Book Reviews : 27 Masters of Politics. By RAYMOND MOLEY. (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Co. 1949. Pp. xii, 276. $3.50.)

• Author: Totton J. Anderson
• Published date: 01 December 1950
• Date: 01 December 1950
• DOI: 10.1177/106591295000300424
• Subject Matter: Articles

643

was

not

out

of

order:

&dquo;Like

the

first

edition,

this

work

is

organized

along

’conventional’

lines

in

that

it

deals

with

national,

state,

and

local

govern-

ments

in

separate

sections.&dquo;

The

revision

includes

an

appraisal

of

the

most

recent

trends

and

developments.

The

bibliographical

references

at

the

end

of

each

chapter

and

the

documentation

suffice

for

good

teaching.

In

general,

the

text

indicates

an

abundant

knowledge,

wisdom,

and

understanding.

Above

all,

it is

readable.

To

some

teachers,

the

book

might

be

exceptionally

intriguing,

for

it

is

arranged

for

the

use

of

illustrative

materials.

Countless

graphs,

charts,

maps,

and

lists

illustrate

and

clarify

the

written

material.

For

the

same

reasons,

filmstrips

are

suggested

at

appropriate

places

in

the

text

and

in

the

appendix.

The

spirit

of

the

book

was

set

by

this

statement:

&dquo;Many

of

our

generation

assume

they

can

enjoy

freedom

without

accepting

responsibility

for

preserving

and

improving

it.

We

are

convinced

that

freedom

and

responsibility

are

bracketed

together.&dquo;

VICTOR

F.

HOFFMAN.

Valparaiso

University.

27

Masters

of

Politics.

By

RAYMOND

MOLEY.

(New

York:

Funk

and

Wag-

nalls

Co.

1949.

Pp.

xii,

276.

$3.50.)

Drawing

upon

his

extensive

experience

as

observer

and

participant

in

the

art

of

statecraft,

Professor

Moley

presents

a

series

of

biographical

pro-

files

of

twenty-six

men

and

of

Ruth

Hanna

McCormick

Simms.

The

apparent

schematic

pattern

for

selection

of

the

individual

cases

is

the

degree

of

personal

acquaintanceship

between

author

and

subject.

The

range

of

interest

is

catholic,

however,

representing

past

and

present

occupants

of

the

highest

offices

in

the

federal

government

and

party

councils.

Included

among

others

are:

Presidents

(Hoover,

Franklin

D.

Roosevelt),

pretenders

to

the

presidency

(Al

Smith,

Willkie,

Dewey),

vice-presidents

(Garner,

Wallace),

cabinet

members

(Will

Hayes

and

Woodin),

justices

of

the

Supreme

Court

(Frankfurter,

Byrnes),

party

managers

(Farley,

Flynn,

Louis

Howe,

Charles

Michelson),

and

politicians

laboring

in

the

local

vineyard

(Jimmy

Walker,

Seabury,

Moses).

A

chapter

is

devoted

to

Charles

A.

Beard

as

a

master

teacher

of

politics

and

another

to

Huey

Long,

a

somewhat

unique

political

phenomenon.

This

book

will

be

disappointing

to

the

student

of

politics

seeking

a

compilation

of

comprehensive,

concise,

factual

and

objectively

presented

case

studies.

The

material

is

episodic,

the

treatment

disgressive

and

the

conclusions

somewhat

opinionated.

In

positing

the

thesis

that

&dquo;most