The Portland daily press., 1873-04-08
Recent Publications.
Life ofscrgeant 4. w. Ambler.-svo

Lie OF Sergeant 4. w. Ambler.-Syo. pp.
$40. Lee and shepard.
were this Life" downright invention.
from beginning to end, ,or story founded on
fact" it.would rank with Robinson Crusos
or, on some accounts, with the Pilgrims
Progress.
But when we are told, and have abundant
reasons for believing, through long personal
knowledge of the man himself, that Sergeant
Amber is no myth, but a straight forward
honest fellow, exceedingly scrupulous and
truthful, the book is a wonder, and the mar
ratve, crowded with incidents and adventure
told in the simplest language, one of the most
agreeable and instructive contributions to our
household literature, which has appeared
within the last fifty years.
A poor motherless boy, and worse than ia
therless, without friends or helpers, unable to
read or write, goes into a coal mine, after
labors in drawing coal two hun
dred yards up hill, through passage on
ly three feet high. The scoop, or corye was
a wagon with small iron wheels running ON n
railway. 1t was fastened to the poor boy bv A
chain passing between his legs and hooking
into a broad leather belt, round the waist
The passage way being so low, he had to
creep through 1t on all fours, and sometimes
through water six inches deep.
Here he fell into bad company and learned
to curse and swear and finally to drink as the
others did. His grandfather. grandmother
and mother were all Methodists, and from his
earliest recollection he was given to prayer.
After years of trial, he enlists, undergoes
the Affections of soldiers life, till he can
bear it no longer, deserts, comes to America,
throws off his allegiance to the mother coun-
try, and begins the world anew, as weaver
at 'iddeford, Maine.
Here, the seeds that were dropped into his
little heart by faithful mother, spring up
and begin to tear fruit. He became a man
of prayer, preacher of temperance, and
successful recruiting Off .er, tcithout pan,
when the great rebellion broke over the land.
Mt satisfied with this, he learned to write
a capital hand, began to study for the minis
try, and took to drilling regiment after regi-
ment, aud officers by the score, in the bayon-
ct and broad sword exercise, being a master
of botL, and dl,udys aoithout pay; a. which Ii
proved by the unqualified testimony of such
men as Generals Mcclellan, Burnside, Hooker
Meade, Devens, Cogswell, Chamberlain Fes-
sender, Shepley, Dow. Governors WASH
burn Goodwin, Clafin, Padelford and Spea-
ker Blaine.
With these testimonials he Is persuaded to
60 to Washington and ask a pension for suf-
ferings and sacrifices, in the cause of our
country; and there stays, fingers week after
week and month after month, until all his
earnings and savings for many years amount
ing to nearly two thousand dollars, are all
used up in Sickness and boarding expenses
and for the support of his admirable wife, while
he is fed on promises to the last, when he
finds himself beggar, without means to buy
a dinner or nights lodging-and without
clothes and utterly unable to earn dollar, on
account of a broken wrist, obtained while In
the service of his adopted country, ,eithout
rank or pdyi
Would such story be listened TO with pa
thence were it mere invention, or only
founded on facts ?" Would not every Amer
ican spring to his feet, if these charges were
made by sensationist, a book-moter, or a
mere story-teller?
What then shall we say, when assured OF
their truth-of their unquestionable truth?
Shall so great wrong be passed over unre-
buked? Are we not all sharers in the guilt Of
unthankfulness, and of unqualified injustice.
Read the book, and Judge for yourselves my
countrymen. JOHN NEAL.