The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-24
LITERATURE.
BRYANr's HISTORY CT THE UNITED STATES.
ny SJDNEy now nm CAV

Aue scconu voiume OF "bryant5 Popular dlstOry o
the United sates Charles scrionoi's sonsl early
copy OF which lies before us, all that its publishers
have promised. Mr.. Bryant, az will be rsmembersd'
wrote the elaborate preface TO the first volume and
read all the proof sheets OF that and the present
volume. The book Is written by Mr.. Sidney
Howard Gay, vigorous writer and careful student
who has long been ably assisted in his researcher
by III. John Weiss and Mr. Edward L. Burngama
This work is not as the general public ght suppose
from the title. "popular," simply compilation from
other histories but every page of It Ia taken from
original sources and the whole put together by Mr..
Gay as to give complete and graphic history. In
ost instances he s fuller In his OF striking
events than other historians We do mean TO
say that us full accounts have not been published
but they have appeared in monographs and
papcrs of historical societies. ana have never
been woven into one history before. Tho
most noticeable feature OF this volume is The manner
which tho question OF the Now England ?urtans II
treated. Mr. Gay handles THIS subject as it has sell
dom II before been handled He does not attempt
10 gloss over atrocities Of this religious Sect but
tells the plain unvarnshed truth about them, which
Paifrey In his .'Hstory of Now England, and other
writers have attempted to conceal or defend. Ths
Purtans OF Massachusetts Bay limited them
doctrine "frecdom of thought and liberty Of
science" to trhat measure of truth, by no means
small indeed, TO which they attained. II was, they
peHovcd, oOeuence 10 inc nigneSt law ot tno human
soul to 20 far they went 1t heresy to 60 be-
yond. They not only would not admit that freedom
OF thought and OF conscience could lsgimatoIy lead
TO any other conclusions than those they had
reached but they would not admit that such freedom
would go further and test the justice OF those conclu
sons Moro than this, they insisted that any couclu.
differing from their own were full OF dis.
may ana disaster, aud they denied tue possibility
OF coming to other result by any logical process
OF thought whatever. Accordingly, they believed
those deserving OF the severest condemnation who
maintained any doctrine which, according TO the con.
sruction they chose to upon It, was nischievous
however vehemeutly those holding that doctrine
might repu date such construction and such deduc-
tons. They assumed. therefore, not merely to
punish tho propagation OF error evidently confessed
OF evil intent; they were not Tess eager to Walt
with severe penalties any doctrine which others
might hold t. be truthful and beneGcent, but from
which they By some Ingenious could
deduce possible civil offence or religious heresy
II 10 the last degree minded and, as mar
row mindeduess always Is, absurd. But these people
werc not the less because they wore iniol-
Grant Bigotry, though It DO over so cruel, Ii not
necessarily dishonest and there can be no rational
doubt that these Puritan bgots wore for the most
part uprIgh, and CONSCIENTIOUS They had braved the
pains and peris Of cxiic from homes and country
most dearly loved to secure their own nalienable
rights, and they felt to the very marrow OF their
bones tho persecution from which they had fed. That
which gained the more precious for the price
that paid for It, and they could not ntsrmit their
vigilance In guarding possession that had cost 80
much. II the weakness Of passion sometimes
blunted tho finer OF justice this Is only to say
that these vero humaa-that great suffering had
not taught them perfect charity. But either they
would could not recognize the fact that because
they had gone far and opened the way others would
inevitably insist upon going farther; that the limit
to thouont and to freedom In matters civil and
religious, which thoy set up, would not ~
accepted by others because they themselves
satisfied that only danger and darkneso lay be-
You'd. There was reason enough in their own circum.
and their relations to the mothor country
for exercise OF the utmost lest liberty should
become license; but It behooved them OF all men TO
mako no mistake In drawing the dividing limo between
license aud liberty. II they feared tho harvest was
TO DO OF thorns they should remember that was OF
the tree thoy planted, and remembering this they
should doubted OF such thorns they should have
reflected that IT, when the fruit DO gathered, It should
be found not sharp and bitter, but Of exceeding
sweetness aud whoesomoness, what madness It would
have the the root OF the ec that bore
It, No faith could have beon moro profound nor In.
deed logical, II resting on sure foundation
than that OF these Boston Puritans In their own
righteousness They believed that the Almighty
Power which created aud governed the universe,
unseen elsewhere and Of other men, manifested IT.
self vsby and unmistakaby for their protection and
In appreciation OF their lives and actions II was,
perhaps only select few who recognized In Ill its
marvellous majesty this impondency OF tho Divine
presence; to common people yet subject to tempta-
ton and liable sin, GOD may have seemed, as He
docs always to ordinary mortas, afar or But to
those who did 500 it this visible i'm minence OF tho
cd in At
wise seem trivial fortultous, as well as
In great evcuts, had awful meaning
and exercised over their existence an
Irresistible and commanding influence. Lilo
must needs have been very stern and sombrs thing
10 men who believed themselves to BIO standing face
to face with Coo, to have entered INTO HIS counsels
to be Joined by Him the same work or justified In
all they did by constant revelations Of His viii or
warned by significant pupishments OF His displeas-
ure They ieit quite rs intensely and dcvoutiy AZ
men generally feol that tho will and the law Of the
Infinite Creator governed everywhere and always
omniscient in a universe without bounds, omni-
present IN an eternity without beginning and
without end. But TO them there was q sense OF o
personal Divine presence which had another and
more overwhelming meaning. God himself was al-
ways and personally IN Boston," In chapters ILL.,,
w., " and XVI will be found as clear and far an
idca OF New England Pur,tansm and It's influence NJ
has cvor been written. Chapter WILL deals WIN
ouakersm In New England and Is one OF the strongest
chap,ers In the book We have seldom
read anything more dramatic than the story
OF Mary Dyer. the Quakcress, who was hanged on
Boston Common. Mr.. Gay gives an important nc
count. Of the Swedish settlement on the bsnks OF
the Delaware made IRON heretofore unutilized ma
tcra ana has giving Information that will be new TO
mos, readers curious map accompanies this chap
ter on page l5i.
Tho description OF old New York, beginning ON
page $685. exceedingly graphic, MS Il gives the pres
cnt location of tho old streets and lanes. Chapter
KILL deals with a portion OF our history which
was MS romantic as was important. Wo
retsr to the Bacon instruction in Virginia IN 1879.
wulch was muterna OF the storm that burst jnss
century later In any other country Nathaniel Ba-