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 Rh the successful solving of the momentous politi cal questions created by the Civil war, and of our naval success in the Spanish war, and partly from the disappearance from ourselves of a certain national crudeness. To our mind, however, the most pregnant address is that entitled " An Undeveloped Func tion," — in other words, the absence — except in the slavery debates — of scholarly discussion of our political questions. The need of such scholarly discussion is insisted upon; its absence "is in greatest part due to the fact that the work of discussion has been left almost wholly to the professional journalist and the professional poli tician." In this paper Mr. Adams is at his best; his review of our presidential canvasses and great national debates is clear and caustic; his discussion of the three issues of the campaign of 1900 — "Imperialism," "Trusts," and the silver issue — is an excellent example of that for which Mr. Adams pleads — the discussion of political questions " in the pure historic spirit." There is one half-page, on the subjugation of one people by another, which sums up in a masterly way the whole Philippine question. "Where," says Mr. Adams, "a race has in it self, whether implanted there by nature or as the result of education, the elevating instinct and energy, — the capacity of mastership,— a state of dependency will tend to educate that capacity out of existence; and the more benefi cent, paternal and protecting the guardian power is, the more pernicious its influence becomes. In such cases, the course most beneficial in the end to the dependency, now as a century ago, would be that characterized by ' a wise and salutary neglect.' Where, however, a race is for any reason not possessed of the self-innate saving capacity, — being stationary or decadent, — a state of dependency, while it may improve material conditions, tends yet further to deterio rate the- spirit and to diminish the capacity of self-government : if severe, it brutalizes; if kindly, it enervates. History records no in stance in which it develops and strengthens." Wise words for imperialists to ponder over I Eight papers by Captain Mahan, on naval and political international relations, printed in various magazines during the past year, have been reprinted in a volume entitled Retrospect

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and Prospect* It is hard to think of Captain Mahan as other than a thorough-going impe rialist; yet he assures us, in the article which gives its title to this volume, that up to 1885 he was " traditionally an anti-imperialist." Cer tainly his conversion has been thorough. Be sides containing an excellent paper on Admiral Sampson and a familiar plea for a great navy, this volume contains two rather technical articles on " Considerations Governing the Disposition of Navies" and on "The Military Rule of Obedi ence "; one article on the South African war, which Captain Mahan believes "to have strengthened materially the British Empire"; and two articles in " the broad field of world policies " on the " Motive to Imperial Federa tion " and on " The Persian Gulf and Inter national Relations." NEW LAW BOOKS. English Ruling Cases. Edited by Robert Campbell. With American Notes by Irving Browne and Leonard A. Jones. Vol. xxvi. Index and Table of Cases by Edward Manson and John M. Gould. Boston : The Boston Book Co. 1902. (vii. + 773 pp.) One of the results of study in a law school using the case system is that the lawyer finds himself unable to read with comfort the average treatise. When he comes upon a general state ment, he wonders whether the citations sustain it; and, in truth, he has good cause for scepticism. Even when he believes the general statement to be correct, he wishes a concrete example and a discussion of doubtful problems. Probably there will arise a race of text-book writers meeting this new demand. Meanwhile, the place is fairly filled by the series of English Ruling Cases. The text, covering twenty-five volumes of aver age size, gives several thousand cases in full, reprinting the original statements, the argu ments of counsel, and the opinions. Thus the reader gets a vivid perception of the facts, and of the mode in which the questions of law arose, and of the general principles that were applied; and he gets, also, at least very frequently, an en lightening 1 Retrospect discussion and Prospect. by the judge. Studies In the in Inter footnational Relations, Naval and Political. By A. T. Mahan, D C.L.. LL.D. Boston : Little, Brown and Company. 1902. Cloth: $1.60, net. (x -f- 309 pp.)