XVI
THE AMERICAN COMMONWEALTH. By JAMES BRYCE 1
THE AMERICAN COMMONWEALTH cancels that sentence of Scaliger which Bacon amplifies in his warning against bookish politicians: II Nec ego nec alius doctus possumus scribere in politicis." The distinctive import of the book is its power of impressing American readers, Mr. Bryce is in a better position than the philosopher who said of another, " Ich hoffe, wir werden uns recht gut verständigen können; und wenn auch keiner den andern ganz versteht, wird doch jeder dem andern dazu helfen, dass er sich selbst besser verstehe." He \vrites with so much familiarity and feeling-the national, political, social sympathy is so spon taneous and sincere-as to carry a very large measure indeed of quiet reproach. The perfect tone is enough to sweeten and lubricate a medicine such as no traveller since Hippocrates has administered to contrite natives, Facts, not comments, convey the lesson; and I know no better illustration of a recent saying: "Si un livre porte un enseignement, ce doit être malgré son auteur, par la force même des faits qu'il raconte." If our countryman has not the chill sententiousness of his great French predecessor, hi
portable wisdom and
detached thoughts, he has made a far deeper study of real life, apart from comparative politics and the European investment of transatlantic experience. One of the very fe\v propositions VJhich he has taken straight from T ocqueville is also one of the few which a de- l English Historical Review, 188 9. 575
