Evening star., 1950-12-10

we are faced has been to look
again to the historic backgrounds
of our philosophy and our institu-
tions.
Perhaps we wanted reinsurance.
Perhaps we wanted to survey what
we had to offer in the place of the
Communists promises to the mil
lions of the worlds peoples who
have little food and less hope.
In either case, the scholarship Of
recent years, now fruitful in vol
umes on our early history. have
strengthened the conviction that
our revolutionary doctrines are
just as valid now as when they
were first started.
Certainly neither time nor repe-
tition have robbed of freshness
that declaration which is the cor
nerstone of our political philos-
ophy: That all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by
their creator with unalienable
rights to life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness, and that gov
ernments derive their just rights
from the consent of the governed.
1850 Produced Two
Works by Winston Churchill
Only second in Importance to
the books on our formative years
have been those on the Civil War
period. It is war that cries out
for a Homer to sing its story.
Lacking a Homer, others. fortu-
nately, do excellent jobs in their
fields.
Among other books of the year
are a number, of course, concerned
with recent events and persons.
Any year would be notable
that saw two works by Winston
Churchill. There was The Grand
Alliance" early in 1850 and THE
Hinge of Fate" (Houghton Miff1in)
as the year drew to close.
In the latest book the reader
may be conscious of fewer pas
sages with the cadence of the
tread of heroic destiny. Now
Britain no longer was fighting
alone, and the occasion was past
for Mr.. Churchill to exhort the
British people, Arm yourselves
and be We men of valor."
1t was in Africa that there came
for Britain the turning of the
hinge of fate" Mr.. Churchill
writes: 1T may almost be said,
Before Alamein we never had
victory. After Alamein we never
had defeat
Jefferson Loomed Large
On the American Scene
To return to the American scene,
no publication in years has been
launched with such favorable
auspices as that of THE Papers
of Thomas Jefferson" princeton
University Press. The first of
so projected volumes covers the
period through 1776. Its publica-
ton was attended by ceremonies
at the Library of Congress with
President Truman and Gen. Mar
shall participating.
The papers are being edited
brilliantly and with extraordinary
thoroughness by Julian p. Boyd,
Lyman H. Butterfield and Nina
r. Bryan. The second volume
issued last month covers the
period from January, 1777, to
June, 1779. when Mr.. Jefferson
became the second Governor of
the State of Virginia. .
Contributions to Jeffersoniana
are Marie Kimball's Jefferson:
The Scene of Europe" Coward
McCann), and Adrienne Koch'S
Jefferson and Madison" (Knopf.
Mrs. Kimball's book is the third
of a series she is writing on JET
ferson and covers Jefferson's life
abroad. Miss Koch's work is sub
titled THE Great Collaboration"
and lives up to the phrase.
One of the major works of the
year is Irving Brant'S James
Madison: Father of the ConStitu-
ton" (Bobbs- -MerrilD. 1t is the
third volume of Mr.. Brant's i'm
portant work on Madison and
treats Of the events of 1787-1800
in the life of Madison and Of the
young republic.
Two sound books on the period