Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-06
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the Booklorsr

without being able TO define the word
Everett Dean Martin has written a book
on Liberty" But in his inability to
d. me he has the championship Of a
large and distinguished company Such
words as liberty" truth" morality"
and many others are like the vitamins
which have never been isolated or the
viruSeS which are filterable, but show
no germs under the microscope. 1t Is
possible TO know considerable about
them without knowing the things them
selves Mr.. Martin says In his preface:
The word Liberty which have with
some reluctance chosen to stand as the
title OF this book. means so many things
that it often means almost nothing. 1
have attempted no abstract discussion
or definition. but have endeavored to
show what those who have most
thoughtfully considered the subject
throughout the ages have meant by
liberty. l have also discussed the sub
ject in the light of the general phi
losophy OF life and of the psychological
and historical facts which form the
background of such discussion"
4 y
MIR. Martin discusses the ideal of
liberty held by the ancient AthenianS,
that of the early Christian era, that of
the Renaissance. that of Rousseau. Of
Voltaire. of Milton. The ancient Athe-
mans thought OF liberty as a cultural
achievement. Such liberty is part OF
a high civilization and cannot exist
apart from law, reason and Self-dis-
cipline." Liberty OF this sort could
hardly be interpreted in such a way as
to be danger to the state or to other
individuals. 1t operates under the con-
troll OF the virtues, wisdom, courage, tenn
7ha sfu .kAI kx,
Rousseau, whose theories we're adopted
by both the thinkers and the mob of
the French Revolution, was that of a
return to nature. Since human be-
havior must. unless II is to end in chaos
and destruction. conform to the laws OF
nature. why not recognize nature as
the criterion of the right? Let human
law be the expression OF natural law.
To understand and obey the laws of
nature is the highest wisdom. 1t Is
also the only way TO be free" Mr.. Mar
tin analyses the philosophy of Rousseau
at some length and apparently does not
md 1t OF high ethical quality or likely
10 stimulate to positive endeaVor He
says: Viewed as a whole, RousSeau'S
teaching is kind of intellectual and
moral relaxation blurring of diStinc-
tons OF worth, letting down of bar
riers. 1t is as emotional release that
Rousseau gives one the illusion of free
dom. This philosophy is of the heart
not of the head. There is a quality in
1t which is soft and warm and expan-
SlVe. feel like convalescent when
read Rousseau" Mr.. Martin does not
mention as evidence of hypocrisy the
TACT that Rousseau, author of an ideal
system of education for the young in
his Emile" abandoned his own iilegit-
innate children to founding asylum.
but he evidently has a poor opinion of
RouSseau'S sincerity. He was always
the defender of his faith, ever preach
ing and moralizing denouncing the sin
OF the world, rebuking those who dis
agreed with him. His was the proto-
type OF that illiberal and intolerantly
proselytizing spirit so often found
among radicals
Mr.. Martin believes that liberty at
the present time Is endangered by too
much legislation and by the spread
OF intolerance. He deplores the fact
that the propaganda Of small, noisy
group Is able so often to secure legis-
latlon which takes away the liberties
OF all. And the professional reformer
Is usually, In his opinion, not the most
intelligent and best educated man OF
his social group. For little minded
men are opiniOnated. The ignorant man
always believes he is right; the edu-
Gated man seldom. Hence intolerance
is the device by which the ignorant,
the unadJusted. the mentally immature
strive 70 lord it over the community
always, OF course, In the interest not of
their own power, but of Eternal Right
The less man has in him the more
Incorporate he becomes in the vindi-
cation OF the right. Intolerance leads
TO the dominance OF the less civilized
elements of the population For toll
erance is a civilized attitude. toward life.
and only the magnanimous man attains
It, The propaganda which has become
such an organized part of modern life
is, according TO Mr.. Martin, destructive
OF intelligence. He might have added
that 1t Is likely to drive intelligent peo-
pie altogether mad. He says: 1T would
seem that the technique OF propaganda
is now perfected so that an invisible
government may be placed at the dis
posal OF any minority which Is finan-
cially able 10 employ it, One never
knows now when one Is being used by
unknown persons for ends that remain
undisclosed. We are told that very often
when we think we are acting most
freely our choices are, in fact deter
mined by skillful men operating behind
the scenes
The diary OF Mary Gladstone daugh-
ter Of England's prime minister, was
kept for her own pleasure, not to serve
as a political document. 1t has recently
been published-"Mary Gladstone mrs
Drew: her Diaries and Letters"--ed-
tied by Lucy Masterman. The editor is
a cousin of Mary Gladstone. The home
life of the Gladstone family. and their
cousins, the Lytteltons-so entirely
omitted from Morleyis monumental BIZ
ography-iS the staple of these diaries
and letters. The entries begin with
1858 and end with 1924. Mary Glad
stone was often called Gladstone's IA
vorite child. She was married TO a
clergyman. Harry Drew. Her devotion
TO her father was always fiery, and she
delighted in the fact that he could
muster larger crowd when he spoke
than the Queen herself on her public
appearances. Once in railway train
two ladies spoke horribly" of Glad;
stone, OF course ignorant of the identity
of their fellow traveller. On leaving the
train she left with them note: III
you knew the man you just now called
a monster. you would pray tonight to
be forgiven. His daughter" The note
shows the undertone OF piety which was
that OF her fathers life. This appears
again In her comment on TennySon:
Il am disappointed in his religion. It
Is purely founded on the chaos and
failures OF goddess world. and there
is a want Of reverence which Is q
shock" She objected because Tennyson
kissed her and because Browning
brushed her face with his beard. Mrs
Drew lived TO see James Ramsay Mac
Donald occupy the Offices in Downing
Street so long the political sanctum of
her father.
y
"I'he Love Letters of Ernst Haeckel"
arranged by Johannes Werner and trans