Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-11-25

York. In this little book he tells Just what hC
saw, duling his long absence. 1t is fresh
book; Just what clever lad should have writ
ten. lie tells the truth, without any attectation,
1t is boys book, written by a boy, and fol
boys. One word will describe il, 1t is in every
way "healthy' book.
Cdtharine Sedgwick is in a double sense the drst
American female novelist She was born in 1889
and died in 1861. She was elder in birth than
any other person except Fcnnimore Cooper, who
has made name in our literature; and saving
Bryant, she outiyed all who might be fairly
called her contemporaries. Her first novel, pub
lished Just half a century ago, was written when
she had passed the age of thirty years; her last
novel was written when she was verging upon
three score and ten. She was not yolumnons
writer but at least two of her novels "Hopc
Leslie" and "The Linwoods," are more likely to
be read half a century hence than any other as
yet written by any American woman. Indeed If
we except two or three of Cooper'S best, and
those of Hawthorne, her novels are the best
written by any American, man Orwoman; while
some of her shorter stories such as THE Poor
Rich Man, Give and Let Live" and 'Home,"
are the very best of the novel tales written on
either side of the ocean. Her life, apart from
her character as author, was singularly beau
tiful one. 1t was in every way fitting that a
memorial of it should he preserved. This has
been done by daughter of her almost lifelong
friend, Orville Dewey. Few books of its kind
are as well worth reading as "The Life and Let
tiers of Catharine NJ. Sedgwick
OF the thirty-five persons who, since the Nor.
man conquest, have ruled England, there are
only three whom even flattery would dare to
designate ms "great" OF these Elizabeth was
woman, and Oliver Cromwell, "lord protector"
is not recognized as one of the sovGrigns of En-
gland. The only "great" king is Edward the
First and he is set forth in most of our current
histories as an able but most wicked sovereign.
An English writer, who does not give his name,
but who has no reason TO dsayOw his work, has
undertaken in Il monograph entitled "The Life
and Reign of Edward H. which, us an ampiifi-
cation of previous work, "The Greatest of the
Plautagenets," to set history right. He has
fully succeeded. doubt whether the book will
be republished here; but it is every way worth
reading. We who have got our impressions of
the time from the Scottish Chiefs of Jane
Porter, and from Walter SCOTS So-called hsto-
ries, will find our feelings somewhat rudcly
shocked by having it proved to us that William
Wallace, Or 'Waays," as his name should he
written, was nothing but brutal, vulgar ma
rauder, exactly such scoundIel as was Guam
trell, who figured in our own late war; while
Robert Bruce, or De Brus, was only a strong
handed, clever villain, who had no more claim
to be styled patriot than had Raphael Semmes,
the famous pirate of the alabama"
"Ihe Desert of the Exodus" is "A new English
book, which trust will be repubshed here. 1t
is a complete account of an exploration of the
desert region traversed by the Hebrews in their
forty years journey from Egypt to Palestine.
This most interesting region has heretofore been
only skinned over by tourists and travellers.
Mr.. +. II. Palmer, fellow OF st. Johns college,
Cambridge, England, was one of an expedition
fully fitted out to make Il thorough exploration
Of The region. This exploration lasted
a full year, and the results of it are
of the highest importance as bearing
upon the credibihty of the narrative as re-
corded in the Pentateuch and the Book of Joshua.
The strongest point in Bishop Colenso 5 impeach-
mcnt Of the yeracity of the Pentateuch lies in the
assumed mpossibilty that such multitude as
are affirmed to have left Egypt-not less than
two millions, and likely nearly three millions
could have subsisted in this so called desert
When an account, professedy historical, goes
counter to acknowledged physical facts, few
careful students will fail to dscredit the nara
tive. Thus any one who reads the accounts
given by Cortes of his conquest of Mexico, as
reproduced by Prescott, fail to believe that the
statements are either wholly false, or so grossly
exaggerated as to be unworthy of credepce.
Something of the same feeling has grown up in
regard to the story Iof the Hebrew exodus.
once asked the late Professor Edward Robinson,
whether after his journey in the region of Sinai
he believed that it was physically possible that
the Hebrew multitude could have lived in that
region. He could only say, that it would have
required a constant miracle. | must own that
grave doubts arose in my mind. wished to be.
lieyc the Hebrew narrative but could not.
read all | could find on the subject, and my
doubts increased This book of Mr.. Palmer has
done away with these doubts. lie shows TO my
mind most clearly that even at this day, the
whole Hebrew multitude, with all their herds
could traverse through and Subsist in the deS-
ert | think, therefore, that this book will be
welcome one to all inquirerS, who love the old
Hebrew scriptures, but who love the truth
even more than they do any preconceived opin-
ions Apart from the mere interest of this
book as aNrecord of incident and adventure
recommend it as valuable acquisition 10 our
stores Of scriptural knowledge, A.H.G.