Evening star., 1937-02-06
PRESENTS NATIONAL TRAITS
Attempt Show Influence of Political System Leads to Study OF
Character Burr Made Subject of
~~ Literary Comedy.


AARON BURR. BY Holmes Alexan-
der. New York: Harper q Bros.
A ARON BURR seems to have been
1 \ another Of those men whose ca
reers have an irresistible attraction for
writer's of biography. The contradic-
tions of his character, the picturesque
ness Of the events in which he took
part, the romantic quality Of his atti-
tude toward ufe-all these contribute
to make him q natural for personal
historians. And so we have here .
new book about his spectacular career.
1t does not bring much new ma
terial to its subject, neither does It
bring a particularly new attitude to-
ward Burr's famous sins, being OF the
middle-road persuasion which neither
condemns nor extols, but simply re-
cords. 1t Is, however, anything but q
common manner Of book. The author
has a humorous appreciation Of Burr's
staggering character and clear un-
derstanding of the irony of the events
which befen him. These perceptions
invest his book with its essential quail
ity. As a result, it comes nearer be-
ing a comedy than Q routine BIZ
ography.
1t is q refreshing manner Of treat
ment-the author setting himself the
role Of puppet master and taking the
liberty of showing US how small the
figures are, after all. Under 1t the ro-
mantle Aaron, who hitherto has been
either a villain Of the deepest dye or
a misunderstood genius, becomes q
mere opportunist playing for stakes
somewhat more conspicuous than
those which lure other men, to be sure,
but no worse or better than his fell
lows-merely more in evidence. The
work is commended as one Of the bet
ter biographies of the new year.
OUR CONSTITUTION AND IT'S
MAKERS. BY Fred Taylor Wilson.
New York. Fleming H. Revell Co.
IT IS universally agreed that the
makers Of the American Constitu-
ton did a remarkably fine job.
They were men Of their time-and
that time was not the "horse and
buggy era" They worked in the late
eighteenth century, before the buggy
had been invented. The amazing
thing about the document they pro-
duced Is that it has stood up with so
little change. or even suggested change.
d,,r;po mo rl,, rort,,r1y ord q hoIf IL,
which mems ways of life have changed
more than they had changed hitherto
in a thousand years.
Who composed this remarkable de.
Lucrative body which was able so to
transcend the fetters of its own time?
life. He takes the members one by
one and State by State and presents
each as an actual flesh-and- blood hu-
man being, who lived and died, had a
home and family, and the trend Of
whose thinking was determined by in
dividual experience. He follows these
men into their communities and homes.
They were men whose opinions diff
fered widely. The Constitution was
the result of many compromises. Yet,
by and large, they were men with q
common purpose, the welfare of their
fellowmen, and Intellectually they prob
ably were as able lot as ever gath
cred together.
After seeing the procession OF the
men themselves one may have clearer
idea of the remarkable stability Of the
corner stone of the American State.
T. r. H.
THE DANGEROUS SEA. BY George
Slocombe. New York: The Mac
milan Co.
THIS book is a serious study Of the
Mediterranean area Of our world
from the standpoint of politics, as
observed by veteran observer. Mr..
Slocombe has for years been special
correspondent on European affairs,
attending peace conferences, disarma-
ment conferences, League Of Nations
parleys and the like. He comes to
the conclusion now that we have a
fine crop of political rivalries grow
hl6 0p al lOAlio VIC oull-bdU1ICd c1IOA Co
of the blue inland sea which may
very well wreck not only their am
bilious holders, but the rest of us as
we'll. This cheering outlook he puts
into a well-reasoned study, the pres
ent book.
The outstanding problems, to his
mind, are those of the Turkish de-
mand for the right to fortify the
Dardanelles, the status of Tangier,
Italy's claim to the Adriatic as a
closed sea, Frances desire to keep
open her communications with her
African colonies, the political dreams
of Egypt and the economic reparti-
tioning of North Africa. He takes
them up in turn and discusses them,
limiting himself to what he sees as
the facts, going little into remedies
and the like.