The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-08-21
Gks 8sbish.

Crow Nations. With Illustrations. Written from his
own dctation. By T. ID. Bonner. New York: Harper
Brothers. For sale by Frsnck Taylor, Washington,
| DC.
We strongly suspect that no small deduction
must be made from the multifarions record of
events and encounters here narrated. That
there is basis, in the half.savage life of the
hunter of buffaloes and scout in Indian war
fare, for "long yarn" as the sailor might say,
of this description, no one would deny. But
parts of the tale smack of the "ish story"
Mr.. Beckwourth, or his narrator, has it all his
own way, and we can fancy a lurking smile at
the thought how gibly he puts together such
discordant mass Of material brought out
from the storehouse of memory, where there is
no one at hand positively to contradict him.
But the account is very deficient in dates.
Comparing parts of the Indian adventures
among the Crows, his craftsmanship, &C., with
Catlin's well-known book, published years since,
they do not seem to be very consistent. No
such characters or portraits are there to be
found, not an allusion to the famous chief,
Medicine Calf, or his brother chiefs, and the
many wives, the heroines and beauties, some
of whom the painter would have been almost
many other and inferior ones. Viewed as we
think the book must be, as half fiction exhibit
ing succession of wild scenes and adventures,
and depicting incidents of savage life with the
perils of the forest path it has much to interest
the reader. The details, however, are lacking
| s,,t rt;n ;pfo H. ..
with truthfulness. The illusions to Indian life
are such as could be picked up without the long
actual residence claimed; and those which, yet
more peculiar, would naturally be its results,
we look for in vain. Beckwourth, the hunter
and mountaineer, is undoubtedly one of that
class who are to be met with all through the
far West and in California abandoning civil
zed life, to herd among Indians, or others like
himself, and, regardless of the customs or laws
of God or man, plunge unhesitatingly into the
immoralities of the savage state. His apollo
gies for his polygamy, and other vices and
crimes, are fimsy enough and however the
reader, hurried on by tale Of forest dangers and
bloody warfare, may stop not to mark them,
yet the rules of stricter judgment compel US
to notice and condem them. We suspect that
many of the Missouri outlaws, whose barbara
ties in Kansas are so well known, might find
their counterpart here, though of course all is
not told that might have been. Aside from the
incongruities Of the story, and the unbounded
selfglorifcation which is the staple of the
book, it is written well enough for the purpose,
and numerous readers will swallow down its
marvels.
From Mr.. Taylor, also, we have received
HARPER's MAGAZINE for August, and another
of the Abbott Story Books, called the THREE
GoLD DOLLARS, profusely illustrated as for
mer ones, and of similar cast in readable
matter. Likewise, THE MARTINS OF Gro
MARTIN, a tale of Irish life, by Charles Lever,
whose reputation in this style of writing is well
known. He has written better we think. q
THE MYSTERY; or Evil and God. BY John Young, L. L. D.
of Edinburgh. Philadelphia J. B. Lippincou & Co.
1856. For sale by Franck Taylor Washington d. G
Mystery, indeed Our author enters upon
the solution with right good will, and grapples
it manfully. But, has he fathomed it? No,
nor can he or any other mortal ever do 50. Re-
move one difficulty, aud yet others face you
One grand trouble in the discussion is the La
bility of the mind to practice fallacy upon it.
SELF Our author, in this volume, has not es-
capped this stumbling block. He writes in gen.
ersl in clear language. There is no particular
difficulty in understanding him, though parts of
his work are more obscure than others. He
makes many statements, and does so with per.
hsps an air of dogmatism that shows, we should
think, the teacher accustomed to lay down doc
trines to pupils. He says many good things, and
his aim is q most laudable one. He is reverent
believer in Revelation, the great truths of the
Bible, and of the Cross of Christ Man, he
claims, is a free moral agent, and rests the
statement on universal consciousness, that how
ever men may be constrained in doing, yet Is
'pilfing there can be no oompulsion and that,
when one thing is chosen, the will as faculty
was adequate to the contrary choice. All as
sertions or fancied proof to the contrary cannot
set aside the fact. But when our author comes
to the real gist of the questionable hoso, the
untying of the Gordian Knot, he is as much at
fault as every other. Evil, moral evil, is the
result the will of free moral agent. But should
free moral agent, perfectly holy, and, as we
believe, one of highest of created spirits, like the
prince Of the now fallen angels, make that
choice, and step out from the line of duty,
happiness, and glory, into rebellion and mis-
cry, the mystery is as great as ever. In the
bold, earnest discussion of truths to which con-
science yields its assent Mr.. Young argues
well. There is nothing but what has been said
over and over again thousands of times, though
possibly wearing here new dress of language
But when he puts forth his hand to cope with
such metaphysicians as Jonathan Edwards and
Sir William Hamilton, he fails. He blinks the
question, or rather, often practices fallacy on
himself by changing the point at issue, and then
dealing with it as if it were the same It is a
book, however, of deep interest to those who are
fond of such discussions. We question if it be
not of a nature, from its subject and mode of
argument, to find but few readers among the
many for whom there is so much more coming
from the press, demanding less thought, and
more attractive in style and matter. 1t is well
printed, and, so far as style and paper are con-
cerned, easily read. Not many will choose it as
summer book, this hot weather, though to
such as do, We can promise they will find
the kernel worth the breaking of the nut.
THE BLIND GrRL OF wrrxxsxRe; Life Picture of IN.
Times of Luther and the Reformation. From The Ger
man, BY John G. Morris Pastor Of the First Lutheran
Church. Baltimore. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston
1885 For sale by Taylor Maury, Washington, D. c.
This ss q v,ork &c r,uoh :.xo-.. IN ~