252 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



intended as a chapter of the " Political Ethics," and bearing the second 

 title of " The Principles of Interpretation and Construction in Law and 

 Politics," has also received high commendation from so eminent a 

 jurist as Professor Greenleaf. 



The same writer in " The Nation " says of Dr. Lieber as a writer 

 that " he was lucid and axiomatic, but lacked constructiveness, or the 

 power of judiciously arranging and treating a subject." Perhaps he 

 failed in method, and in not giving enough attention to his philosoph- 

 ical basis ; perhaps we may lind here and there somewhat of unneces- 

 sary copiousness ; his style, too, is occasionally somewhat pedantic : 

 but these are slight fliults compared with the admirable contents of his 

 works. He never had any thing to say without showing/ that his mind 

 was a treasury of the wisest thoughts, of rich and apt illustrations, of 

 views which, whether they rebuked reigning tendencies to evil or 

 showed the excellence of the Anglican idea of freedom, commended 

 themselves to all, old and young ; so that no one, however advanced in 

 political studies, could come away from his writings without benefit. 

 His " Political Ethics " never went beyond the first edition. Yet this 

 was not owing to its style and character so much as to want of interest 

 in this country in the science of politics. And among its readers, 

 among those who have been forward to speak of its excellences, have 

 been some of the best thinkers and the ablest men in this country. 



Dr. Lieber was the author of a large number of works, many of 

 which were political essays of small compass. A list of them may be 

 found in Allibone. Besides those which have been mentioned in the 

 course of this sketch, including his as yet unpublished " Rise of the 

 Constitution," we name here first what may be called occasional works, 

 out of his line of peculiar studies, as his " Journal in Greece " (Leipzig, 

 1823) ; " The Translation of Feuerbach's Account of Caspar Hauser ;" 

 his " Plan of Education for Girard College ; " " Letters of a Gentleman 

 on a Trip to Niagara ; " " Reminiscences of B. G. Niebuhr," written 

 at Rome, it is said, but published long afterwards ; " Great Events 

 described by Great Historians ; " " The Character of the Gentleman ; " 

 " The Study of Latin and Greek, as Elements of Education ; " " Laura 

 Bridgman's Vocal Sounds ; " and his Humboldt Speech at Central Park, 

 September 4, 1869. Several of these were reprinted, or translated and 

 printed in Europe. Next, among the minor works which relate to his 

 especial field of study, we mention his " Origin and Development of 

 the First Elements of Civilization ; " " Essays on Propertj^ and Labor ; " 

 " The Laws of Property ; " " Penal Laws, and the Penitentiary Sys- 

 tem ;" " On Prison Discipline ; " " The Relation between Education and 



