New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-05-09
Rise and FAN Of the Slave Power
ia America: BY Henry wilson.

In another column of this number of the
New NATIONAL ERA may be found notice
of this great work, the first volume of which
is now and has been for several weeks upon
our editorial table. An earlier reference to
it would have appeared in our columns but
for our Southern trip and other occupations
which have completely engrossed our atten.
ton and employed our time and pen. "Rise
and fall of the slave power in America" is a
great subject, and any work in which it is
faithfully and ably handled is well worthy Of
thought and study by all who would under
stand the nature of one of the grandest con-
flicts between moral and social forces that
ever occurred among men. The book before
us is the history of the first part of this con-
flict, beginning not only with the great fact
of slavery, but ably treating of the selfish
elements Of human nature out of which il
took shape and grew to the colossal dimen-
sions which it finally reached, and of the
struggle which ended in its complete over
throw. We have known that Senator WILL
SON has been engaged on this work for sew
eral years, and while we expected much OF
his labors-knowing his many other labors
and duties-we expected no such elaborate
and mastery work as this first large volume
indicates and which it is the first installment.
He has taken up the subject earnestly, ably,
eloquently, and impartially, the latter being
the quality, the most to be priced and the
least likely to be found in history written so
closely in point of time, to the persons, meas
ures, and events which 1t processes to describe.
If the book smells of seaweed and Plymouth
Rock, it is because in New England the ele
ments of this struggle had their earliest start
and growth and there reached their greatest
perfection, and not because the author has
breathed New England air so long. If his
work was difficult because of his nearness to
the times Of which he has written, it is fully
compensated for in the superior knowledge he
has on that account of the facts and circum-
stances he narrates. He has been in the
ant-slavery movement almost from its incep-
ton, and the struggle has not been viewed by
any observer more thoughtful.
In regard to impartiality the book, we
think, is fautless. His aim has been to
"write of the living as if they were dead,
and of the dead as if they were living" To
render honor to whom honor is due, and set
down naught in malice. No man who has
done aught for the rght-whose work has
come to public NOTICES sighted. The ut
most pains seems to have been taken to give
the reader not only general view of the rise
and fall of the slave power in America, but to
lay bare to the eye the minutest details that
could be given without rendering the book
tedious and unreliable. Even as literary
efiort-a ground upon which its author claims
no merit-the book is a success, and shows
that its author is not only an able speaker.
but an interesting and eloquent writer. The
mystery Is as to when he found time to write
in style so strong and at the same time 80
polished; and the only explanation is, that
his heart was in the work and it was easy to
do his task. But we only designed here to
direct attention to the excellent notice of the
work, copied from the Chronicle into this
weeks paper. For one, we feel under great
obligations to Senator WILSON for giving the
country his version of the "irrepressible con-
flict." The after coming volumes will, we
have no doubt, be looked for with much in
terest by thousands of the American people,
who wish to be thoroughly informed on that
subject.