The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-09
BUTTE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Works on History, Travel and
Description.
WIDE VARIETY OF THEMES
The Story OF the Revolution by Senator
Lodge-A Credit to It's Author.
Africa in the Nineteenth
Century.

hASe popiiC library THIS week. History,
travel and description are the works of
which he more particularly speaks The
books are exceilently written and must
be recognized as lasting literature. Col
lectively the librarian speaks of the books.
and says that in the main they will be
found to be histories in the popular mean
ing of the word. 1t has been the dream
of philanthropists and the theory of phi
losophers that history should not be
record of battles and of Individual Prov
ess and selfishness, SO much as a narra-
tive of economic progress and of benevo-
lent activity But in spite of all excellent
theories and aspirations, history continues
to be succession of wars and rumors of
Wars-Varied by aggression in the time of
peace.
The books before us TODAY. though
mainly devoted to modern times. discuss
vide variety of historical themes They
treat of Europe. Asia. Africa, America
ana the isles of the sea- Many are excel
lenLy conceived and written, so as ap-
parently to deserve lasting recognition.
| The life of an average book however. is
generally limited and one would be rash
to predict, at the time of it's appearance,
nized as literature, or as authority, even
for few brief years.
Or but one of the histories on our table
this week do the elements seem to con-
splre to make it a book that will be gem
orally approved as permanently stand
ard work. We had supposed that the
STORY of the Revolution had been told
till new material was scarce. A complete
photography of the war of Independence
ha INV,
| remember the ponderous two-volume
work of Lossing's called THE Field Book
of the Revolution very readable and
inspiring narrative, though somewhat dis
cursive and far from critical. Then there
appeared another, and even larger COM
pilaton by the same author called
| washington and the American Revolu-
| tion,' perhaps less readable than the
| Field Book" OF all historical books for
young people. the one which possesses in
| the highest degree the charm of a story
! is probably THE Boys of TO- by Charles
| Carleton Coffin. If one wants extracts
| from the newspapers of the day, the
songs that were in existence and other
| fragmentary information. he can refer to
| Frank Moore's DIARY of the American
| Revolution" AS critical history, Mr..
Fiske's american Revolution is, if any
thing, even superior to the book we con-
+ slider this week.
Besides these general. and we may say
standard, histories which we have men,
| toned, there are school histories biogra-
| phies, partial histories and stories with
out number. 1t required no small cour-
age to say nothing of industry and talent
| to achieve the task that Senator Lodge
has performed. 1.-THE Story of the Revo-
luton is told, and well told. The events
are recorded in a correct and in a philo-
sophcal manner The book rs eminently
readable, instructive and inspiring The
publishers have brought out the book in
elegant shape. The Illustrations are a
feature in themselves, deserving of the
highest commendation. Taken all in all
1.-The Story of the Revolution is credit
to the author, publisher, printer and art
list, as it is sure to be warmly appreciated
by the public.
Four books in our list this week are de-
voted to the dark continent The most
general of these, as it is the most care
fully compiled and thoroughly digested
is africa in the Nineteenth Century" by
Edgar Sanderson. Africa, Its Partition
| and Future" by Henry NJ. Stanley and
| others, is work of much popular inter
| est. Bennett Burleigh in "Sirdar and Kha-
| lifa; or, the Re-Conquest of the Soudan,
| 1885," has given us a book of much pres
ent interest. While. perhaps, no one of
the four books will be more generally APP
prectated than Cecil Rhodes; a Biogra-
ply and Appreciation by Imperialist
This last book also contains a chapter of
Personal "reminiscences" by DR.. Jane
son.
On Asatic history there are also four
| books-"Sir Henry Lawrence, the Pacifi-
Gator" by j. j. Mcleod Innes, a volume
belonging to the Rulers of India" series:
| "Saladn and the Fall of the Kingdom of
Jerusalem" by Stanley Lane-Poole, one
l,oFt TT Mo-;
one Years in India. from Subaltern to
Commanders Chief" by Field Marshal
Lord Roberts of Kandahar; and "Under
the Flag of the Orient by Mrs Mary "
Terhune. The life of Saadin is the first
life of that redoubtable cheftain which
has appeared in English. Lord Roberts
narrative is of special value at the pres
ent time, not only for the information it
gives of a country which is sure to have
increased prominence in the history of the
near future, but as the autobiography or
one of the ablest of modern English war
riors Under the Flag of the Orient is
a collection of incidents of Jewish his; Dry.
designed TO illustrate The scriptural rec
ord.
In previous articles we have already
spoken favorably of Ebert Hubbard
Little journeys" Little Journeys to
the Homes of American Statesmen" Will
be found to be one of the most satisfac-
tory of the series.
The splendid record of Elzabeth's great
prime minister was a credit. Doth to him
and to the virgin queen, who in minor
matters was considered to be so influenced
by vanity or by personal liking. But the
part which the minister had in the
achievements of the reign have not here
tofore been clearly indicated. This, Mar
tin A. S. Hume, an accomplished student
of European craftsmanship has attempt
ed to describe to us in THE Great Lord
Burleigh; Study in Elizabethan States
craft"
With the exception of Henry Georges
Progress and Poverty" which is said to
have made political economy popular, and
of Bellamys Looking Backward" we
recall no book treating of sociology which
attracted as much attention during the
last quarter of a century as Social Evo-
lution.' by Benjamin Kidd. Such re-
ception as this book had would have made
of most men prolific writer's. 1t is to his
credit that Mr.. Kidd resisted the tempta-
ton and waited till he had something to
say. He has now found something to say,