MR.

Preface

R. BRYCE has remarked that "the Constitution of the United States (including the amendments) may be read aloud in twenty-three minutes." Its brevity required that it should be general and only the framework of government could be outlined. The powers of the Federal Government were enumerated, but their extent was left for future determination through interpretation.

This fact has made it possible for the Constitution to be adapted to the ordinary needs of the national life. At times of crises, as in the Purchase of Louisiana and the Civil War, the bounds of interpretation have been passed and the Constitution has been stretched to fit the occasion; recently we have heard of the need of "finding" constructions that will enable the Federal Government to meet the exigencies of new conditions.

The history of the Constitution is chiefly concerned with the processes of interpretation and adaptation. The life of the nation does not stand still; new ideas, feelings, conditions, and forces are constantly driving it forward, and no immutable instrument of government will suffice; the Constitution, too, must grow, and as the formal process of amendment is too