St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1856-08-21
Robert Sears Publications.

present a great variety in their top
les and mode of treatment. Theology,
History, Antiquities, Personal Biogra-
ply, Popular Science, Health and Do
nestle Economy, not to mention other
themes, have claimed his attention,
and been discu ssed with fullness
and clearness which every reader will
not fail to acknowledge. More than
a dozen works have his imprint, and
bear the evident impress of his tai
ents and industry. Mr. Sears works
have been so long before the public,
and arc now so generally known, that
it might seem almost needless to say
anything in their behalf. Yet the fact
that his books are not offered for sale
in the general market, but are sold
almost entirely by agents, and this
other fact that we think his works,
though quite popular, have not been
duly estimated, may warrant a word
Of commentator from us.
Among the features which charac-
terize Mr.. Sears Publications, and
which we think to be excellencies, is
the moral purity Of their sentiments.
While cleaning from thousand sour
ces for the entertainment and i'm
provement Of the young, we do not re-
member a single line which, in this
regard, Mr.. Sears might wish to blot
This trait of his works, in an age
where thoroughfares are deluged, and
booksellers shelves are laden with
hashy novelties, and with songs that
stimulate and corrupt the young mind,
is indeed great merit. And the
praiseworthy efforts of Mr.. S. to crowd
out such reading by supplying pure
and healthful aliment for the mind,
should meet cordial response from
all the friends of youth
Mr.. Sears works have a wadical
aim, which is another excellent trait in
them. Discarding controversial top
les of Theology, avoiding the more
abstruse aspects of Science. and keep
clear of the speculations which pass
under the name of the philosophy of
history he has aimed to illustrate the
Bible, to present a vast amount Of re-
ligious knowledge, to bring natural
history to the apprehension of child
rem, and put the romance of History
and Biography into such forms of SIM
pie and lucid narrative as would in
tcrest and instruct at once. In all
this he has succeeded, and has done a
good work.
But the feature which, in our opin-
ion, imparts to his works large por-
ton of the interest felt III them, and
which has led Mr.. Sears himself to as
sign to them their peculiar name, is
their profuse and carried Pictorial Hlus-
trations. Let any one take up a sim
pie volume of his books, and scan and
count the pictures in it, and he will
wonder at the number, their aptness,
and often at their beauty. The later
works of Mr.. S. show great improve
ment in this respect.
His illustrated Russian Empire ,
which has had a great sale, and
which, by the way, is splendid book,
will compare in the beauty of its en-
bellishments with almost anything we
have seen from the American press
for a long time. Mr.. Sears judg-
ment and taste are, in this depart
ment, remarkable.
1t may crafty our readers to know
that Mr.. Sears works have been in
troduced into Great Britain, and are
exciting the same influence there that
they have exerted in the United States.
A formal presentation of a magnificent
set of the entire series was made to
the Queen, who received the gift gra-
ciously, and commended the books.
We have occasion to believe that Mr..
S. makes generous and charitable
use of the abundant means which his
business gives him, and for this rea-
son, if no other, he deserves the sue
cess which he is receiving. All his
publications are for sale by Hildreth
& Carver, at the st. Charles Bookstore.
The men engaged in surveying the
railroad from McGregor to this point,
pitched their tents near VIM. Wells,
house in the immediate vicinity of this
place Saturday afternoon. They have
proceeded with the survey to within
two and half or three miles Of town,
and will bring it up ere the majority
of our readers have seen this article.
We visited the camps, and learned
that the route, though Of a heavy
grade in places, as far as they have
surveyed is practicable, and a road