Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-01


! CHARLENfAGNE. First of the Mod
ems. Charles Edward Russell. Illus
trated. Houghton, Mif1in Co.
Conference and unity, clarity and
nearness-such the impression and
effect of Charles Edward Russell's study
of the great Charles:
A second of pause, no more than that
serves to give some slight notion of the
magnitude and quality Of work required
to bridge the thousand years and more
lying in between the ninth century and
the twentieth for so firm and vigorous
a passage of Charlemagne over into the
present.
OF material for this enterprise there
is nothing new, nothing of account
Despite the popular neW-fashioned
formula of advertising intent, discovery
of new and important material" attached
Unfortunately to a host of studies
! here is a case where no such claim is
made. Manifest here, however, is a
tremendous searching of the deep stores
Of reliable and pertinent record already
at hand in respect to this great historic
fgure-a maze, indeed-of matter, Its
mere bulk daunting appearance. Yet
Mr.. Russell possesses the vigor OF a
definite purpose, a demanding purpose
So fortified he, in a manner of speak
ing, jumps into the sheer toll of gather
ing this material around him. He eX-
amines 1t, throwing away with the left
hand. holding fast with the right. Each
gesture the result of careful appraisal
Even with so much of elimination there
remains bulk of Charlemagne matter
to be projected. living man. For that
Is the point of this eXacting perform
ance. To create a man, this is the
business in hand. But first there must
be the setting. the place, the time. A
figure suspended, cut loose from his
locale, is inconceivable. And so, out OF
the confusion and ignorance and war
fare of the Charlemagne period, out OF
the still poignant strife between pagan
and Christian with it's stressful Sc
quences of quite barbarous content, Mr.
| Russell sets scene after scene, great
events of political and religious signifi-
| cance-these the stage for the progress
of Charlemagne into medievalism and
out of 1t on toward the present. Ac-
cording to this author, Charlemagne's
| soul goes marching on and, by this
token, he is the INST of the modernS y
First of the moderns." Here is the eli
max of the story, Here also its purpose
! stands clear OF all writers and stu
dents operating at the moment Mr.
Russell is the last of them to be labori-
ouSly engaged in setting out the lives
of kings. The people are his concern
Strenuous activity and vigorous speech
! in behalf of the people are the open
mark of this man. So, why bother with
| the rulers of the earth? Because here
| is the first of the lords of life who, away
back a thousand years ago and more,
| began to realize life from a new stand
point. Began to see that this was not
world of conquest and kingship and
oppression. Dimly perhaps but GER
| tatnly. he began to think of the people,
of lifting their terrible degradation. He
began to think Of trade and education
and laws, of well-being more widely
diffused, of expanding his own borders
not solely for conquest, but for estab-
fishing a wider domain of considered
craftsmanship and sounder political
| practices. Much of this. doubtless, was
I little more than fair vision and good
Intent. Probably were 1t possible for
any of us to step back literally into that
day we should see little that savored of
our own modern latitudinous life. But
the start was made there. So Mr.. Rus
sell says. and TO the t;aaory he gives
definite and concrete substance. The
cause of the people against poteHtates.
of democracy against autocracy ans
tyranny had its appreciable beginnings
away back in the new spirit of leadership
that animated the reign and expanded
so bene1cently the period of Charles the
Great In purpose Charles Edward
Russell has been hunting for the prote-
type Of his own political theory, Of his
own uncomfortable zeal for democracy.
Without question he has made his case.
Political democracy as a kingly dream is
Of long and honorable lineage. In its