Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-09
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
1. C. M.
THIS LAND OF LIBERTY. Ernest
Sutherland Bates. Harper AZ Bros.

THIS LAND OF LIBERTY, Ernest
Sutherland Bates. Harper 81 Bros.
A confusing world. A ragbag Of q
world. Or so it seems to one set
ting out in any direction upon its trail.
Odds and sorts and ends TANNED, hit
or miss, into the huge sack of time.
From it no single line of leading
emerges, no scrap Of guidance, no pat
tern OF the whole for ones daily filling
in to its completion. An inconceivably
multifarious world, confusing In APP
proach, Supplying in contacts. And
each year, under the rush Of progress,
becoming to this grain of sand, mere
man. more and more unreali2able
Oh, not 50 bad rs all this! Yet It
would be even worse had not science
| invented method for the safe delivery
Of its amazing achievements. But it
didn't invent method. And all other
lines Of activity have impressed it to
their own needs and service. Science L.
certainty, order synthesis, co-ordina-
ton, unity in diversity. BY o general
| adoption of this working medium, this
method Of projection, the world is grad
ually coming into view as a somewhat
! Simplif1ed and somewhat understand
| able field of human activity.
Nowadays when one has something
to set out he knows well that loading
! himself down with facts, even with well
assimilated facts, is not enough. There
must follow for its projection the
method of the scientist wherein big
essentials stand clear with minor mat
tiers related to these in the order Of
their weight and logical sequence
Writers are learning this way and are
practicing 1t. Readers and students
are, therefore, becoming intelligently in
formed In respect to the stupendouS
world which this one Of today so indu-
bitably is.
Take the book in hand, "This Land
of Liberty A treatment of ironic
cast, to be sure. But clearly q book Of
good intent and certainly one of fac
tual integrity. In origin this study Is
as much ours as it Is the authors. To-
gether looking out across the field of
current attitudes and behavior, we, to-
gether, discover liberty playing the
wanton with crime, catering to half
baked, .fanatical minorities, imposing
the will of dominant ignorance upon
larger bodies of unmilitant intelligence.
Protection, a component of true lib
erty, is lost through this plain errancy.
From this point the author takes sole
charge Of the matter. What is liberty,
that personal and political liberty of
which this country is SO DANGEROUSLY
proud? What is its charter? What the
story OF its career through the past
century and q half? Where has 1t lost
through the wear and tear of national
existence? Where has 1t gained? These
! questions, or their equivalent, lead back
to the Constitution. Then, the course
is forward historical toll-taking Of the
gains and losses to the spirit and intent
| Of this great charter in its application
to the political and social and industrial
life Of the country. In this courageous
1 a lob hAn i0
minded that twisting the Constitutions
tail" has been from the time of the
fathers up to today favorite indoor
sport. Almost any situation OF moment
results in attempts upon this 1ong-suf-
| ering creature of mans deviSing. Lib
erty, at the dictation Of Comstockian
virtue here, at the daring Of clear law
breakers there, comes out from this
consideration much bedraggled figure.
disclosure Is that there is something to
be done, something that each Of Us
! can contribute toward Q rehabilitation
/ Of the spirit in which this Common
| wealth was conceived. That Is the point
where personal interest fiags. We agree.
| We read and approve. We recognize the
| truth, and then we move over TO some
| thing less exacting. Nevertheless, Ernest
Bates has done his part. He has given
4
| this hberty-proud land. He has stated
| the facts with force and no side-step-
| ping. He is picturesque in his way, but
| never at the expense Of either the facts
| In the case or his purpose in spread
| ing them out in an orderly and inclu-
| sive manner He Is most readable. And,
after I'll, this Is our business We are
not merely reading q clever study by
an able man; we are in possession OF
| M
1 n
AN INDICTMENT OF PROHIBITION
By Joseph S. Auerbach. A. NJ,
LIT. d. New York: Harper q Bros
Controversy, as such, Is . futile
performance. This book. by law.
yer OF standing and integrity, is bent
upon the study from single STANDPOINT
i OF that great document about which Sc
| much is said and so little really known
the Constitution of the United States
That the author reaches definite con-
| clusion upon the point as a result OF
+! his examination does not make for dis
| putation and contradiction. 1t does
| make for clarity. It does invite TO seri-
Gus study. There is, clearly, Q calarni-
tous situation at present confronting
RIGHTLY or wrongly, crime and prohi-
| bition are at present paired together.
| II this be true the point Of attack u,
| indubitably, that Of prohibition. But
| who knows anything, except what ne
| has been told, about the true origin OF
| the eighteenth amendment, OF the ex-
| act course by way of which 1t was Sc
cured, whether or not 1t was definitely
| understood in its nature and workings
! by the whole number of States that
| contributed to its success? Mr.. Auer-
bach has much to say on these various
| aspects of the case. That, even, Is not
| the crucial point OF the matter. The
| important truth Is that in this country
| where laws are the business Of the peo-
pie themselves. the people do not know
| enough to make laws. oh, certainly
| they know enough or would IL they
| thought it important to grub for the
truth of any matter rs it comes along,
| to dig into the essence Of our public
| questions as they appear! It Is Tor
| them, finally, to decide. If we have
rotten laws, that is the personal business
\ Of every voting American. That par
ticular business calls for exact and fun
information. Such information depends
upon reading, study, research, talking
with wisdom and ability and honesty
| wherever it may be found. Instead, the
| majority look upon politics as some sort
of communicable thing whose favorite
| means of transmission Is by endless talk
| OF the purely personal ana not remark
ably enlightened brand. We have simply
| got to know more II we are going to
| keep America anywhere near our boasts
about 1t. Why not study this book upon
q certain specific application Of the
| Constitution? We shall learn something
at any rate from this practical student
| of the law. We may agree. We may
not. But we shall know more than we
| did at the outset. Let's try 1t and
stop talking for q minute.
| 4
IS AMENDMENT EIGHTEEN TREA-
| SON? Joshua Grozier. Denver: The