Freedom of the Press in Massachusetts. By Clyde Augustus:- Duniway.
(Longmans and Co. 7s. 6d.)—There is a lingering notion in many minds that New England was a land of liberty where men and women who had been oppressed in Old England- found the freedom which they desired. In one way it is a true notion; they found freedom for themselves. But they had no notion of any one else having it. The sweeping Act of 34-5 Henry VIII., 0. 1, which gave absolute power to the King over the Press, was the basis of government on both sides of the Atlantic for many years to come. The Brownists were dealt with as sternly by the Massachusetts Independents as these same In- dependents had been by English Prelatists. And what was the rule in early days in matters of religion continued to prevail later on in matters of civil government. Still, there was a difference. There was a movement towards liberty. Juries would not always convict; orders were evaded. Bit by bit the freedom of the Press was won. Mr. Duniway's narrative, written as a thesis for a degree in political science, and honoured with a prize, is excellent. Naturally its interest is in the first instance local, but the story has close analogies here.
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