Scars : Political Grcnut/i in the Niiictccntli Century 135 the progress of democracy." The interpretation of the word "polit- ical" as used in the title is very broad. The work "is not a mere record of political facts and constitutional changes. Indeed, it would be difficult to define a political fact. . . . Among the progressive nations all historic events have in the end a political significance ; for out of them arises the whole framework of government and constitutional life. . . . Accordingly the present treatise deals with all the varied events and happenings that make up the story of a nation's life." Nevertheless the work contains much less of things which are not in the stricter sense po- litical than this announcement would lead one to expect. At another point Professor Sears says that it is the story of " the successive triumphs of popular institutions" that he wishes to tell. His theme is, therefore, the growth of democracy. It may be remarked here that, while Pro- fessor Sears is not always in sympathy with the aims and methods of de- mocracy in particular, in democracy in general he professes the utmost faith. Geographically the work includes every country in the world where the author has discovered political growth — in some, it may be, only po- litical disturbance. Every country is treated separately with complete- ness, but there is a grouping of nations, mainly on the basis of racial kin- ship. Book I. deals with continental Europe and has three divisions: Part I., " The Latin Nations "; Part II., " Southeastern Europe and Rus- sia" ; Part III., "The Teutonic Nations." Book II. treats of Great Britain and her colonies ; Book III. of the United States ; Book IV. of Spanish and Portuguese America ; Book V. of " Unclassified Countries," including Liberia, Haiti, Santo Domingo, Japan, India and Siam. The arrangement is faulty in some measure in that it is not the log- ical order of the growth of democracy. The author emphasizes national growth in the view that most writers neglect this for general movements and tendencies. The result is that international affairs, and movements wider than national, are not so clearly and systematically handled as mat- ters purely national. There is more or less interdependence between the separate portions, but that which goes before is, as often as otherwise, de- pendent on that which comes after, and, though there are a limited num- ber of cross-references, it would be a decided gain if they were more freely used. The European portion gives us a pretty clear though biief account of the development in each nation, though means and processes are often left, it seems, in unnecessary obscurity. The part on the United States is necessary to completeness according to the design of the work, but it would not be difficult to find among the numerous brief histories of the LTnited States a much better account. It is hardly justifiable, even from the author's own point of view, that India should be dismissed with a treatment scarcely longer than that of San Marino or Andorra. The author usually endeavors to be fair, but his own opinions are fre- quently more prominent than the unbiassed presentation of facts. For example, the followers of Mr. Bryan in the last presidential campaign are
