Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-09-01
The History Of our Country.


ton of its Centennial Anniversary of its Declara
tion of Independence. Embracing An Account of
its Discovery. Narratives of the Struggles of its
Early Settlers Sketches of its. Heroes. the History
Of the War for Independence, and the War for
Nationality, its Industrial Victories, and q Re
cord of its whole Progress as a Nation. BY
ABBY SAGE RICHARDSON. illustrated by over
two hundred and forty engravings on wood, of
portraits of distingu ished discoveries, states
men, generals, and heroes; pictures of public
buildings, maps, and plans, and large engravings
from original designs by Granville Perkins, {. G.
Bush, and F. .. c. barley.
There has been wanted good, readable
history of the United States, long enough
to contain all the interesting facts, short
enough to be read through without weari-
ness and without leaving in the mind a
confused medley of details. This book is
found in Mrs. Richardson's History, Just
published. 1t is not a book made to Or
der and merely made to sell. The skillful
author has been at work on it for years.
She has read it to her own family and to
others, has ransacked libraries, and above
all, out of her experience us writer and
public reader, she has been enabled to
to write 4 bright, animated narrative
which does not flag from first to last
The book is divided into two parts.
Part /. is - The Story of the Colonies
from Infancy to independence. She
begins ut the beginning with the Dis
covery of America; tells how the North
men came and went, leaving no trace be-
hind; the wonderful story, ever fresh.
ever new. of Christopher Columbus; and
then in quick, clear succession all the
chief voyages of discovery and the daring
adventures. She describes the alighting
on our shore of those birds of passage, the
early coloniSts, and little by little we see
the dotted line of plantations all along the
coast. All this is illustrated by quaint
maps. portraits of discoveries, costumes,
buildings and ships. Then she stops a
moment to give some chapters to the In
dians, describes their manners end Gus
toms, and shows just what sort of people
were living in America when it was dis
covered by Europeans. She tells the wars
that the Coloniss had with them, and so
brings the reader down by degrees to the
Revolutionary War.
But Just before entering on an account
of that war, she imagines herself and the
reader taking Il tour in America, and in Il
striking chapter she lifts the curtain and
shows successfully Boston, New York,
Albany, Philadelphia, Virginia, how the
people live, what they wear, and what they
eat, gives 4 peep into their houses, in fact
and this part is beautifully illustrated by
pictures of the John Hancock House in
Boston. :; spinning wheel, such as our
great grandmothers used, a large picture
of 4 Dutch Household, and other excellent
engravings.
Then comes the Revolutionary War
The author tells the story of this war brief
ly and eloquently, sets before us the char
acters and deeds of the generals and states
men, follows the varying course Of the
country's struggle. and lets us know what
it cost our fathers to q i've us a nation. This
portion is profuSely illustrated with por-
traits, celebrated buildings, like Faneuil
Hall. and independence Hall plans of bat
tie grounds. naval engagements. This
closes the first part.
Part III. is entitled - The Story of the
Nation its Birth, ContictS.and Trumphs."
Mrs. Richardson remembers that history
is something else than \ record of battles
and political contests. She repeats the
history of the Constitution, then she tells
Us of the wonderful discoveries and inven-
tons which gave us the steamboat the
steam railway and the magnetic telegraph !;
sic lCulIlluS us 100, VI lUt lEtil -lUl
horrors of the Algerinc pirates, and she
gives the defects and the brilliant naval
victories of the war of lSl2-lSl5. She
continues the peaceful record to the time
of the war in Mexico, but hints now and
then at the conflict going on politically
and morally over slavery. She tells the
brilliant story of California that followed
hard on the MeXican war.
| Then she gives a careful chapter on Slav
| cry in the United States We hear the rum
| BILE of cannon in the distance; she paints
the bitter conflict in Kansas. the John
Brown raid. and at length comes full upon
| the great war through which we have Just
passed. The story OF this She tells in clear.
picturesque language. lmpartlallv. but with
strong feeling, ard the pages are filled with
pictures representing prominent men and
scenes. \ final chapter gives an epitome
of the past ten wears. and 50 the book
closes. In another column will be found
an advertisement of the book, and when
we say that it is printed. bound. and pub
lshed ut the Riverside Press. We have Civ
en- all necessary guarantees for its style in
book-making.