The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-06-15

IHE LIFE OF HORACE GREELEY FROM HIS
BIRTH To THE PRESENT TINE, by James
rarton; with portrait and illustrations.
This book already has a high reputation
and vast circulation on account of the emf
nence of our brilliant biographer, Mr.. Parton.
The public already know the book we'll and
it needs no encomium of ours. Mr.. Greeley
is very fortunate in having such a herald of
his virtues, and In having his remarkable
traits set forth by such pen as Parton's.
The life of the great editor is very won
derful and instructive one. From his boy
hood on the New Hampshire hillside till to-
day he has filed up his days with thoughtful,
earnest, unremitting toll And his achieve
ments in his profession have been great and
noble.
The last chapters of the book, written
since the Cincinnati Convention, chronicle
the incidents which form also the last chap
tiers of the political history of the great editO-
rial aspirant for the Presidency. 1t is narrat-
ed in this book that for the last thirty years
Of his busy life, Mr.. Greeley has INDUCED in
the fond dream of some possible leisure in the
future when he should go a-fishing. But
what political seer was ever wise enough to
predict, that Democratic convention would
ever be the scene Of his piscatorial amuse-
ment? published by James r. Osgood d
Coz
A Smaller Ancient History of the East BY
Philip Smith, b. A.
A valuable little history for the young;
good book in schools and families. 1t gives
very clear and entertaining account of the
mythical and traditional, as well as the au-
f;o % 81. .I,o
times to the conquest by Alexander the
Great. 1t embraces the history of Egypt,
AssyIia, Babylonia, Media, Persia, Asia Mi
nor and Phoenicia. The illustrations on
wood are good, and calculated to aid the stu
dent and suggest instruction, while some
woOd-cuts in other textbooks that we have
seen seem to have the tendency to distract
the pupils attention and leave him in doubt
as to what it all means. 1t is valuable not
only as good historical narrative, but aids
the study of the Scriptures by setting the
Scriptural illusions to the Eastern nations in
their true historical relations. And it is of
especial use to the young for one other pur-
pose; namely, because it suggests and enfor-
ces, all through, the necessity of knowledge
of the Greek tongue. 1t opens by quota
ton from Herodotus; and no thoughtful pa-
Ph S"il coHe away lroul lCS pages WitnouI
desire to read the works of that historian in
his own language. Published by Harper and
Brothers, and for sale by Loring, Short and
Harmon.
Three Centuries of Modern History, by
Charles Duke Younge, published by d. APP
pleton & Co. New York. The compiler of
this compendium of history is theRegius Pro-
fcssor of modern history in Queens College,
Belfast, and the author of school History of
England, and a work on English Literature.
The object which the author had in pre-
pairing the present work was, to use his own
language, ''to give the youthful student some
idea of the general history of Continental Eu-
rope Elm what may be called modern times,
and by presenting, in aconnected series, set
of sketches of some of the transactions of the
most conspicuous interest or importance in
the annals of the different nations of modern
Europe, to show how real the connection Of
ten is between the events ofone era or coun-
try and those of another, and that miscon-
duct in one age is nearly sure to entail suffer-
ing in another"
The task which Mr.. Younge has undertaken
is difficult one, if only for the mass of ma
terial with which he has to deal and which re-
quires for its successful management no lit
tie discrimination and literary skill; but from
the examination we have been able to give to
the work he appears to have succeeded in pro-
ducing book, which in a condensed form
gives the leading events of each age and coun-
try, accompanied with discussion of their
causes and effects, which lose none of their
interest from the attempt made to illustrate
the philosophy of history. (For sale by Bal
ley and Noyes.)