Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-01-24
a Valuable Book.

History OF the United States from the Ab-
original Times TO the Present Day. BY
John Clark kidpatb, A. NJ. Professor al
History and les-Lettres, Indiana As
bury University. Royal OciasC. Illus
trsted with Maps, Charts, Portraits and
Diagrams. Sold Only by subscription.
Price $500. Jones Brothers & Co., Phil
adeiphia, Chicago auI Cincinnati.
The circumstaniisl detail of 3S4
years-the years that have opened a
new world and created mighty nation
was never given in better style than
in this work. When We look through
the bulky volumes OF BLucrOft We won-
der that one man should attempt TO
write att the history OF our country
when the preliminary portion of 1t take,
up so much space. But se cannot see
that Professor KiJpaih has omitted 3
SINGLE material fact that is contained in
Bancroft, while he has avoided that
tedious detail which units the work of
the latter for popular use. The in
irigues of the English Court and Cabi-
net, the petty squabbles Of the House
of Commons, the rise and fall of parties
in England, which are supposed to have
had an influence on Am-rIcsa affairs,
these are indeed omitted from Prot.
RidpatS's work; but in their stead Is
given a brief and mastery summary Of
the causes which led to the American
Revolution, which We venture 10 say,
conveys better understanding of the
matter to ninety nine in every hundred
readers Take for instance the follow
ing extract
"Another cause leading to the Revolu-
ton ~ss found in the natural ispo.ition and
iahsrifed charaefsr Of The coion.sfs. They
We're, tor the mvst Part, republicans in pol
itics and dissenters in religion. The pco-
pie of England were monirchists and High
Churchmen- The colOuists had never seen
a king. The Atlantic Law between them and
the British ministry. Their dealings vi, h
the ruyai officers had been such As to engen-
der a dislike for mOnarchial institutions.
The people of America had not forgotten-
could not well foTget-the circumstances
under which their ancestors had Gene To
tue kNf" w bth. Tie
cUlunisIs had managed their own affairs !;
and their methods of government were ne
cessariiy republican. The experiences of
ths FreIch and lndihn War had shown that
Americans were fully able to defend them
selves and their country"
As one important cause, is not that
more satisfactory than a volume OF com-
mentary
The authors rare ability to condense
a vast amount of information into a sin.
gle paragraph is shown IN any of bis
numerous, graceful biographies. Take
the following on Benjamin Franklin
"BESJAMfS FRANKLIN. the author of the
first treaty between the United States and
forei gn nation, was born in Boston on the
18th Of January, l1U6. His father was
manufacturer of soap and candles. To this
humble vocation the young Benjsmin was
devoted by his parents; bur the walls OF
candle-shOp were too narrow for his aspir-
ing genius. At the age of twelve he WAS
appreniic-d to his brother to learn the art
OF printing; but the brother beat him, and
he ran of to New York. There he found
no employment. In I723 he required to
PhilaGelphiI, entered a printing office, and
rose to distinction. He vIsitel Eng.and /;
returned founded the fist circulating libra
ry in America; became man OF science :;
edited Poor Rieiarfs -9imanac; originated
the American Philosophical Society; dis
covered the identity of electricity and light
nirg; made hlnsslf known in bpth hemi-
spheres espouse'i the cause vf the pat lots /;
and devoted the uBimpiired energies of his
old age to peri-cting the American Union.
The name oi Franklin is one OF the bright
est In the history of any nation"
In this work Prof. Ridpath has sur
mounted one difficulty which confruuts
all historians TO set forth all the facts,
with fitting comments, without on the
one hand making his work too voluini-
nous for common use, or on the other
making 1t mere Outline Of dry and
disconnected facts
A series Of Charts show the cotem-
porary men and events, and colored
maps illustrate the changes in political
boundaries from tine to time. These
are OF great assistance to the reader.
In short /. is difficult to 6nd a par,lcn.
lar in which this History does not NEE,
every wan. Of the citizen aud patriot
IL Is the work Of cultured mind aud
careful historian, aud must take rank
as the best History of the United
States yet published.