Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-10-30
Universal Information Condensed.

Universal Information CONDENSED
|. Coudense, condense, is the liter
ary watchword of the times. Tht
day of prolix sermons, of ponder
GUS editorials, and diif'use treatises
is substantially passed. 70 th,
press, the pulpit and the lyceun
alike, the earnest popular mandat.
is, be brief. Point, force, pungency
order, grace, elegance aud beauty
of expression-great are these
among literary virtues, but Creates
of all is brevity. The quick wittec
public is learning very fast tha
real literary work Is not com pos
ing, but condensing. Ideas, in or
der to be current now, must &c
forth like new coin-compact
shapely, and accurately classified
50 that the exact nature and value
of each one may be seen and recog-
nized at glance.
In the spirit of these observations
we undertake to mention, in as
brief space aa possible, the charac-
ter and merits of great literary
achievement, which is itself an IL
lustration Of the foregoing para.
graph. 1t is called Johnson's Uni
versal Cyclopedia, the agent for
which is now in town and intends
to give this town thorough can.
-ass.
After carefully examining a few
OF the many important and novel
features of this work, we regard 1t
as exactly the book for busy,
pushing, go-ahead people, like
those of this State, who want the
pith of everything with as little
trouble as possible. A complete set
of this work, in four volumes, will
occupy but little more than two
square feet on the table of q
student, editor or business man,
and will hardly cucumber the CEN
ter table of familys
The first two volumes contain
over 1900 pages each, treat 80, ,o0C
subjects, have about 2000 illustra-
tions anu many valuable maps and
plans. At the close of the history
aud statistics of each State in the
Union is @ table of her Governors
and all the electoral and popular
votes she has cast for PRECEDENT.
Valuable as are these facts, they
are not TO be found in any similar
work. The Declaration of Inde-
pendence, Constitution of tie
United States and Emancipation
Proclamation are given in full.
Charles O'Conor, of New York,
writes on Democracy, which sub
ject and important documents are
not mentioned i'll the American.
Johnson's is q handbook of Amer
lean law on the most important
points, T. w. Dwight and Presi.
dent Woolsey, of Yale College, be-
ing the authorities. The depart
ment OF medicine is prepared by
Professors Willard Parker, Abra-
ham jacob aud Flint, three of the
ablest physicians in the United
States.
On all religious matters tha work
is strictly impartial, coniining it.
self to the uaquestioned facts,
tersely stated. DR.. Whedon writes
on Arminianism, Prof. Hodge on
Calvinism, President Anderson oil
Baptists and Baptism, and Hui &c
on Presbyterianism.
The biographical feature Is very
full and complete. 1t tells in a f. "
words just what u Cyclopedia
shou!d-the date of mans birth
aud death Qf dead), where he lived
and what he did.
In geography this work is far
ahead of anything of its kind yet
published. Mr.. Johnson Is the
publisher OF the best maps extant,
and those which adorn this work
were prepared by him expressly.
Scientific subjects are written ny
| by such men as Richard Proctor,
Secretary Of the Royal Astronnmi-
cal Society of London, John Tyn.
dali, Professors VIM. d. Whitney,
E. l., Youmans, Asa Weary, Hitch.
cock and others.
AS compared with other eye ope-
dias we believe its information is
more clearly and tersely given
The subjects are. classified anG
treated under different heads,
thereby greatly enhancing is
value, while the authority of the
most important articles is PLACED
beyond a doubt by having the
writer's name appended. For ex-
ample, under the subject "Acous
tics" we first have the definition
and theory of sound; then follows
under a separate head "Velocity O
the Sound Waves" next "Rehec.
ton ami Refraction of Souni;''
"Lensth of Sound-waves" "Cause
Of Discord;' "The Voice" aud
last of all under this topic, "rht
Ear" The subject occupies sever
pages, has twelve Illustrations, aut
the name of o. N. Rood, Professor
Of Physics in Columbia College
appended as the author. IL is a,
compact piece Of literary work al
we ever saw. Throughout, thu
work bears evidence OF hydraulic
pressure. Each article appears t.
have come from an inteilectua
condenser, where super1uities ant
dross have been thoroughly eliml
mated.
Very much more might be sal,
OF this work, but enough has beer
said to open the way TO Mr.. Slim
son, the soliciting agent, whom w
commend TO every person he ma.
| f.,l