The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-11
NO. 6I9.
THE R { VIE W.


s.,tNade Men. BY Charles B Seymour. New York;
usrper x brothers. lsSs For sale oy isylof
Many. Washington, d c.
The tile of this volume led US to expect that
:. uras confined to men who had enjoyed no ad-
..,u.oces of q liberal education, as it is often
mod but who, by force of their genius and
..lents unaided by such means of instruction,
had 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,
r.rt Fiehte, Niebuhr Prideaux Daniel Web
-, Ell Whitney, Sir William Jones, and
u.nrv Kirke White, all of whom were privi-
l.,ed with collegiate or university education as
.,,ob as the majority of the educated scholars
broad or in this country generally, allows
side latitude; and we see no reason why nearly
II the great scholars of Germany, France,
r,-lond. or the United States, might not, with
.,naI iustice. be called "selfmade men," JON
.,5ap Edwards and host of divines, the
,oo.t Of the statesmen and other professional
mon in this country, Lord Brougham, and
many like him in Great Britain, would rank in
the same class. II
We are not objecting to the sketches given;
,bsr are in a high degree interesting and well
.,ri,ten. Some of them are of persons hereto
lore little known, we presume, to the reading
,ubic: and these, too, are among the most at
,,,rtiye But the use of the term "selfmade "
has acquired a sort of technical import, which
uigbt induce the expectation of more restrict
j use in its examples.
Ne are Glad, however, to see a collection of facts
Tx this brought before the minds of the young
mn Of our country, to stimulate to exertion in
,ba honorable pursuit of science, knowledge,
and well-earned reputation, under difiiculties-
who have attained eminence in spite of adverse
circumstances of birth and fortune. We hope
many will read the book and profit by it.
We have noticed few inaccuracies in rela-
non TO persons in our examination of its con-
tents: but they are slight, and do not detract
rom 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.
u.ory OF Frederick the Second called Frederick the
Greai BY Thomas Carlyle In four volumes. Vol l.
New YORK Harper & Brothers. 1855. For sale by
Iay.or Maury, Washington, ID c.
Frederick the Great for the subject, and Car
Isle for the author, cannot but make q readable
book 1t is true that the first 800 pages-near-
Is two-thirds of the book now before us--are
mostly preliminary to Frederick's birth, and he
doe. not appear as King even up to the end
Of this whole volume. The account of his an
es.,ors, however is wrought up with Carlyle's
peculiar skill and possesses the varied charm
he knows how to throw over his historical works.
/, is CARLYLE through and through, with the sin
guar graphic power, the strangely-combined
Germanized words, utterly regardless of crit-
csm: the out-and-out bluntness and dash
ing uttcrance 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 fuller notice at present, it is ike having
merck part of plan before US the unfolding
ii / Vet TO be seen, and this is the very por-
Ton in which centres the highest exhibition of
the hero's character, and the vast results of his
achievements. We hope it will not be long be-
flre we shall be able to Judge with what success
tle gifted author has carried out his magnificent
design and conducts us over those greatest eff
forts jf the world-famed monarch.
The engraving of the boy of four years as
the litilr drummer, aud his sister Wilhelmina,
with Garlyles Characteristic notice of the Incl
dent md picture, is a fit frontispiece to our in
tToduetion to Fritz just as he begins his life,
and GENES before US, " the boy, the father of the
man
Eemenis OF Natural Philosophy designed for Academies
and High Schools BY Elias LOOMS, Ii. d. With
three hundred and sixty Illustrations. New York
HarlerS 'rsthers Franklin Square. ISIS. For sale
By Taylor Maury, Washington, ID C.
The student viii be prepossessed with this
elementary treatise of Natural Philosophy, by
lis beautiful Typography and substantial bind
Ing. 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