The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-06-10
Gbs 8sbith.

Wyoming Its History, Stirring Incidents, ard Romantic
Adventures. By George Peck, D. With illustrations.
New York Harper Brothers. 1855. For sale by
Taylor hsury, Washington, D. C.
This is one of those volumes which, when q
person has taken up, he finds it difficult to lay
down again till he has finished it. 1t is full of
stirring adventure, sad and mournful chapters
of life's histories, examples of fOrtitude and
heroic courage, often guided and sustained by
firm trust in God, such as belonged to many
cf the hardy pioneers who, from q childhood of
Christian privileges and the comparative luxu.
ries of an Eastern home, plunged into the then
wilderness on the banks of the Susquebauna,
and faced all the perils and terrors of Indian
warfare. Campbell has immortalized Wyoming
by his strains of poetry Chapman, Stone, and
Miner, have been her historians and records of
individual prowess and detached incidents are
found scattered in different contributions to the
pioneer literature of our country. But the tale,
as here told, and the new sources of information,
in part, which DR.. Peck has brought out, and
the form he has given to his book, imparts to it
freshness that renders it one deeply fraught
with interest even to those already acquainted
with the previous works, and which will no
doubt strongly engage the attention of thousands
more who, for the first time, learn of these strug
giles, trials, and bitter experiences, of former
days. Few who gazs on the valley, with its cities,
villages marts trade and industry its churches,
academies, and evidences of high and refined
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ted dwellings, that here and there stand where
they stood more than a half century ago, could
dream that here was the scene of murderous
strife, savage cruelty, and that these spots were
once so drenched in blood and rung with the
war whoop and yell of human fends. The mar
vellous story of Frances Slocum, made cap
tive at five years of age, sought for in vain go
long, and, after 81 years, again found, thorough
ly transformed into an Indian woman, which,
twenty years ago, or more, we read in the pub.
lie journals, forms not one of the least interest
ing chapters of this work, in which, too, her
likeness is given, among the numerous illus.ra.
tions.
The whole volume is put together skilfully,
and furnishes, besides its main topics, q variety
of collateral information that adds TO its useful
ness. 1t has, too, an index, by which reference
may be made easily to its subjects, and the
mechanical execution is such as it ought to be.
The Power of Grace; or Incidents and Narratives Of
Wonderful Conversions, in Answer 10 Prayer De-
signed for Sabbath School Teachers, Pastors, and Pa
rents. New York: C. NJ. Saxton. 1858. For sale by
William BallaLtyne, Washington, ID. C.
. In the present state of religious feeling, it is
natural to expect variety of books designed
to meet it. The volume before us is one of the
number. With many good things and partic.
ular portions that may engage the attention,
the book before US bears marks of hasty com
pilation. There is mixing up of the imsgin-
alive with the true, and by means of double.
loaded, short.lined, and wide-margined page,
good.sized volume is made out of compare
lively small smounfof matter.
The title, too is somewhat deceptive, con.
fined as it is to single subject, and yet there
are whole pages which have nothing to do
with such title. Persons who take up the
book and examine it for themselves, it is true,
will see the fact; but any one merely reading
the title in an advertisement, and sending for
it, might be liable to mistake. This device
for promoting the sale of any book is what
we can never approve, any more than we can
adopt the excessive concentrations of good or
Indifferent books which are 30 frequently heap
ed up in literary notices, such as we often see
strung together in booksellers programmes of
their publications. We wish ever to be honest,
and tell the public, SO far as we can, our truth.
ful opinion of the books of which we write.
This volume contains fifty articles relating
to different religious subjects, and not more
than fifteen or sixteen of the whole number
could by any possibility be tortured into
place under the title.
There are two, also, of the longest, and few
more shorter, as Hawthorne's Celestial Rail. |
road, d" A Story of the Olden Time," "Death
of Jeremy Do.nothing," &C., which are merely
fictitious.
Many others, good as they may be for the
purpose for which they were written, or exhib-
iting traits of character, yet have no cores.
pondence with the protested object the book
bears on its titlepage.
The specimen of Welch preaching, called
the Maniac of GODDARD" is amusing and char.
acteristic, and, in this point of view, is read
with pleasure; and so are others of the articles,
that might, however, have been written in a
more simple manner; but the book is too much,
we think, a "gotup" affair, at sudden i'm.
pulse, without sufi cient idea of responsibility
for what it is or what its fleet might have
been, had some care been taken in its prepare
tion.
Sermons of the Rev c. II. Spurgeon OF London Fourth
Series. New York Sheldon, Brakeman, & Co Wash
ington William Baaniyne, 1858.
For this volume, we are indebted to the |
Washington publisher. We believe the general
experience of publishers and booksellers is, |
that sermons-and the best of them, too are |
less saleable than almost any class of books.
Even the religious public care little about them
Perhaps one reason is, that they continually
hear more or less of various qualities and com. |
parative worth, whether it be of good, better, |
or best, and 30 they have no charm of novelty. |
That fourth series of diseourses from any |
preacher, therefore, is called for in 80 short |
time, is itself proof of great popularity. We
believe, too, that, on examination, there will be
found some good grounds for the welcome
given to Surgeons sermons.
There is much offensive, indeed, to the |
taste; there are defects, and no slight ones
often, in the conduct of arguments, and a vari-
ETY. of objections might be stated, which must
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