The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-14

ing such costly luxury, so complex cr"h-
turc as JAY GOULD must bc moved by other
impulses also; and time, which solves 50
many riddles, has at last supplied an an
swcr to this.
II seems then, that by taste and inclina-
ton, as cvnced in the aspirations of his
youth and the accomplishment of his carly
manhood, JAY GOULD is not stock
gambler. He is n literary man; and getting
rich 10y speculation il only his second nature
We have before US n work bearing the inn
print of kEENy GOULD Roxbury, 1856, and
entitled n lIistoryo of Delaware County and
Border Wars of New York. including some
account of the anti-rcnt difficulties. with
other matter never before published" all by
JAY GOULD. The volume Is a large octave
Of some four hundred pages, and the con-
tents, whether We look to substance or form,
will richly reward the student of human
nature. 1t is plain ON the most cursory
pcrusal that in his earlier aud better
years the author of this history frank
ly accepted literature as his natural
vocation. and brought to it all the ac-
quircmcnt which patient attendance at
country school could furnish. From the
outset he shows himself person of distinct
if not original convictions on political and
social questions. and of lively sympathy
for the working CLASSES tempered by judi
cious esteem for capital. He discovers too,
on all occasions nice and cdifying morality,
and is not devoid. AZ We shall -ae. of u raa-
sonahle appreciation of the beauty which
dwells In the female form.
II is we'll known that preface Is by no
means the most easily written portion of a
hook ltf Inr. IL ,k.tII lao I,I hat
GOULD has acquitted himself crcditably.
at il usual" he informs us for authors
in the preface to their productions to cite TO
the reader all the good qualities Of their
writings. and especially those which their
own maginations suggest, and which, I'M
less mentioned might otherwise have been
passed over unnoticed" After this cxor-
dium. which the reader will perceive is not
untincturcd with irony, Mr.. GOULD modest.
~ protests that " from this ancient e-tab-
lshcd usage of writers he shall dcviate
for various reasons He does not claim
that his work is free from error. He does
""i even vindieatc Tor himself any honor for
ho,.,n,, ~. as he neatly words it. "thc
tcn.,nIe - a., ms, On this head he on
largcs with pleasing cando. me having
9ihlllA NOAd WHAT RNlA'A0 hhN' wv
from implying that had we been placed In
the same situation and affected by the same
circumstances. we would have acted the
same noble part"
Rising 10 the level Of his theme and alive
to its large significance. Mr.. GOULD opens
his historical view of Delaware county
with bit Of deep philosophy. His
tory" he tells us, with the more and more
extensive meaning acquired by the advance
mcnt Of civilization, by the diffusion of cdu
cation. and by the elevation of the standard
of human liberty, has expanded into n
grand and beautiful science Our author
goes on TO elucidatc this thought, pointing
out that a careful study of history teaches
that the virtues of the good man are held in
sacred emulation by his countrymen for
ages succeeding. long after the scythc Of
time has gathered the earthly remains of
the actor TO the silent grave. Such
thoughts he adds, "or, rather, such re-
Elections as these. inspire within the human
bosom an ardent desire TO attain that which
is good and shun that which is evil. an
honest and laudablc ambition 10 become
both great and good, or. as another has
beautifully written, great only as We are
goodw
In tracing the chronicles OF his native
county Mr.. GOULD is constrained to ex-
anime the American Revolution, and we
must find space for an eloquent passage in
which he defines the character of that strug-
gle "The prophecy had gone forth, and
the proud aristocrats Of England jealous of
their power and benumbcd TO every noble
feeling of compas sion or justice like PHA-
q had kni
DEGREES 10 conquer by compulsion and force
what kindness and mutual feeling could
alone beget." But, as J. G. acutely re-
marks, 4" to England this was fatal step,
but they either saw their error too late or
were too proud to retrace their steps, and
the fatal snare they had carefully adjusted
for another was sprung literally upon them
selves; the same impromptu that caused
Englshmen to usurp an unjust power
caused Englishmen In America to rebel"
This Is vigorously argued and We note
many graces of expression which have been
familiar to readers of the Tribune for the
last few years, and which they have hither-
to been wont 10 attribute exclusively to the
Powerful Mind of Mr.. GoULD's young editor.
The answering loyalty of Mr.. GOULD to
the cause of justice and fair dealing has led
him to rchuke with a certain acrimony the
excuses Of the Ant-Rent party in the trou-
bles of lSi4. In connection with one of those
| outbreaks an interesting item Of autobiogra-
| ply Is offered us. 1t seems that "A com
pany Of Anti-Rrnters, disguised as Indians,
proposed ON a given day to mete out to Mr..
| JOHN H. GOULD, the estimablc parent of our
author, II coat of tar and feathers. The eX-
citing scene is thus described: "The sun
had just arrived at the meridian when, Il
favorable opportunity presenting itself the
signal whoop was given, and the savage
horde sprung from their hiding places, and,
with demon-like yells, rushed up and sur
rounded Mr.. GOULD, who was standing with
his little son in the open air in front of the
house We" pursues our historian, with
pardonable Willingness TO identify himself
with scene 50 thrilling, 1--WE We're that SON"
We have said that Mr., GoULD's fancy Is
not nsensble to female charms. We find
agreeable proof of this in his narrative of
TIMOTHY MURPHY's adventures, and in the
| oil, In xrlti ,al, h.. a. l.