Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-05-06
Johnson's Cyclopedia-Basis OF Its Claim,
to Popular Favor.

Johnson's Cyclopedia-Basis OF Its Claims
to Popular Favor.
There are certain tests, which, applied
to everything, prove them. The first point
IN book is its author. 1t has become
maxim that only a good strong man
can write good strong book, and when
the strongest men in nation conspire
as editors to produce Cyclopedia, fail
ure is lmpessible-.a master piece inevita-
bic. This must be the first impression of
one making an examination of the VOL
umes of Johnson's Universal before US.
On the title page he sees the names Of
President F. A. P. Barnard of Colum bia
College, aud Arnold Guyot CT Princeton,
as editors-in-chief-th one the brightest
general scholar in America and hence best
fitted tor the first place on the editorial
staff, the other Of equal reputation in his
sphere. With these men he finds asso.
ciated such others as Ex-President Wool
ssy of Yale, at the head Of the depart
ment Of Public Law and Intercourse
Of Nations; Geo. P. Marsh, at that of
English and Foreign literature; Presi-
dent lie Conte Of the University of Cali.
fornia, editing general physics, and sta
tistics of the Pacific Coast; Philip Schaff,
at the head of the department Of Eccle-
siastical History and Biblical Litera.
ture; Asa Gray of Harvard, in charge
of the department of botany; Alexan
der H. Stephens, editing southern geogra.
ply, history and statistics; and so on
through the long list of thirty-seven most
distinguished scholars in as many prom.
inent departments. These thirty-seve
names have been admirably selected with
reference to the peculiar fitness Of each
to stand at the head of the department
1t represents, and are alone guarantee
of the real value ana accuracy of this
work. II is altogether unlikely, 40 we
have SAID, that such men could give their
labor and reputation to Cyclopedia like
this and not have it pre-eminent among
works of its class.
But the editors are only committee Of
introduction, one might say, to the long
list Of contributors whose names are fa-
miliar throughout the whole scholarly
world. They represent not only this
hemisphere but the Eastern also. Where
ever man could be found, whose spec
isl knowledge of a subject was desirable,
he seems to have been secured. We no.
ticed the names Of Prof. Tyndall, of E. G
Ravenstein, Prof r. A. Proctor Of the
Royal Observatory, London, Prof. Curtius
Of Berlin, and many other specialists from
abroad; while America furnishes her best
names as we'll: for instance, Civil and
Municipal Law is under the supervision
of DR.. Dwight Of Columbia Law School,
but he has been assisted by such eminent
specialists ~ John Norton Pomeroy,
David Dudle Field, Charles F. Maclean
and others. In Astronomy, Father P. A.
Secchi Of Rome, writes stars, Prof. Young
the sun, Alexander the moon, Proctor the
planets, Watson the asteroids, and &C
throughout al the astronomical subjects.
In biography we have such contributor.
a. 4. H. Stephens, John G.. Whittier
James Parton, William Cullen Bryant
Pres. Anderson, Charles Francis Adams
Col. Higginson, Wendell Phillips, and
Others equally well known. In medicine
we find contributions from DR.. Willard
Parker, Abram Jacob, E. Darwin Hud
son, DR.. Edward Smith, and eminen
men Of all the schools. And thus VI
might run through all the numerous de
partments, and then the work would need
be seen and examined to have its full
worth at all appreciated. Whenwe con.
slider, too, that all these eminent writer
hrve signed the articles written by them
We have til . value OF the work still mos
Increased.
We cannot better close this brief notice
than with the following local testimoni
Ial, which may be succeeded by other brie
notices and testimonials hereafter:
From quite . thorough examination q
"Johnson's Universal Cyclopedta," fron
the distinguished names Of the contribr
tors Of Its various articles, and from tn
numerous testimonials in, Its favor froT
the most eminent and scholarly men {
I the day, ! am thoro ushly convincet
that for ordinary and general nee, tits th
best work Of ito kind.
G. Z. WRIaHT.
: AUSTIN, Mimi, May Sd, 1850.