The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-06
THE UNITED STATES.
! Comprehensive History by
William Cullen Bryant.
Tracing Out the Discovery and Development
Of Our Country.


A POPULAR HISTORY or ruR UNITED STATES, from Tho
FIRST Discovery Of the Western Hemisphere by the
Mortimer to the End OF the FRS, Century OF the
Union Of the States, preceded by sketch OF the
ers by William Cullen Bryant and sydney Howard
Gay Vol !. Fully illustrated New York: Serb
ner. Armstrong 4 Co. 1870.
Such is the title OF ofthe important books
ever published America. or histories OF the United
States thcrc are no end but thorc that have
aimed and attained the result OF the present volume
1t was happy thought OF tho publishers Mr.
Bryant write their great history, and i will be tho
GROWING effort Of tho veteran poets life. This FIRST
volume has been under way for TWO years. aud there
Is not limo In IL that has not passed
through Mr. Bryant's hands, notwithstanding
the ability OF HIS ASSISTANTS. II has been
the object OF tho authors and publishers make this
history TO tho United States what Knights is to Eng
lana, and Judging by tho first volume we should say
they had made successful beginning. No pains or
expense have been spared in letterprcss or llusra
tons the careful personal research has been
made IN collecting new and authoritative material.
Twenty-Five thousand dollars IS low estimate of the
OF this volume or the 63s pages which COM
pose the volume 222 are Illustrated Five of these
pages steel plates and twelve full page and all
made expressly for this work. Tho frontispecc Is a
line portrait OF Mr. Bryant, which Is work OF art and
perhaps tho best effort Of its famous engraver. Mr..
Charles Burt few Of the illustrations made by
tho celebrated French artist. Emil Bayard who Illus
trated "India' so magniAcently Among tho American
artists represented arc Thomas Moran, W. l.. shcp-
pard, A. BicrstadL G. II. Boughton J. ID. Woodward,
Z. A. Abbey, A. r. waud, G. G. White, Sol Eytingc,
Granville Perkins, winsow Homer Miss Hallock,
Francis Iathrop and others comprising some OF our
best known landscape and figure painters An anayt.
and chronological index combined rs Of tho Ina
portant features OF the book.
The first chapter OF the present volume Is statement
the modern discovery Of the evidence Of the existence
OF the prehistoric and tho prcscnt scientific
that question. The application OF this evidence tho
Eastern Hemisphere made to the Western, the In i
tention being show that thorc many for
supposing that the prmcval man had existence
this Continent as well others; that the copper
coored savaeo found here three ago not
necessarily that prmcval man; that the supposition
that this copper colored savage coming hero compara
lively ttlo while ago from Asia, tho first is
highly improbable.
The second chapter is sort OF monograph OF tho
mound builders and Ii illustrated from photographs OF
specimens In tho collection In the possession OF
the WISCONSIN Historical Society and never before
engraved II brings together and groups the evidence
their work, their renains and their character so
\ far as there is any indication OF u and pre-
| scnts them az = race with nothing IN common
with the North American Indians aud IN all probability
| long preceding them The two chapters attempt
4
world iii il WAS discovered by Columbus and to show
that IL had It's human interest just much the rest
the ana new S Sn 20 % h
stories pro Columbian times whether true alse
but which have been and are believed in The Column
binn chapters show what II was that Columbus meant
10 ind what led him in hts Search and what 10 tho
day Of his death he thought he had discovered. HIS
character and looked NJ in ana mp0r.
tant light II 10 also shown on new authority now
America came by It's name the authors have been
largely assislcd their work by the discovery Of
val %
too highly Of work which shows on the lace OF IL the
evidence OF so much search and labor
The style In which tho book Is written graphic and
graceful and never for moment Dull
In an elaborate preface Mr. Bryant summarizes tho
subject on which he writes and gives valuable essay
on OF the past century His conclusions
in the main just and always honest He dwells at
length subject OF slavery and Its attendant evils
In Concluding this subject he saysssrhc champions
OF slavery on sIde--abl3 and skilled In the
expodsn.s Of party warfare and 10 many instances COS
champions Of the slave ON tho othcr-fearIcss aud
ready for tho mariyrdom which they sometimes
suffered their faculties exalted by OF danger
can now they and their acts pass In review before
tho historian, DO Judged with . degree Of calmness
belonging d new era OF our political existence"
In speaking Of the elects Of tho late civil war he
| says
| the instances Of detection Tho public vigilance was
directed asans, every person IN pscuniary trust
themselves suddenly In the custody or the law, and
Others fearing that their turn night come pru-
IL was 20 dangerous for public TO make slip
| his accounts Investigation became the order OF the
d.y ana a considerable part or the contents OF every
daily paper consisted OF tho proceedings Of committees
formed tor examining into the accounts OF men who
held pccunary trusts. As hrsl slshs seemed as y me
ton clear that II was growing better process
OF purgaton gong on; dishonest men were stripped
OF the power OF dong further mischief and branded
with disgrace and men OF whom better hopes were
entertained put their place. The narrative OF these
nqucs could properly stop short Of the punish
men, which overlook the offenders and which, whilo
II makes lesson u their otherwise worthless lives
Instructive vindcaes 10 some extent the character OF
Tho nation nj largo
| In conclusion ne says
In writing tho history Of the only great nation
on Tho globe the beginnings OF which arc fully
recorded in contemporary writings, and tor which
are not compelled, IN other cases. grope In the
darkness oil tradition the authors Of this work have
ascendcd 10 proper sources tue ancient records
| tl,cnscivcs the narrative has been drawn mme
diately from these writings aud by them has every
statement and date Of early history been verified
For the later periods the materials are OF course vol
luminous and crcumsiantiai. 10 embarrassment.
We are not without the hope that those who
SO have viii IN tho past with all It's vciss
tudes aud with all our own shortcomings, the promise
o, n PROSPEROUS and honorable iuturc Of concord nj
home and race respect abroad and that the
cheerful pcsy which leads tho good put per-
sonal trus, IN KIND Providence will prompt the good
citizen to cherish equal confidence regard the
dcs,iny reserved Tor our beloved country.
| There l. no doubt Mr.. Bryant when he
sars:-.wc have eudravorcd 10 dvcst ourselves whilo
engaged IN this task Of all local and every
nuence which might affect the :partality OF the mar
raiyc."
Alter dcvoting chapter TO tho subject Of pre- historic
man in general The authors say, However strong may
be the probability oil the Asatc gin OF tho North
American Indians, bchird them appears another race
which must have been displaced by hat Monaghan
migration. II here as elsewhere there
ancient than has hitherto been supposed, We can no
longer look upon the Western Hemisphere solitary
| and uuuropled unknown and useless to man TIL he,
grown old IN the East numerous cnongh aud TAR
enough advanced In intelligence and wants 10 wander
abroad upon the face Of The earth IN search Of new
home =
The subject Of the mound buildcrs Is one OF the
greatest interest only the historian but TO the
general reader The authors have evidently been
IMAM ordinarily interested III their research ON this sub
jrcl We quote -
.rhc North American Indians are. rs race, in
higher plane of culture than ney 300 years ago
II they have any Inherent capabihty Tor rrogrcs1-f
they could had tncy remained ISOLATED and
have ever raised themselves above tho conditions OF
the second age OF stone implements that progress
arrested whom they into sub)cction anot her
aud higher u has bccn easy enough 10 lnten