The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-01-05
American Literature.

There is probably no department of lit3ra-
turc or science in which Americans themselves
would question the superiority Of England,
either as regards average luality or. quantity
of production. The public documents of the
States, indeed, are, our readers well know,
of far more varied and general value and in
practical works.of the highest merit have been
and are yearly published at the expense of the
country. But even though thus aLled, there
Is no branch of study to which 1.-THE entire re-
cent contribution of America IS anything like
as important as our own. And in no class of
books. pe. haps. is this inferio-lty more mani
ifest than those INTENDED for the use of schools
and colleges. But we must make one impOr-
tant exception alike to the general rule and
the particular example. Upon Geography
and kindred subjects Anne ricans have written
much and careful ly, stimulated and assisted
no doubt by the energetic announcement
which the FEEDER j Government has constantly
given TO exploration of every kind ia almost
eSery ,i,rt OF the Western Continent. Geog-
raPhers proper, geolcg!stS. mineralogis.S, and
naturalistS have been enabled to pureue their
inquiries ut the public cost, and have been en-
courIged to pains taking lnvestiga ion, and
to the publication of ample records of their
discoveries BY the interest which all classes of
Americans have alway manifested in these SUD-
jcetS. II is no doubt to their peculiar situation
people of high civilization and unresting
enterprise, In possession of an immense. rich
and imp rfcctly known territory, that this in
teipst is due; and il has led apparently to q
study at geography much more general and
thorough than is comlIaG In English schools
As the demand creates the supply, the Ameri-
can textbooks of geography are often more
complete, and certainly much better calcula
ted to fulfil their purpose of instruction. than
our own. DIR. NJ. i. MauTy'S series. one Of
which we have already had occasion to no.
tice, are especially adapted to excite the curl
osity of boys and girls, and to make that which,
as taught TO our children, is about the dullest
and most tedious of all dry matters of routine,
the agreeable and interes' ing subject it ought
to be The volume now before us is fitted to be
the delight of any sthoolroom in which the
teacher is not utterly and Gope!essly unfit to
teach. 1t contfivcs 10 make the gcogra. hical
de6nI onS TO which children 50 rarely learn TO
attach meaning intelligibe nj sight. by an il
iustIstion ia waicS each of the common terms
of physical geography-eontinent, island,
sound. strait, ocean. sea. mountain, table
land, &c.-is clearly presented to the readers
eye. IL ccntaius. not only the ordinary maps
which show the political demareations of man
kind, but physical maps in which the great
natural features of every region are shown
with equal distinctness. And, finally. a null
ti;udc of illustrations attach living interest
and visible meaning to the multitude OF names
and facts which form the drudgery of geogra-
ply; presenting to the sight and intelligence
hs eH s sccsc With Mtb t hs
names of capitals, the coprse of liyers, the lO-
cal scenery, fra. fauna. history. and industrial
occupation which the writer's of English text
b okS expect him to learn by rotc. We can
heartily recommend this volume, and its com
panonS, to the use of every family and the
Junior classes of every school: and we are
sure that where ii is adopted the geography
lesson will become suddenly and surprisingly
pokE.as.
&AppTB's Typographical S.rps: M..aa, Of Ge- !
or"phg: . Complete Treaties on H.fhcl.a1,c"'. /
ffrd apf Phps;,oI G.VgrrIJ,hg. By m. +. Man !
~, IL. D., Author of Physical Geography of
re Sea- &c. New York: University Pub |
fishing Company. London: Sampson Low |
N