Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-12
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. w.
Cameron Forbes. Houghton Mifiin
/. G.. NJ.

PRESIDENT Roosevelt CalIed cameron
Forbes from his Boston banking house
to fill vacancy in the Philippine COM
mission a body functioning as the leg
islative head of the Philippine Islands
To him were assigned the departments
of commerce and police. From this
office Mr.. Forbes passed to that of vice
governor and then, under President
Taft, to governor general. holding this
Office for four years. Again, in 1921 at
the invitation of President Harding he
went to the Philippines, where in asso-
citation with the late Gen. Wood, he
made n thorough resurvey of condi-
tions existing there. This brief look
Ing backward is designed merely to re-
call the fact that for dozen years,
or thercabout, Cameron Forbes stood
in an officially privileged relation to
this part ot the a0I.iaiii OK the United
States.
"Thc Philippine Islands" is direct
outcome Of this long and important
enterprise. More than this, the study
Is supported and amplified by mass
OF official report and record that came
this authors way by virtue of his au-
thorizcd relationship to the Govern
mcnt at Washington. The study is,
sive. Reliable in it's findings, inclusive
in its scope.
Here are two volumes summing to
more than 1000 pages of clear and
definite information on the subject in
hand. To these is added supplementary
material in the form Of 38 appendices
which, in sum. follow the course of
Filipino affairs up to the present. up to
the late months of 1928. Again, to the
body of the work is appended bibli-
ography, selected for the purpose of
research on this subject. And there
are maps. Let us not forget this prime
essential to any study of geographical
and historic facts. Pictures, too,
abundant. excellent. most useful.
The work opens with a general sur
vey of the Philippine Islands-their
placement and climate and natural
resources. Moving easily from this
basic point to the early history of the
islands, especially to the dominion of
Spain in this quarter, it reaches the
prime point of the whole consideration,
that of the United States in the Philip
pine Islands. The real beginning is
consequently the American occupation,
one of the immediate results of the
Spanish-American War In energetic
progression the story passes from this
point into the business Of restoring
order, of effecting stability in both
measures and mood. of steadying the
peace took the place of the confusion
and unrest of war; Public works served
| to give not only better mode of life
but produced employment for laborers
| as we'll. Measures for the common
| health and well-being were inaugurated
courts of justice established, education
| was begun-in a word, the whole foun-
| dalton of modern civilization was set
| steadily as the base of that American
occupation of these islands of the
! Orient. There Is here, too, the story
| of the malcontent and the agitator, OF
| those restless. impatient ones who, in
! every age and every place, find them
| selves unable to wait for the slow
| processes of growth in governments. but
| who, on the contrary, force untimely
movements to the menace of the whole
| Just the same here as it has always
| been everywhere. So here is the story
of agitation, revolt, attempted rebellion
| with the logical sequences of these.
The tribal peoples are made the sub
ject of this authors interested and thor
ough study. Certain of these. more
| advanced and dominating and influen-
| tial than the others, are wildly out
| standing here in their traits and modes
OF life, in the situations contributing
| to their leadership, in the qualities that
made them of special concern to the
| American authorities both in the
| islands and at the central Government
! as WELL To the movement for indie
pendence among the islanders the
| author gives very careful and well
| pondered attention and opinion. In
| approaching this theme Mr.. Forbes
| dwells upon the spirit of America
| toward the Filipinos in their quite
| natural aspirations for self-rule. He
commends that spirit, upon the whole
| in its intelligent seizure of the basic
| conditions-race, climate. tradition. re-
| ligion--which must be made the foun-
| dation OF all measures on the part oil
| our Government in their relation to
| this problem so new to the United
| StateS-the problem that is named
| sometimes that of Imperialism. II you
will read the last chapter of this book
| I'm sure that from its broad outlook
| its deep understanding, its wide SYM
/ pathy, its clear historic sense, you viii
see at once the difference between the
purposes of this country in the East
| and those that have in earlier times leo
armies and conquerors into alien LANDS
Here is a splendid work. big in spirit
| as it is in body. An informed study
| through whose facts, so full III SUBJ
stance, so clear in arrangement, there
shines invariably an attitude of reason
! of understanding, of wise and friendly
craftsmanship toward this aspiring and
growing country of the Finpinos. And
Interestingly A report, to be sure, serl-
Gus and even momentous. Yet IL reaos
| with the flash of adventure, with the
tang of our vital and amazing present
! through and through it.
y X X X
THE SANCTITY OF LAW. John w
Burgess, Phi. D., LII. D. Harper q
Bros.
"In what does it consist?'-this sane
tity of law--the author asks. The boof;
itself is answer to the question. WhaC
is there inherent in a law, an as
semblage of words merely, to produce
in the mind of man the reverence for
it. the recognition of its inviolablllty,
that are SO generally conceded to these
bodies of legal advisement and admonl-
ton? An elusive subject, since it deals
in essence with an attitude, with feel
ings, on the part of both individuals
and collective bodies toward an abstrac-
ton that lies. in the main, outside then
daily preoccupations. The author, pro-
fessor Of political science, goes back IN
this pursuit to Roman times, coming on
from that point up into the present,
or thereabout. on quest for the birth
and growth of that general respect for
law that has. during these centuries,
dominated the great masses of popula-
ton distributed as nations and peoples.
That it is an imposed authority leads
to study of the source and quality Of
such authority from age to age along
the period under inspection. 1t leads
also to the recognition of an instinct
in man toward guidance and direction.
hid Ypf fha cayntitxy Of tina law tal.kX its