190
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
habitation and a knowledge of geography, i.e., of the physical
surroundings of a people. This can supply much information
as to their condition of life, their social organization and their
culture.
This was the last meeting of the Local History Section but
I also attended—on the last day, July 10—the meeting of
the Medieval History Section, when Professor F. M. Powicke
(Oxford) and Miss Helen Cam (Cambridge), both read papers,
and the Vice-Chancellor (Sir Cooper Perry) was in the Chair.
Professor Powicke illustrated his paper by presenting a trialogue,
each imaginary person replying humourously to the criticism
of the other, one of the three being a reader, one an antiquarian
and the other a historian. Miss Helen Cam pointed out the
necessity of studying the country's Institutions as well as the
individuals who administered them.
The concluding paper entitled, "American Democracy and
some of its European Interpreters," was read at a General
Meeting by Professor W. E. Lingelbach of Pennsylvania Univer-
sity with Dr. A. F. Pollard as Chairman. Professor Lingelbach
said the people of America were passing through a great crisis
without anything like Democracy, for there had been a great
extension of Presidential powers hitherto undreamt of, and any
attempt to deal with the economic situation must conform to
the American Constitution and was to be judged by the inter-
pretation of the Supreme Court; but there would never be a
departure in America from Democracy. The greatest European
interpreter of the American Constitution was Bryce, whose work
remains today the greatest classic. Professor G. S. Duncan of
Washington, said the two flags of Great Britain and America,
flying together, were the truest symbol in history of political,
civil and religious liberty.
This ended the fourth quinquennial Conference of Anglo-
American Historians, and with the help of Mr. G. Parsloe, the
Secretary and Librarian, it was pronounced to be an unqualified
success. There were many other papers in the different sec-
tions, but I have only epitomized those which I attended and
listened to. The papers in all the sections will be published in
November, and I have arranged for a copy to be sent to our
library.