Evening star., 1933-03-25
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH C. BOWERMAN,
HENRY ADAMS. BY James Truslow
Adams. New York: Albert & Charles

No biographer Of Henry Adams can
give the revelation Of unique character
which he himself gives in his Letters"
and THE Education Of Henry Adams. "
Indeed, these must of necessity be fun
damental material for any biography.
James Truslow Adams, member Of q
different branch Of the Adamses from
Henry Adams, and author Of The
Adams Family" has written an inter-
esting short biography Of the man
who, to the end Of distinguished ca
reer, considered his life failure. Henry
Adams had an amazing intellect, OF
such an analytical and critical type
that he was unable to indulge in SNUG
satisfaction with himself or the world.
Yet the facts of his heritage and Of his
own later achievement were such as
to have given satisfaction to a less
subtle and introspective person. HIS
comment, when he was past go, about
his heredity and environment was:
Probably no child, born in the year,
held better cards than he," and James
Truslow Adams elaborate: "There was
scarcely . card below q ten spot, and
almost all the picture cards were an
cestral portraits" He was the son Of
Charles Francis Adams, United States
Minister to England during the Civil
War, the grandson Of John Quincy
Adams, and the great-grandson Of John
Adams, 9th and I'd Presidents OF the
United States. At % he was private
secretary to his father, then q member
OF Congress. and shortly after accom-
panied him to England as secretary.
The experiences there were unusual for
young man and, in spite Of his de-
probation OF them as contributing
nothing to his education, they obviously
contributed much.
James Truslow Adams finds the key
to much in Henry Adams attitude to-
ward life in the dream OF power
which remained with him until he
knew that he was too old for its real
ization. The tradition Of his family
was one Of high office and power, and
when, at the close of the Civil War,
Henry Adams looked about for career
"one feels that the crux Of the diffi-
Guilty was to find any career that would
lead In a dignifed way to anything
sufficiently big for fourth-generation
Adams" That he was forced, by the
lack Of appointive office, to turn to
literature, does not seem to us. from
our point of vantage, unfortunate. His
was an essentially reflective tempera-
ment, and that the author of The
Education of Henry Adams" one of the
greatest of biographies, and Mont
Saint Michel and Chartres." that pro-
found and unique combination Of
philosophy and esthetics, could have
attained greater distinction in politics
Is unthinkable. James Truslow Adams
finds evidence that his ambition in
early life was somewhat snobbish, for
he said of his writing that IF he worked
at all, 1t was for social consideration,
and social pleasure was his pay" He
changed. however, as he grew older,
and undoubtedly. as lesser men have
done. came to smile ironically at youth
full petty vanities and insistences. When
he declined to publish the "Educa-
ton" and "Mont-Saint-Miche and
Chartres" In the early l900's he had
become the aloof philosopher. Indifferent
to social distinction, which pursued him
as he fed from it. James Truslow
Adams speaks OF the marriage Of Henry
Adams, which he himself never men
toned after the tragic death of his
wife in 1885, as "singularlv happy
and "of perfect companionship." He
gives st. Gaudens' own Interpretation
Of the Adams Memorial to Mrs. Adams
in Rock Greek Cemetery as the "Mys-
terry of the Hereafter"
X 4 X
SCIENCE IN THE CHAN GING
WORLD. Edited b. Mary Adams.
New York: The Century Co.
The contributors to this symposium
are Thomas Holland, H. Levy, Julian
Huxley, John R. Baker, Bertrand Rus
SELL Aldous Huxley, Hugh IA. Fausset.
Hilaire Belloc, j. B. S. Haldane and
Oliver Lodge Their essays fall into
three groups: What is science? What
is man? and What is civilization?
Science is not abstract, fixed, unchang-
ing. Its theories undergo modification
not perhaps to At changing facts SO
much as to fit growing knowledge OF
those facts. To the unscientific public
those changes in theory seem more
radical than they really are. Recent
discoveries in physics have brought
about some extensions in theory, but
the facts which it is the primary busi-
ness of science to unearth remain the
permanent heritage of the human
race" So the title Of this book is ac-
counted for, as no one will dispute that
the world is changing. The book Is
based on a series Of broadcast talks.
q
Changing Worold," in which IAN at
tempt was made to reflect the crisis
through which the world is passing and
to make an analysis of those forces OF
transformation in science, art, econom-
les and social life which have been in
operation since the beginning of the
century" The style is lucid and the
material is not technical. An illumi-
mating glimpse is given of the scientific
basis of our Western civilization, the
tremendously rapid growth of scientific
knowledge and its application to all
fields of human activity and interest.
PROGRESSIVE SOCIAL ACTION. BY
Edward T. Devine. New York: The
Macmillan Co.
DR.. Devine is a sociologist of long
standing and has written many books
on charities and their public and pri-
vate relief He was for 20 years asso-
ciated with the Charity Organization
Society and for is with Columbia
University and has participated in
emergency relief work in the San Fran
cisco earthquake and in Russia. Italy
and France during the World War. In
Progressive Social Action" he broadly
outlines a program, economic, interna-
tional, religious, for world betterment
He calls his book Ambitious" but does
not claim that it presents any panacea
He says, THE point of view of social
work is not that of pessimism-that
things are bound to turn out badly
whatever you do; nor that of optimism
that things will turn out well, whatever
you do. It is rather melioristic, in the
sense in which william James used that
word : expressing the faith that
things may turn out well provided the
right things are DONE" George Eliot
also used the word
DR.. Devine hopes for a return OF
religious influence in this modern
world. He says: In view of the rift
between organized religion and some
spokesmen for progressive social move
ments throughout the world, it may
seem fantastic to suggest that the
leadership which the nations collec-
lively and severally need in the present
crisis may come from the churches
rather than from statesmen, scientists,
IL