The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-04
THE RED MAN.
A Great Work on the Ameri-
can Aborigines.
The Tribes from Alaska to Cen
trail America.

4
Hubert howe Bancroft. Volume l., Wild Tribes.
New York: ID. Appleton & co. 1874 PIP. 1871
Here Is the initial volume OF q great series OF
books-a vast treasury OF well assorted knowledge
before which newspaper criticism, with its narrow
limits and imperfect processes OF Illustration,
stands aoashed. How can We hope to do anything
like justice to what cannot but be described as .
gigantic literary enterpriseS We search Its pages
In vain Tor extracts suited to our limits, and IN
measure fail; not because there are not striking
passages, but for the better reason that they are
so compacted and welded together with logical
cohesion so strict that 1t Is almost impossible TO
detach them. Hence Is 1t that IN the
way either OF specimens or criticism, we
dIstrust our ability to do justice. Hence, too 1t
may be that in q sort OF Ill natured despair some
Of our contemporaries have taken refuge in sneers
at what they are either incapable OF understand
ing, or, like ourselves. find difficulty IN reviewlng.
A word at the outset as to the personal aspect
OF the matter. There is something impressive in
the origin OF this remarkable literary feat. 1t Is
little over half q century-even If that-since the
question was asked, and not very satisfactorily
answered, ''Who reads an American book ?" 1t IS
but quarter OF century since california, freshly
conquered, was the synonyme OF everything that
was Wild and ruftianly. writer OF Revolutionary
biography IN that very year Qs4D, speaking OF
an English girl in ITO marrying young Philadel-
pha lawyer, said that 1t was as hazardous as for
one OF our daughters or sisters to marry Califor
man And now In the brief space Of twenty-five
or twenty six years California and its chief city Is
the seat aud Occidental centre OF art and letters
and luxury, with its university and professors
and with such literary enterprises as this. Let
=, 49,. -, 49,, ,1 -
tue ssory VI It's of'h anu 'hanoy' Ai'er sta.ine
the aim to be to write the history OF the aboriginal
phah nf AUi frpm IN
nar,en ,nc,natra tho wno,e Of Mexco ana Cen,ra,
America, he goes on to say
To some il NAV be of interest tn know the ma.
ture and extent OF my resources for writing SO
important series OF works. me BOOKS and
nhrarv n inc World: hence IN Is5a cnmmen ~ aI
collecting material relative to the Pacific States
After securing everything within my reach IN
two Years IN thoronSh researcpes IN Engand snS
the chief cities OF the Continent Having ex-
nausteo every avanaoie source l was oDueeo 70
ties Not ona atterwara and at time i'm when tne
prospect OF materially adding to my collection
seemed nn D y" nc. hopeIu ,me I'M
Collected dining period of forty vears nv Non
Jose Maria Andrade, Aaeratea~ and publisher, OF
Ine cry OLA nrn,sn sdS n ohan .ne tSoUpeaa
additonal volumes.
In 1859, having accumulated some sixteen thou.
SAND DOCKS manuscripts ana pamphlets, besides
nails / determined to 20 TO WORK But soon
found that IKE Tantalus, while up to my neck in
water; was Dying Oh thirst. Inc FACTS which re-
CURED were so coplousy diluted with trash that
to follow dfnerent SUBJECTS through this trackless
sea OF erudlt:on, IN the exhaustive manner had
proposed, with out one lifetime to devote to the
work, was simply impractlcable. In this emery.
ency my friend, Mr. Henry L. OAK librarian OF the
collection, came 70 my relief After many consul.
tatlons, and not lew partial failures, system OF
indexlng the suoJect-matter OF the whole library
was devised, sufnclenty general to be practical
bic, and sufficiently particular to direct me lmme
dlately to all my authorities on any given point.
The system, on trial, STANDS the test, and the IN
dex, when completed, as it already Is for the
1920 authors quoted In this WORK, will more than
double the practical value OF the library.
There H. we repeat, something grand about
tnis- Ns soopo "n0 i'' euo~e0e anu eie Tesoiute'
gallant spirit OF the writer. In Inherent but IN
some respects more difficult style-not OF writing
IN, -, roooorc, ~ "a mo,a ura n,hhon .,o, go
ou' VI ieSo"ou % ~ Inv u'o'oA 'n"n any
thing We know Of me west may well be proud
or Mr.. Bancroft alongside OF whom he Of the East
a. nnvhoro
10 uo""eie'
This volume opens with an chronological intro
duct,on. which strikes ma as very clever and
o,', 49,. w.
siaoe'uny uone. We Ve"'uie no" vi ano'"er eA'
tract, strictly preiatory-the only one our limit
will permit-but which ia al good a specimen az
~. 49,. 49, =, 49,. .,.s-,, ...,.
tious, perhaps, but very clear and vigorous -
The tendency of philosophic inuury IL more and
more toward the origin OF things. In the earlier
stages of in teljectnai imnnse the mind ia aimos,
wholly Absorbed in minIstering 70 the Necessities
Of the nresent. next The mvste rions nncerraintv
Of the after lie provoSes inGuirv ana contamn,sy
lions of an eternity OF the future Command alien.
ton; but not until Knowledge is well ad vanced
ooes IL annear that there 10 Ikew ise an starnSt.
OF the past worthy of careful scrutlnyNWtrnout
when scrutiny Indeed fhe erernitv of the fnfnre
must forever remain sealed book Standing "a
we DO between these two eternities Onr view
limited 10 a narrow thongh Uradnalv wIdeninc
horizon. as nature unveils her mysteries IN nnr
inoulries An lnfnIty snreads out in either d,rec
ton an infinrty OF minuteness no less Than an
iDfnity OF immensely; Tor hitherto attempts to
reac a a .ae uitaSe o, molecules , nave proved as
Now man. the nObiest WORK OF creation. the nniv
reasoning creature, standing alone in the midst OF
sIS xass see SEA- y. a 'rutnmuiumate
causes only tnrown farther back as proximate
problems are solved-man In the study Of man,
a,u, 1o,iow nis researches IN oOJh OF these
deed derive his whole kno Wedge of what man ia
and WIN be from what he has been. Thus It is
sssnnes the yrandesp nronort,ons H Wia ~
this light there is not q feature OF primitive
humanity wlthout signincance; there is not a Gus.
mean or reyoIt,nG to NJ. rom Wsch ,mnorssnt