Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-21
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. C.. NJ.

| l. C.. NJ.
LIBERALISM IN MEXICO. Wilfrid
Hardy Callcott. Stanford University
| Press.
War. Conquest A new despotism set
up over which rules. according to period
| and place, tyrant, autocrat, emperor or
| king.
Underneath, the mass of the people,
| oppressed and discomfort. Inarticulate,
inchoate, futile. Jostling one another
for breathing space, reaching toward a
little Of personal freedom. Gradually
| gaining q faint sense OF mass power.
! And in the slow course Of time, re-
bellion and revolution. In this event,
whether the action from below result in
seeming complete failure or IN some
slight modicum Of compromise and con-
ceSsion from above. it counts. never
! theless, as a forward step in the long
and vicissitous advance of the body Of
the people toward that political liberal
ism which, today, Is the stamp Of pro-
! gresSive governments. Such the road
through history, both ancient and mod
| ern, toward the high goal Of q world
| wide democracy.
This march toward free governments
has not been solid and orderly move
| ment. Ragged, erratic, instead. For
| centuries held static or in an equiv
alent suspension. Then the wild drive
| forward, more often than otherwise the
short shrift of defeat and bitter re-
prisal. Climate, race, historic back
grounds, have been potent factors in the
issue. Here promoting the cause of free
dom, there delaying or defeating 1t. To-
day, even, the issue is not wholly tri-
umphant one. More than one nation
is at this moment struggling to escape
from old political tyrannies. Russia is
working ITS way out in the most spec
tacular experiment of all time. China.
points in South America, in Central
America. In MeXico-even the Philip
pines under our own benevolent rule"
are still fighting for wider ATTITUDES
among the people. For political eco
nomic, social expansions and distribu-
tons of responsibility and power Each
! OF these represents, ccncretely, some
stage OF the transit from political servi-
tude to political independence. Each
embodies some aspect of the historic
spirit OF the long struggle toward pcpu-
lar government.
X
A competent. current study of GER
tain nations still struggling toward a
higher degree of political liberalism is
to students. OF deep interest as well
to general intelligence turned upon
matters Of clear consequence Such
study marks the stage on the long
, road at which the nation under con-
sideratlon has arrived It measures
TO some extent the cooperative effect
OF that country upon the general po-
lit!cal progress. 1t forecasts. within
reasonable limits. its ultimate service
tn no -
And here, at hand, is a study of
just such promising substance. A study
I Of the growth of liberalism in Mexico
It's author, professor of history in the
University of South Carolina, projects
60 years of Mexican political record
1857 10 l929-for the sake of tracing
the growth OF that country toward
such democratic ideals as were stirring
modern governments elsewhere. The
/ sole purpose of the study, to make
available to students and general read
ers an authentic chronicle subStanti-
ated at every point. of this progression
| and its Offsets in the changing political
vision Of Mexican leaders. The author
makes specific claim against dehnitive
! conclusions in Situa ton that has SO
far in great measure been a subject
of trial, inconclusion. kind of Stagger
program toward a goal that was clearer
to the eye of wisdom than it proved
to be negotiable for the stumbling feet
of mixed races for the impatient
ardcrs Of the excitable temperament
The constitution of 1857 sets the
story on its way. Then follows war
and thereafter comes Intervention, or
interference, from outside nations and
inside leaders in a succession Of
changes rising to the long dictatorship
of Diaz-upon the whole benevolent
period Of progress If not one of clear
and demonstrable liberalism" Racial
obstacles in Mexico. Indians at the
| bottom. Spaniard. French and other
alien leftovers Of earlier days of ad
venture and exploitation. these. pro-
duced melange Of political theory. Of
temperamental unwisdom in leadership,
of ready revolutionary eXpedient that,
upon the whole, served to obscure at
times, to delay at many point, the
march of this nati3n toward its own
true political fulflllment. Madero.
Huerta. CarranZa. Obregon, Gales. with
another new constitution" following
upon the heels Of Carranza-such the
sum of this admirably Illuminating
body of research into the political his
tory of Mexico from the middle Of
the last century on up to the present.
A sketch of church influence in po-
litical matters and glimpse into the
future bring to an end an outstanding
piece CT historical research.
The following study Of liberalism in
Mexico since 1857" says Prof. Callcott,
lis simply an. attempt to trace its course
in such fashion that later workers may
be able to complete the picture" Mod
est in statement, this author has. how
ever. produced book of such interest
as to enlist the enthusiastic attention Of
of any reader whose mind turns to-
ward this single phase Of the long. long
road a-winding for the advance of po-
litical history out of individual despot-
ism into a fair measure of democratic
control of peoples by themselves, by
their own intelligent partaking in self
rule.
THE RED FOG LIFTS. BY Albert
Muldavin. New York: D. Appleton
IL Co.
Face to face. radical Red Russia
may turn out to be not so red and not
so radical. MIR. Muldavin himself, talking
as he takes leave of Russia after weeks of
going about in search Of the truth
about Russia" Such the parting in
junction OF friends at home to this man
OF Wall Street-man of many missions,
of demonstrated Sagacity toward eco
nomic outlookS, Of expert practice In
business ways and industrial situations.
In no time at all Mr.. Muldavin threw
that imposed mission out of the window,
taking up instead the much more prom
Using task of telling the truth about
myself in Russia"
Then follows one of the most engag-
ing adventures by an outsider in Soviet
Russia. Engaging because it IS simple
and straight. The day spreads, every
day spreads, in an account Of what this
man does. Of what he actually does,
without question. Business meetings, to
be sure, but these without pretenSe or
pomposity. without ceremony or other
sacroecant implication. Speaking Rus