Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-04-21
lnnlS Notices.

, n. y. We do not read unsigned letters.
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Book Notices.
HISTORY or THE UNITED STATES.
BY T. BENJAMIN Andrews. President or
Brown University. Two Volumes.
This IS another Of the many attempts
TO compress the history Of the United
States into small compass. 1T proposes 10
trace the political evolution Of the coun-
try. and TO give the social culture, habits
and life OF the people. 1t IS written by
a man Of undoubted attainments, who Is
a master OF good English. and who has
endeavored TO give TO each period its pro-
per notice lie makes most prominent the
epoch Of the adoption Of the United States
Constitution as the most important period
OF our history--a fact not always noted by
historians. The author belongs TO the
school Of higher criticism, and 1t is in
teresting to ses how one who proposes
10 revise and discrodit much Of the Bible
by his superior power TO discover truth
deals with the facts Of history which rest
| on more recent eyidence-in fact, on evil
| dence within the reach of men OF ordi-
| nary intelects The author tells us in his
| preface that his work, while pro-
! nouncedly national and patriotic. is care
| ful to be perfectly fair and kind TO the
| people of all sections No doubt. he
SO intended. but let us see whether he
! accomplished his purpose. At page % of
| the first volume we are told: slavery en-
! cOuraged incidence and savagery of habit
and nature. Virginian slaves, however,
| were better treated than those further
South. They were tolerably clothed, fed.
1 g.nx
Virginia society before the late war re-
cognze this picture? Were her people
indolent and savage, and her slaves only
to!ersbly clothed. ftd, and housed?
Again. at page lsl OF this volume the
author begins his account Of the American
Revolution. He treats OF the stam2-act,
and describes its effect on the Col0nists
as like that Of bomb in a powder-maga-
zine He nowhere mentions the Virginia
resolutions against the act, which I'M
doubtedly aroused the Colonies; and. of
course, does not mention the fact that
without these the COlOni9s would have
submitted to the act.
Nor have We any mention Of the ex-
petition under George Rogers Clark sent
out by Virginia, which secured to her
the great Northwest. and which she after
wards gave to the United States.
The authors ideas Of the protection
thrown over the slave States by the
United States Constitution may be judged
by a passage at page 3ij Of this volume.
He says Of the struggle over the admis-
sion of Missouri: Now begun also that
policy of brayado by which Cor sixty
years the friends OF slavery bullied their
opponents into Shameful inacton upon
that accused thing. politically as well
as morally. which was so nearly 10 cost |
the nation its life"
the second volume we are told in refer
ence to the secession movement of 1861:
Virginia and Tennsss ( were finally car
RED. by the aid of troops. who swarmed
In from the seeded States. and turned
the elections into a farce. Cnionists IN
the Virginia convention were given the
choice TO vote secession, leave, or De
hanged"
If these specimens are the results of tn
higher criticism, we may well add II 10
the evils against which the IAtany prays
deliverance.
These volumes have much merit in
many respects, but as for fair treatment
of the South. they are failures. IL does
not seem that a northern man can as
yet rise to this height.
HOW SHALL THE RICH ESCAPE? by |
DR. T.. 5. Billings, Founder ana Late
Director of the Patho-Biological Labo-
braska. Published BY the Author. Bos-
ton: Arena Printing Company. 1891.
Everybody has heard of the funny Josh
Billings; but there is nothing funny about |
this DR.. Billings. unless it be that his |
serious excuses become rather amusing. !
He has himself saved us the trouble, in |
part, OF characterizing his work as ii |
deserves. knowing what an outrageous |
assault he was assaying upon all that |
Is regarded by the best civilization Of the |
latter part of the nineteenth century as |
conservative. salutary, and uplifting, he, |
by way OF anticipation, says:
Undoubtedly the 'rankeSt heresy and |
boldest inhdeli.y that has yet been |
preached 10 fallen man is in these
pages"
Later on he says: Il have. however.
suffered so much ostracism and tyrannical
abuse for being true 10 myself that the |
piling on of a few more fagots cannot in
crease the debt l owe 10 the traditional
ignorance and political corruption OF this
country"
His work is not only inndel and irreve-
rent, but blatantly blasphemous He says
that Jesus Christ was an Anarchist, and
a cowardy one-not as commendable as
Johann Most and his ilk. He says God is
dubs as fetiches whatever good and true
men hold valued and sacred. Hence the
Declaration OF independence, the Const-
tuition OF the United States, and even
the Just Difference which representatives.
in free government have for the wishes
of their constituents are all fetiches.
His bent, IL not his forte, is yitupera-
tion and abuse. He abuses everybody
and everything except Charles Darwin.
Thomas Paine. and himself. and his own
materialism and So
cialsm. AS 10 the former. he claims to
follow the genius Of undetued mate
rialism." Then. even in his view, there
must be corrupt materiali.m. AS 10
the latter. he lays hold OF only 'intelli-
gent socialism Then there must be
some that is ignorant. Much OF IL. we
opine, including his own.
He admits that be has changed his
opinions on some important points OF
his own rawlings. AS he threatens long
suffering public with more Of his reck-
less ucubTationS We hope he will expert
ence some further conversions. for no
change In his sentiments can possibly be
for the worse. Here is sample of them:
Il would as soon damn my child to a
house OF prostitution as TO CONCEAL her
Intelligence by sending her TO an Ortho-
dox Sunday school"
lie styles the great apostle to the
Gentiles mat soured brute, Paul. OF
rarsus'; and. again. that sour-hearted
old Greek roue.' We have learned that
Paul, though "A Jew. was free-born Ro-
man; but could speak and write Greek as
well as Hebrew
He does partially spare Grover C,eve-
land and yet. "haus him, too over the
Goals" But he is eminentiy discourteous
10 his Cabinet officer. Secretary Morton,
whom he both abuses and tries to ridi-
cuie. He. however. places the Secre-
tary In excellent company, that OF 1.-THE
father OF political economy" Adam
Smith. Our author boasts that he has
never read THE Wealth of Nations"
nor studied finance. except in his own
independent, Tom Paine manner. Yet, he
has the audacily TO PROFOUND a system
Of national finance. and after virtually
advocating fiat paper-money. has to fail
back upon units Of redemption" that