BOOKS.
111k EXPANSION OF EUROPE.* Saxon Professor Ramsay Muir wrote these essays, describing how Europe has impressed herself upon the character of the whole world, the Russian Revolution has succeeded and the United States has come into the war. These latest turns of the gigantic wheel of war probably determine the course of the future to an extent most people do not yet appreciate. If Professor Muir rewrote his hook now, ho might write it differently in a few respects. The Russian Revolution, it is true, is only a more sudden advance than any one expected along the inevitable lines of democracy which Europe had already marked out for herself. But the adhesion of America to the cause of the Allies is nowhere foreseen in Professor Muir's argument, and he would, no doubt, have felt able to write with rather less disfavour of some episodes in American history if ho had been able to include Americans among those who are carrying on the work of transforming the world by means of a sane Imperialism. The present essays apply, as the title suggests, the method of Seeley 's Expansion of England to the larger unit of Europe. They are a sequel to the author's recent Nationalism and Internationalism, whit t in effect laid it down that liberty under the law was the enlyiind of liberty worth having, and that that principle of popular liberty, which has had its peculiar home in Britain, had come into a conflict of decisive importance with the autocratic, or non-liberty, principle of the Central Powers. Further, Nationalism and Inter- nationalism demonstrated that order and good faith in international affairs always failed in direct proportion to the amount of autocracy practised in the domestic affairs of a State. That theme was net forth with exceptional freshness and a high judicial ability. We do not find quite the same freshness in the present work, no doubt because Professor Muir is here stating what is more evident to the ordinary onlooker. Nevertheless the summary of the workings of a reasonable Imperialistic spirit in The Expansion of Europe is a very lucid survey of the facts, and it has groat instructive value. If the junction of the Old and the New Worlds in the task of impressing their political ethos upon the world—nothing less is in prospect— was not foreseen by Professor Muir, that was lairs misfortune and not his fault.
Professor Muir remarks that the achievement of Europe in extend- ing her civilization over the whole world during the past four cen- turies has been strangely undervalued by most historians, who have been rather intent upon the domestic policies, wars, and diplomacies of Europe. In his attempt to look at this achievement in its true perspective Professor Muir provides a fine justification of Imperialism. Of course, like all temperate men, he is painfully con- scious that the very word" Imperialism" has some evil associations. Ho knows that "patriotism," ae sometimes practised, may be, in Johnson's phrase, the last refuge of a scoundrel. Every one who is not incapable of instincts of delicacy must have shrunk from the bluster and vulgarity which often use the word " Imperialism " as a cloak. Just as trying to moderato thinkers as the blatant Imperialists are the other extremists who simply refuse to examine dispassionately the results of Imperialism, but condemn the whole movement as an immoral product of hrixte force. Yet the facts of Imperialism are plainly satisfactory on the whole, and its power of beneficence, if it be guided wisely, is quite unexhilusted. What but the Imperial expansion of Europe has made the unity of the world a possibility of the future f That expansion has spread the elements . of Western civilization into remote comers of the world, so that the idea of law has been implanted whore it otherwise could not have existed. And when law is honoured the liberties of the people—if the people be not servile, as in the German conception—are an ultimate consequence, always aimed at, if not rapidly achieved. It is indeed strange how the services of Imperialism to the world have been underestimated. At the very time that the anarchical wing of the revolutionaries in Russia were denouncing the " Imperialistic " aims of Britain and France, the British and French Armies on the Western Front alone were Preventing the destruction of the Russian democracy in its early stages.
• Tie Erprt.ion of Eulope the CrissiwaTiosef Modem Hiotory. By-Itanaay.
Muir, Professor of modern Illstory laths Univendtv of Manchester. London: Puna • The TVrty of Pau. By H. Fielding-Ho& Lord= Hurst and lilackett, and co. Its. not.!_ ?ill.. ed. net.]
Professor Muir traces the motives, good and bad alike, which have caused the dipanaion of Europe—the desire to open fresh markets, the desire to convey creeds and political icleas.to distant lands, the pride of race which makes for domination, and:so on. The Iberian Monopoly—the colonizers of Spain and Portugal were the modern successors of the Romanis—gave place to the dramatic rivalry between Holland and France and England ; and this phase ended in the wonderfully complete triumph of England. In his effort to show how true were the instincts of the English throughout in governing their Colonies Professor Muir rejects what may bo called the Whig view of the events which led to the American War of Independence.' As an Englishman, ho refuses to stand in a white sheet
" It cannot be pretended that the revolt of the colonists was due to oppression or to serious misgovernment. The paltry taxes which were its immediate provoking cause would have formed a quite- negligible burden upon a very prosperous population ; they were to have been spent exclusively within the colonies themselves, and would have been mainly used to meet a part of the cost of colonial defence, the bulk of which was still to be borne by the mother. country. If the colonists had been willing to suggest any ether means of raising the required funds, their suggestions would have been eagerly accepted. This was made very plain at several stages in the course of the discussion, but the invitation to suggest alterna- tive methods of raising money met with no response whatever. The plain fact is that Britain, already heavily loaded with debt, was bearing practically the whole burden of colonial defence, and was much lees able than the colonies themselves to motors the strain. As for the long-established restrictions on colonial trade, which in fact though not in form contributed as largely se tho proposals of direct taxation to cause the revolt, they were incomparably loss severe, oven if they had been strictly enforced, than the restrictions imposed upon the trade of other European settlements. It is equally mis. leading to attribute the blame of the revolt wholly to George III. and the ministers by whom he was served during the critical years. No doubt it ie possible to imagine a more tactful man than George Grenville, a more far.seeing and courageous statesman than Lord North, a less obstinate prince than GeorgelII. himself. But it may be doubted whether any change of men would have done more than postpone the inevitable."
If we cannot altogether agree with Professor Muir as to America, we can fully share in his grateful wonder that a real talent for dis- pensing justice should have inspired nearly all our actions in India after the first period of avaricious oppression. This sense and practice of justice grew at a time when no close scrutiny was turned by statesmen at home upon what was being done in their name. The rapid growth of British India was simply due to the fact that our rule stood for order and peace. When one reflects that this achievement, hardly noticed at the time, was largely coincident with the French Revolutionary Wars, our wonder must be the greater, In 1833 a Report from India laid before Parliament said: " It is recognized as an indisputable principle that the interests of the Native Subjects are to be consulted in preference to those of Europeans wherever the two corns in competition."
We have been able to touch Professor Muir's survey only at a few points, but we must mention in conclusion his assertion that Britisb Imperialism benefited the whole world by offering it new free markets. And this leads him on to express the opinion, so often put forward by the late Lord Cromer, that if Britain ever attempts to shut the doors of trade she will find the difficulties of her diplomacy enormously increased. Tho absence of hostile tariffs has meant a corresponding absence of jealousy.
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