The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-11
NO. 6l9.
IHE RE VILE w.

s.rNade Men. By Charles ID. seymour. we" iofk :
Harper & brothers. lsSS For sale by Taylor
Maury, Washington ID T.
The title of this volume led us to expect that
:. uas confined to men who had enjoyed no ad-
.u.ooes of O liberal education, as it is often
nod but who, by force of their genius and
,.ants. unaided by such means of instruction,
hod made their way through the world There
-. many such examples in these lives of more
Than sixty individuals, and they are well chosen.
Y, classification which embraces Heyne,
Font Fjchte, Niebuhr, Prideaux, Daniel Web
~ Eli Whitney, Sir William Jones, and
u.nrv Kirke White, all of whom were privi-
1.,ad with collegiate or university education as
...cb az the majority of the educated scholars
broad or in this country generally, allows
Id latitude; and we see no reason why nearly
N tho great scholars of Germany, France,
r.olond. or the United States, might not, with
.,noI ;ustice. be called " self-made men," jon
.,5ap Edwards and host Of divines, the
most Of the statesmen and other professional
IN in this country. Lord Brougham, and
my like him in Great Britain, would rank in
the same class.
We are not Directing to the sketches given !;
they are in a high degree interesting and well
.--;,,eu. Some Of them are of persons hereto
,,r. little known, we presume, to the reading
,,b!ic: and these, too, are among the most at
,r.ctiye. But the use of the term "selfmade
has acquired sort of technical import, which
.igbt induce the expectation of more restrict
d use in its examples.
Weare glad however, to see collection of facts
IL. thj, brought before the minds of the young
nan Of our country, to stimulate to exertion in
,ba honorable pursuit of science, knowledge,
and well-earned reputation, under difficulties
who have attained eminence in spite of adverse
circumstances of birth and fortune. We hope
MANY will read the book and profit by it.
Ne have noticed few inaccuracies in rela-
finn 10 persons, in our examination of It's con-
tents: but they are slight, and do not detract
from the general merit of the volume. The
author. 50 far as we know, is a new one at
least. We do not recollect of having before met
bis name in any previous publication.
H.,ory of Frederick the Second, called Frederick the
Great By Thomas Carlyle In four volumes. volI
NV YORK Harper Brothers. 1858. For sale by
1ayIor Maury, Washington, c.
Frederick the Great for the subject, and Car
lyle for the author, cannot but make a readable
book. 1t is true that the first 800 pages-near-
X rwothirds of the book now before us-are
Il r,ol', ha
doe, not appear as a King even up to the end
Of th. whole volume. The account of his an
ce.tors, however, is wrought up with Carlyle's
peculiar skill, and possesses the varied charm
he knows how to throw over his historical works.
Its CARLYLE through and through, with the sin
gular graphic power, the strangely combined
Germanized words, utterly regardless of criti-
ci.m: the out-and-out bluntness and dash
ing utterance of his opinions-not always those
with which his reader can sympathize but he
chains the attention, and, when the volume is
ended We are sorry we have not the others to go
On with.
We can but Judge from what is here. When
We have the three remaining volumes, we can
give a fuller notice; at present, it Is like having
merely part of plan before US the unfolding
oiit is yet 10 be seen, and this is the very por
ton in which centres the highest exh bition of
the heros character, and the vast results of his
achievements. We hope it will not be long be-
fore We shall be able to Judge with what success
the gifted author has carried out his magnificent
design, and conducts US over those greatest eff
forts Of the world-famed monarch.
The engraving of the boy of four years as
the little drummer, and his sister Wilhelmina,
with Caryle's characteristic notice of the Incl
den, and picture, is a fit frontispiece to our in
reduction 10 Fritz ust as he begins his life,
and comes before us, " the boy, the father of the
msn"
Elements OF Natural Philosophy designed for Academies
aud High schools BY Elias LOOMS, LII. ID. With
three hundred and sixty illustrations. New York
Harper srsiher> Franklin Square 1858. For sale
BY Taylor Maury, Washington, ID C.
The student will be prepossessed with this
elementary treatise of Natural Philosophy, by
It's beautiful typography and substantial bind
INC. The plan of the work is, to accompany
the statement of scientific results with the rea-
sons upon which they are founded; and thus
the mind Of the intelligent student is at once
Interested and disciplined to habits of thought.