New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-08

bepn left at the point OF utdth III NV
turns out as this book shows. that the aaVeh'u'e
,Lad all rho strongest elements OF thrilling story
Tho hunters had some good sport ana testeu wv
or three guns Of novel design. Then one oil 'l'e"
men became disabled by a chronic disease ana III
order 10 get him back civilization they apaH'''e"
the mountain passes and attempted 10 nesce"n u'e
turbulent Clearwater or Kooskooskee River Inc
most interesting part of the book is the descr p'''
~ tho Wild country as yet untouched by the hands
Of any save trappers hunters, prospectors ana IN
dians The descent OF the river. interrupted ny
many rapids exciting. But II was not pro"ip'
enough to save the dying At last the RATS
had to be abandoned at a point where the river
became impossible and there the sick man was
loft 10 die The wanderers did not suffer for lack
Of food until they were unconsciously near new
supply How long the dying man lived AFTER liz
was abandoned and what became Of his pody are
the mysteries OF the book Geographically the ma .
ratve helps to explain portion OF Lewis anu
C,ark's journal Of their famous expedition But II
Is not well told. The illustrations are numerous
and they give better description Of the country
than do the words which accompany them
"pernAr.. pronhecies" the famous little book by
the Ohio farmer. Samuel Benner. has reached us
tenth edition It is published by the Robert clarke
Company Cincinnati Mr.. Benner is far from nope
ful as to a rise in prices encouraging move
ment IN business during the current year.
Il is doubtful II ]. l. NJ. Curry's effort to revise
history for the qualification Of those who were De
feated in Shc Civil War will have much effect on
the writer's Of the future His little book. Inc
Southern States of the American Union Considered
in Their Relations the Constitution Of the United
States and the Resulting Union" G p Putnam
Sons) has in IL too much OF the juvenile argument
you're another" Granting, for tho sake OF argu-
ment that dsunon often threatened at the
North in the days when were still Undecided
and unagreed as to the full meaning OF the Federal
do MT
the South. Granting that slavery had legal ana
constitutional status before the war the fact does
NOT excuse the South for falling to see what all
the world saw. ard what ia fully acknowledged by
Mr. Curry and all those who were once pro-slavery
men that slavery was not merely crlme-this
would matter; crimes do not signify in political
cconomy-but fatal blunder. There is no dispute
a. +, what the makers Of the Constitution would
have chosen unanimously to do with slavery u they
had had the power. no more than there Is ABOUT
the fact Of the Dre1 Scott decision. Granted, again.
that Southern statesmen held position logically
and legally tenablc In demanding the literal fulhl-
n,ent OF tho Constitution. II must still be plain that
The discussion between literalness and liberality
could ~ on only under the Constitution. When the
South said. in effect. II you won't agree TO our
view Of the Constitution. will drop the Consu-
tuition altogether" Il simply abandoned its former
argument and started new one on wholly dlnerent
premises let you drop It," was the natural
answer That there was room for an honest diner
once Of opnlon A. to the manner Of Interpreting the
Constitution can hardly be denied. by the most
rlbd utcralist The mcr. fact that parties were so
evenly divided shows that tho honest men could not
have been all on one side. No blame attaches TO
either PARTY because Of It's position under the CON
siitution Guilt accrued only when comparatively
pelceahic discussion was broken OF by war
Tn. North. {, is to be imagined. AFFORD 10
await tho very la:cst verdict OF history as to the
IDENTITY ~ the party that began the war. Hui'
granting all and NOR" than all that the lh'raiist
.xpounIcrs 81 the Constitution would have de-
rn,rlci In their most 1ourlshing days. what shall
he said Of them when they confesscdly made
ur.,cXf ~ var our " the election % President
whose rights under the Constitution they dill not
,roiouI ., question Tha' WAS tho most extraor-
binary phenomenon IN tho history of tho United
states Mr. curry has unayoiilbiy omitted so many
ro-. ~ JOS. important facts from hts interesting
little book thai 81 surprised - ma IN" South-
o-n grievance over G.ncon's election treated qui'e
fully Here is perhaps. the coolest passage In tho
,.l,rn. -yyhcn the election Of MIR Lincoln became
an established fact notwithstanding tho formal le-
.afy ~ the election. II developed scctionalism so
rr1uluncct and powerful as 20 be able and Wiling
2, organic tho Federal Government apart from and
irrespective - all southern support The southern
states. a. previously and most soiemnly announced
REGARDED tho election involving necessarily the
pcrverslou ~ tho Government from rs originally
limited character. ami the overthrow - all those
guarantees which furnished tho slightest hop" OF
.ou,lv and protection IN the 'irrcpresshc consict
thus prcclpItaici upon the minority section That
Is - say tho party which priiei ts"f on is liter
allsrn vas the nrs, 10 find perfect rnt unmpcach-
able accuracy in formail,ics under the Constitution
oppressive.
.rr,ns.casp.a" ahe Robert Clarke Company. ny
" NJ Shoemaker is q book 81 travel built on the
conventional model II one skipped the illusions 20
tho authors own personal dsr0mforts and worries,
tho difficulties he me- occasionally in getting bath
AMI other incidents ~ that sort. one would ma III
tie else 10 read Bu, the pictures have the charm
Of novelty. and there are some valuable hints Tor
any one who contemplate a similar journey
IN the face q a plump and wemade book Ike
tina, ~ Charles Dex'er Alien on American Book
Plates macmillan n co.. it * useless To ridicui'
the lad" for collecting these private stamps What
makes Il difficult as well useless Is that the
adepts have found a means for ailying their amuse-
r,cni with the tendencies ~ modern science. There
has been an evolution In book plates. and this evo-
luton has kept step less accurately with The
changes I'm ornamental design In other fields for
annie that Of house decoration and furniture II the
Investigation goes back far enough. the book plate
ia found to be the somewhat dubious offspring %
the emblem. and thus one can get TO the blockhook
and all the processes Of meiiaeval allegory without
strainlng his lntellcctu1s overmuch While this
Volume shows that great deal can be said about
American book plates. not much can he said FOR
their originality. Changes In them have followed
lines laid down In Europe At first this was due 10
the fact that the plates were made in the Old World
later IL was due 10 imitation. But In recent years
the tendency to an independent development has
become manifest. Mr.. Aliens volume is remarka
biz complete. He seems not to have allowed any
f,atu Of his theme. however trinng. to escape
scrutiny. Descriptions and pictures follow each
other in bewlldering succession. and even those
who would not 20 out Of their way to have "A book
plate OF their own save used by another
book owner. may confess the attractivencss OF tho
study IN connection with allegoric and symbolic
figures of art in general and engraving In particu-
lar. Nobody can tell what may be the result Of the