with allied credits, SO that the
support of, the allies was necessary.
The war loans of France should have
been, and should now be, though late,
considered as gifts. Some of the
charges made against France by
American soldiers. with regard TO es-
orbitant prices charged them for
everything, are taken up by M. Tar
dieu and either denied, explained or
partially admitted. The hope is ex-
pressed that in some way more
friendly attitude of the two nations
toward each other may be brought
about.
An interesting, if not new, view of
the character of Napoleon III is given
in THE Second Empire and It's Down
fall; the Correspondence of the Em-
peror Napoleon III and His Cousin
Prince Napoleon" edited by Ernest
d'Hauterive and translated from the
French by Herbert Wilson. Gaps in
the correspondence are filled by brief
paragraphs by the editor. narrating
connecting events. The letters show
Napoleon III not to have been the
tricky weakling that many of his CO.
tamporaries, and especially Bismarck,