Evening star., 1934-03-18


N n dogma are admirers of the gram
~ ~ deur of the concept of author
\ ity which the Roman Catholic
n Church represents and the genius
for organization embodied in
both its theological and temporal structure.
Mr.. Seldes, journalist, probably agnostic, GER
tanly not complacent toward authority, since
he has been expelled from Russia by Lenin,
from Italy by Mussolini, from Flume by dAnun-
zio, from Rumania by Bratianu, in add-
tion to incurring considerable unpopularity
with the French and the Arabs. was impressed
during long period of residence in Rome
with the dignity and stability of the Roman
Catholic Church. The great mass of buildings
of the Basilica of ST. Peters and the Vatican
Palace came to symbolic for him the his
torical force of the church throughout the
medieval and modern world. a force which he
finds still powerful today. For the historical
facts of his book Mr.. Seldes acknowledges in
debtedneSs to the French historians. Georges
London and Charles Pichon, authors of lie
Vatican ct lie Monde Moderne.' For much OF
the description of Vatican usage and for the
account of relations With the outside world of
the State of Vatican City, established by the
Lateran pactS in 1929. he has depended on
his note book That the work OF MI SeldeS
has no antipathetic point of view is evidenced
by the fact that the book is the February
choice of the Catholic Book of the Month
CluD. On Lne OLHeT LdDu IL CUES not QtdI III
flattery. 1t bears the marks OF being an in
terested but unbiased account, and there is
little doubt that it will find many readers.
The Vatican" is divided into four parts:
THE Ancient Vatican" The Pope" Courts
and Administration and The Modern World"
One of the most interesting chapters describes
the daily life of the modern Popes. which has
been in contrast with that of the medieval
Popes, austere and frugal. Plus XII the pres
ent Pope, rises at am, spends the hours
before o'clock in meditation, prayer and at
tending mass; after a European breakfast at
tends to correspondence and audiences until l
o'clock, when he lunches. spends the aft
ernoon in audiences and study, with perhaps
a walk in the garden or the loggia dimes at
g. converses for an hour with his secretaries,
and often reads until long after midnight.
Plus XII was, before his elevation to the
papacy, librarian of the Ambrosan Library in
Milan and of the Vatican Library. Sections
of the book which will be of especial interest
to many readers are those telling of the cere-
monies attending the death of a Pope the
election and coronation of his successor, and
secrets of the conclave" The Index Lbrorum
Prohibitorum and the changes it has under
gone through more than a hundred editions
are explained as regards purpose and opera
ton. Some of the books most vigorously CEN
sored by civil authorities in the United States
are not on the Index The dissolution of mar
ciples on which dissolution is granted, the
financing of the church ("frst among nations
which support the Catholic Church is the
United States of American, the grounds on
which papal audiences refused Cthe Fair
banks Roosevelt affair is described), and ex-
amples of Vatican diplomacy are among the
many subjects about which interesting infor-
nation is given.
THE ROBBER BARONS. The Great American
Capitalists, 1861-190l BY Matthew Joseph
son. New York. Harcourt, Brace g. Co.
THOUGH he uses the word "robber" to de-
] scribe the group of economic rulers who
came into power in this country following the
Civil War-the Goulds, the Vanderbilts, the
Rockefelers, the Morgans, Jay Cooke, Jim
Fisk and otherS-Matthew JosephSon fairly
remarks that they were no more wicked"
than many of their contemporaries, for their
deeds in the last analysis, were determined by
economic forces" The Civil War was followed
by an industrial revolution which brought in
the age Of machines and, with machines, cap
tains of industry. The beginning of the for
tune of nearly every one of the kings of indus
try was poverty. Jim Fisk began as the assist
ing son of a tin peddler in Vermont Andrew
Carnegie, son of radical Scotch weavers, was
at IA bobbin boy in cloth mill; Coils Hunt
ington wandered about the world peddling
watch findings; Jay Gould was the son of a
poor farmer of Yankee stock; John Rockefeller
was the son of vendor of quack medicine.
who poorly supported his family and was some
times wanted by the law. The story of the
rise to dominant prosperity of these and other
early capitalists is of struggle, not of a
shower of gold from benevolent fairy. Many
of them sent substitutes to the draft army and
attended to Lucrative tasks at home.
After the opportunities crowded each
other for those who prepared to seize
them. The Government needed a banker and
Jay Cooke came forward. Jay Gould en-
oa ped husilv in ha1vinp GOLD and selling dollars