The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-17
THE LAST QUARTER CENTURY.
lis Events as Assembled and Reviewsd
by President Andrews.

Pfesidsnt II, Benz amin Andrews Of Browr
University, and presented in O brace ol
sumptuous octavo volumes, comprising
together eight hundred pages and Illus.
trated by sone four hundred pictures,
great and smali. is a work that every
American citizen will do well to possess
himself OF. Charles 5cribDsr's sons are
the publishers, and the price is $500.
In the broader definition of history this
fire work is not history and DIR. An
drews has wisely, and for him, 1t may re
added, surprisingly, refrained from under
taking to assume the loftier function OF
the historian In dealing with events some
OF which are familiar to every one OF his
fellow-citizens, and all OF which are
familiar to some of his folow-citizens.
lhe valuable work that President
Andrews has performed in this history Is
that OF assem- bling ana reviewing the i'm
portant or in any way striking and sig
Diticant events OF the quarter century be-
ginning with 1870, thus affordiug for
study and reference a medium of infor-
nation that has not heretoft re existed la
form anything like so convenient. And
s"'' W. N ho heH SiiOim mSd cACtItlOuhlly
well. Indeed, we cannot imagine how
| just such u work could be done any bet.
| tsr thkn President Andrews has done IL.
The inclusion of events must amaze
even one o! close acquaintance with public
affairs during this most important period
| OF national peace and developing prosper
! ity; his keenness OF vision in discovering
remote but significant circum-
stances is amazing; his sense OF proper
tion and Els grasp of aud asserting
of events are admirable; he never
loses himself or becomes confused or
temporarily overwhelmed by the particu-
lar topic in hand but with fine appro-
citation and discrimination seizes upon
tie salient point and with singular brevity
and ciearness tells the story, fits 1t TO its
connections and associations and betakes
himself easily to tho next topic. His
style is as felcitious as one If his own
after dinner speeches. Indeed as an MIS-
torian OF so unique a history DR..
Andrews does not take himself ponder
ously. lie tells this long story ct ma
tional life and adventure simply and en-
tertainingly. tie happily recognizes the
power of things Of inherent interest to
"teIl themselves" The chief wonder is
that he has been able to relate the |
stories so freshly and so pictures quely
with so marvellous a condensation. Tne
fact ia you can open either of these two
volumes almost any W 6eFe-asd- yeaF-eya
VIII fall upon paragraph that catches
you like scare head in newspap per and
leads you on to page after page of read
ing as il the matter were freshly told |
"items' in the latest issue Of your news
paper instead OF being something, very
likely, that you are already toIera bly, |
familiar with and perhaps may have read |
up thoroughly at the time OF the partic- |
ular circumstances.
; IL Is brilliant panorama that DIR. |
Andrews presents to us IN these two
volumes. One has but TO stop aud think
that at the beginning of the period the
country was just getting on its feet from
he disruption OF civil war, new
nation undeveloped as we may say, and
now at its ending we are 70, 0OO, 900 united
people, most of whom are riding bicycles
and some OF whom talk seriously of fly
ing, 10 remind himself how many and
how wonderful things have happened
in these few years. The grouping of
events, the keering of a firm hold on
the intsf-communicating threads. is
not less remarkable than. their
picturiug by the orator. The historian OF
the future who writes our history will
undoubtedly drop out from his broader
survey great deal that is In these pages
tut ne will be none the less grateful to
these books for the much that they con-
tain end the helpful measurements thus
made. For the living
but it is most entertain
ing reading, and for the better as
surspce of his low-citizeps of
his own community we would
and that they need not hesitate to take
up the book for fear of finding more An-
drews In il than history, for the Presi-
dent refrains from making comment or
drawing conclusions and only rarely sug-
gests either where seemingly necessary to
point what is evidently enough desianed
to be straight story of straight facts
open 10 anybody 10 know about and tell
about as he has done, stripped of contro.
versions in this record. An apparent
y complete index-only long experience
with 1t can furnish judgment on an index
of perhaps 1900 heads furnishes a cold
dea OF what lot of things arc recorded.
The illustrations which illuminate al
most every page, not a few of them COM
handing page for themselves, are i'm
nensely gratifying. They are abundant,
'rtistic and are absolutely pertinent in
very instance. Above all. mindful
hat they are drawn to tell history the
crupulous accuracy OF scenes dep icted Is
for. The snap camera, the
rush, pen and ink and the draugbts
mans right line pen have all been avaiIed
4 az circumstances required. There are
L. L