St. Paul daily globe., 1884-12-07
NEW BOOKS.

FIFTY YEARS OBSERVATION OF MEN AND
EVENTS, CIVIL AND MILITARY-By c. ID.
Beyes, Bvt. Brigsdier General U. 5. A.-Pub-
hsbed by Charles 'Seribner's Sons, New York.
For sale by the So. Paul Book and Stationary
company. Price Sl-5O.
A most enjoyable book, full Of sparkling
anecdotes aud "reminiscences. AS in
the after dinner conversation
Of boR-sigaats, who have shared
many perils and adventures, and faced
death many times on land and sea. one story
recalls another. the past comes back with all
its stirring scenes, and friends long gone
over 10 the majority seem once more 10 take
their accustomed seats at The banqnet
Gen. Keyes has brought to take part
in this reunion, Gems. Scott, Taylor,
Worth and Floyd Of the older time, and
Gems. Sherman. Lee, Thomas and Grant Of
the civil war, with hosts Of others. George
Derby, "John Phoenix" the accom- plished
engineer, as well as the humorous writer,
Senator Broderick, Of California. and his
warm friend, Col. Baker, the incorruptIble pa
triot, and, as the most honored guest, sold
Abe" the superior in unselhsh benevolenee
and devotion to the good of his country Of all
the men who have hitherto occupied the chair
Of chief magistrate Of the United States. ''It
goes without saying that such a book would
prove literary feast, especially when the
author adds the rare charm Gen. Keyes pos
sesses of telling a story well. AS book Of
reference this volume possesses much
merit. As confidential military secretary TO
Gen. Scott, who was the head Of
tha army Of tha TTnffad cfata, Fo- -. .,.,-,.
years, and afterwards colonel and brigadier
general. the author enjoyed exceptional ad-
vantages for making observations. The
reader Of Gen. .Scott's Autobiography, wherein
be has written himself down a bombastic,
selfish, revengeful old man, will find some
relieving circumstances in Gen. Keyes' rec
ords. His judgment Of his old chief seems
very fair and impartial, but in other cases it
is often colored by bis prejudices. In the
chapter on Puritanism the author says,
"Another dangerous tendency in Puritan
ism arises from the unabridged, unregulated
right of private judgment in mat
ters of religion, and from the
absolute universally and equality of the
suffrage which inculcates. The Puritan
theories Of benevolence are too sentimental
for me. l would not allow all the idle,
vicious, penniless yagabonds TO vote, es-
pecially the aliens, but 1 would give every
child, however destitute, an opportunity to
learn to read, write and cipher, and every
one, rich aud poor, should be admitted upon
equal conditions to pursue every calling in
life to gain his bread, aud every able bodied
person should work or starve."
Can Gen. Keyes point to any Catholic
country where ''every one, rich and poor, are
admitted upon equal conditions TO pursue
every calling in life to gsiu his breadl'' Do
Catholic Spain or Italy offer such an inheri-
tauce TO their children as Puritan America
Whatever is best in our government or in
stitutions is due to those men ''who we're
bound by terrible dogma, which cannot be
described, and which they call pTiacipls, and
is superior to fear: nor could they be bought
by kings or priests, because they had moth
ing the Puritans valued 10 offer them"
Our system Of government is imperfect
and beset with dangers, but while It gdaran-
tees to every one the largest liberty in the
pursuit Of happiness, and freedom TO worship
God, the descendants Of the Puritans can
justly claim for it the highest place among
the nations of the earth.