Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06


BY James Harvey Robinson, au-
thor of 1.-THE Mind in the Making"
etc. Illustrated. New York: Har-
per & Bros.
~ FADING the titles of these
- chapters and noting their Sc
quences, one would call this
Il book a broad survey or outline
of civilization from the break
up of the Roman Empire to the World
War. And that's what it would have
been il the author in making it had
taken his position where the great
majority of historians the world over
have taken theirs as matter of course.
This he did not do. Instead of run
ming along beside events in the role
of chronicler. Mr.. Robinson took his
stand in the present for the purposes
of this study. In the midst of today
he looked about upon the multitude
nous aspects of the present-upon
government, industry. politics, educa-
ton, society religion; upon the sum
of the essentials of current existence.
How did we get this way" is the
form of the vernacular In which he
projected the supreme question in the
life of every nation, in the life of the
individual az we'll. This standpoint,
this terse question, marks the essen
tial departure of this study from the
conventional routine of the historian.
But it is this question that marks as
well the difference between history as
a potent force in the understanding of
the present as a vitalizing element in
the shaping of the future and the
deadwood of a history that stops with
record and chronicle, no matter. how
full nor how exact these may be.
fyh ~ a
what in the past has contributed so
nightly to this amazing present of
many-sided interest and opportunity?
The answer is close by, and it is this
nearby contributing age that he uses
to give reasonable and satisfying an
swer to the crucial query. Some of
the, manifestations of the present--in-
deed, many of them-go farther back
for their answers. So back to an
other stage or phase of civilization
does the author lead us for the condi-
tions that produced these more re,
motely sourced aspects of the common
life of the present. Such, generally
speaking, is the plan of this strikingiy
pointed study of the civilization in
whose midst we are working and
whose advance it is quite within our
power to assist. Now, this rational
plan of study. this panorama that in
cludes our own day with the causes
that directly produced it. and that
contains also the seeds Of q future
day, has a still deeper purpose than
that of accounting for our present
This deeper purpose looks forward to
the attainment of an intellectual and
moral majority. When we have seen
truly the ways along which we have
come, az we do see them here, our
next task is to discard the out-moded
archaic ! things-hatreds, unfounded
scrupies, superstitions. remnants OF
old and futile practices, subsection to
as. through such studies as this one
and through the reflections and rea-
sonings that such studies bring, we
finally reach the stature of becoming
Historical minded" A remarkable
departure from the common view
point of historic study. an equally re-
nnarkable development and outcome
that promise q revolution in history
making, that ought to bring about
revolution in grasping the content and
substance and spirit of civilization
itself.
AMERICAN SoUNDINGS. BY j. st.
I.oe lStrachey, editor of the Spec
tator. New York; d. Appleton &
Co.
UXXIIAT a modest man. How
friendly and how wise a man
this isln Such Is the sum of feeling
that goes out toward Mr.. Strachey
upon reading american Soundings."
We've grown rather used to Zip
pant Swimming off the top of things
American at the hands of European
trippers to this side. Used to snap
shot judgments, usually of the adj
verse brand. as these blythe visitants
fit from place to place in the United
States with lectures to sell, with other
wares called merchandisable by them.
so 1t comes as kind of blessing to
have this ripe and seasoned observer
talk to us and about us in the under
standing spirit of the old blood bond.
Not longer tarrying in America
supports the views given here than
projects the freer outlook of so many
of the others in like situation. The
great difference between Mr.. Strachey
and these liz that he had more to
bring to this country than they had,
so, naturally, he had more to take
away In the line of fair judgment and
truly friendly association. More of
general experience belongs to him,
more of Snecial training more of the