Evening star., 1946-09-22
|AHstocrocy Lends
Democratic Hand
Dying in Process
THE RANDOLPHS
By H. J. EckenrOde. (BObbS-
Merrill: $780,


Merrill: $780,
This survey of the famous Ran
dolph family of Virginia is in no
sense profound. but, as far as 1t
goes, it is definite and accurate. 1t
is not a study, in detail, personal
or genealogical, of the entire family
group; such work, indeed, would
be impossible within the scope OF
one volume. 1t is, instead, a series
of studies of more illustrious Ran
dolphs from Colonial times to the
Civil War set against a few mild
generalizations as to what accounted
for the rise and fall of the family
fortune. Its simplicity, its avoid
ance of complications, suggest that
it might well be used as collateral
reading in an Introductory course
in American history.
The individuals with whom it deals
are William Randolph, the founder;
Sir John Randolph, the Colonial
official; Peyton Randolph, the presi-
dent of the First Continental Con-
gress; John Randolph, the Tory;
Edmund Randolph, the Secretary of
State and Governor of Virginia; !;
Thomas Jefferson; John Randolph
of Roanoke; Beverly and Thomas
Mann Randolph, both Governors OF
Virginia. and George Wythe Ran
dolph, Secretary of War for the
Confederacy.
Hereditary Aristocracy.
The generalizations against which
the studies of these men are set are
about as follows: That the Ran
dolph family began with a poor i'm
migrant who had no ideal in i'm
migrating beyond that Of making
his fortune; that his descendants,
lifted to wealth by his efforts, be-
came part of a virtually hereditary
aristocracy in that they belonged to
the small circle which held public
Office in its exclusive hands; that
they discharged their public duties
well and honorably; that, when
revolutionary sentiment rose, they
knew that self-interest aligned them
with Britain, but nonetheless took
the side of America; that, again,
when the two American parties
were the Federalists and Republi-
cans, they were by instinct sympa-
thetic to the former but in interest
of the majority, became supporters
Of the latter: that their genius
waned under the democratic in
stitutions which they had helped
foster and passed into obscurity
with the era of jackson; that, with
the brief hope of an independent
Southern nation their interest in
politics reasserted itself, only to die
out entirely when that hope died.
In short Mr.. Eckenrode sees the
Randolphs as aristocrats who DEM
ocratically worked themselves out
of job.
Raises Questions.
From the view there arises the
obvious reflection on the fate of
any aristocracy which is so thor
oughly aristocratic that it takes on
itself the burdens of noblesse oblige.
If noblesse obliges the privileged
group to work for the less privileged
is it not a mere matter of time
until their efforts shall cost them
their place? And will those whom
they have elevated be certain i'm
mediately to assume the respon-
sibility themselves? Or will there
always be a time lag while the new
group accustoms itself to duties as
we'll as privileges? And is the de-
struction of an established aris-
tocracy also the destruction Of the
source from which responsible pub
lie servants can be dependably
drawn?
Mr.. Eckenrode does not 90 d.
rectly into these questions, for
which history provides in various
countries various answers. The
nearest approach he makes to them
is in his study of Jefferson, the
greatest of all the Randolphs, the
genius of the clan. He, Mr.. Ecken-
rode points out. began life wealthy
and died ruined solely as the result
of his services to democracy. 1t is
left for the reader to infer that, in
general terms, he typified the his
tory of his family-and Of bis class,
in the United States, at least.