Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-12-08

and Popular Treasury of Useful knowledge.
Illustrated with Maps, Plans. and Engray
ings. Editors-in Chief. +. \. L. Barnard
LID. etc. President of Columbia College
y. y: Arnold Guyot, LID, etc, Professor
OF Geology and Physical Geography College
of New Jersey. With large corps of emf
nent assistant editors. With numerous con
ributions from writersof distinguished emf
inence in every department OF Letters ANA
Science in the United States and Europe
In four volumes including appendix. New
York: A. j. johnson 4 Co tThrough +. [.
Fsirchild, agent for the District of Column
bia. box All, post office, Washington, ID. c.
This work was designed to carry out Horace
Greeley'S favorite idea of Busy Mans Cyclic
pedia, or a Handbook of Universal knowledge
which should supply in compacc serviceable
form the information which had To be sought
through many series of gaZetterS. biographical
dictionaries and ponderous many volumed
cycl0pedias of the class of the Encyclopedia
Britannica, the Encyclopedia Metropolitan
Sc. The expense and labor involved in a
publication of this kind deferred many
of the leading publishing houses of the
country from undertaking it. but the task was
finally assumed by Mr.. \. J. Johnson, a put
Usher, whose tact and enterprise had already
been displayed in the successful issue of Seye-
raj important works. aliases maps. etc, in
Nolving large outlay and untiTing labor. Mr..
johnson was on intimate terms OF friendship
with Mr.. Greeley, and seems 10 have entered
upon the execution of the Greeley conception
OF a convenient reliable, comprehensive. and
authoritative book of reference, with intelli-
sence and energy. Mr. Greeley outlined the
cyclopedia, and took a warm personal interest
in its progress. The last article of any import
ance he ever wrote was for this work; that
under the title The Confederate States
The plan pursued in the execution of this
great work was to secure the services OF
large body of eminent scholars and specialists
Tor the preparation Of original articles upon
all the important topics treated these articles
TO be signed with the name of the writer, thus
afording the reader the means OF knowing
Just what degree of weight To attach to the
data presented. President Barnard. of Column
bia College. New York. and Professor Arnold
GuyOt, OF Princeton College, were selected as
editors. with twenty-nine associate editors of
exceptional qualifications, and six assistant
editors of capacity. Further, to insure method
and precision, particular members of the edi-
toral corps We're intrusted with and made re
spOnsIble for the particular departments be
longing TO their field of special knowledge
Thus to Prof. Joseph Henry of the Smith
SOnian Institution, was assigned the depart
ment OF meteOrOl0gy. electricity and mag
netism to Prof. Schaff, ecclesiastical history;
to Prof Henry Drisler, Grecian and Romanlit-
erature Ito Hon. Geo. L. Marsh, English and for
eign literature: TO Prof. Theodore w. Dwight.
municipal, ciyiland cOnStitutiOnallaw TO Pres
ident Noolsey, public law, intercourse of ma
tions, etc. to President LIE COnte, general
physics, statistics Of the Pacific coast. etc. to
DIR. GuyOt, physical geography, foreign geOg-
raphy and cimatology: To President Barnard
mathematics, applied science, education. etc;
W lti- chemistry ana IIS dilDiiCI-
tons: 10 Prof. Asa Gray. botany and yegeta-
Bile physiology TO Prof. Newberry. geology and
pa!Iontology; to DIR. Willard Parker, medi-
cine, surgery. the collateral sciences, etc;
American churches, CDR. Abel Stevens.
DR. II D; Wh,edon, DR.; 4. A; Hodge,
doctrine, biographies, etc, of their several
denominations: to Ma OrEeneral Barnard,
military engineering, science and material of
war. military biography etc. and to Commo-
| ION nj LnE M n. al n.1-a ii
construction, navigation, naval biographies,
etc, etc. These gentlemen gave their atten-
tion either to the preparation of articles in the
range of subjects committed TO their care,
or TO securing contributions to them from
competent persons, which contributions re-
ceivGd close supervision al their hands. In this
way the services of over five hundred writer's
| OF reputation IN science art or literature
have been employed, and the result is q cycio-
re,'ia tina; is al once full, fresh and exact, and
which, through the perspicuity with which the
| subjects are treated by writer's who knew what
| they were writing about, and how TO state that
| knowledge with precision, is really what Gree
| icy conceived to be the desideratum a hand
| book Ot universal knowledge, ena bling the busy
| man at glance to get precise Information
in any possible branch of inquiry. The work
| With al its abundance of wood cuts color-d
| MAPS, I'd, Illustrating the text, and with its
| many hundreds OF fresh titles treated, is com
| pressed into four volumes of not incOnvenient
| size. distinctive feature OF the work is its
| very full and fresh information as a gazetteer
| Some may think this feature too prominent
| but probably il is desirable that ii this branch
| OF information is given at all it should be
complete. The biographical notices have
| also fullness in number. not usual
| in q cyclOpedia, but the value of this
| man who has occasion to ascertain with
| out labOriOus research, something about the
! career of any individual prominent i'm any
sphere OF thought or action. The work strikes
one as essentially American in its thoroughly
| practical. business character: its direct grasp
OfesSential facts, land prompt lection of all the
rather than clear UP the abstract subjects
| upon which they treat. Ii is also Of special
| value to Americans, because American sub
| jects are treated with exceptional fulnesS, ac-
| cuTacy and freshness. Though this cyclOpedia
| will not diSplace all other cyclOpedias it will
| be found an indispensable in every well
equipped library. and where but one cyclOpe-
dia is to be relied on for general ready use, We
think this is the best.