The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-02
WILMINGTON. n. C.
TUESDAY, MAY 2- 1899.
MARGINALIA

"a 110NO NA@S
valuable and interesting is in prepare
ton by that facile and very enter
tanning writer, Justin Mccarthy. His
eHistory of Our Own Times" publish
ed some fifteen years ago, is one or the
most fascinating works in our Ian
guage. We do not recall so charming
an historical production, save Macau-
lays unfinished History OF England
that is as entertaining as one OF
Scott's fine novels, and that Is saying
everything. Macaulay did not belong
to the Dryasdust school Of historians
OF the last thirty years. He was graph
fc, pictorial, dramatic, keenly alive to
facts and incidents and portrayed
characters as few pens have ever been
able to do. Mr.. Mccarthy is not a Ma
caulay, but like Green and Froude, he
learned the modern historic art from
the great Macaulay who in turn had
learned something from Sainte beuve's
history that was the first to abandon
the old cold way Of recording all that
potentates and nobility and politicians
and soldiers might do in the years. bu.
forgot the people, how they lived, how
they bore "'the white mans BURDEN"
how they were oppressed, prosecuted,
taxed to death, made to offer hem
selves like obedient slaves to the will
of emperors and kings to be butchered
or killed in battle. The and
customs, the habits and thoughts, the
trials and s%trivings, the aspirations and
desires of the people were passed over
as of no momen to the world, as a
dull chapter not to be written. Mr..
McCarthy's book referred to is ami
mated, descriptive, geographic, full of
healthful vigor and faithful to the later
historic model. His new book is "The
Story of the People Of England in the
Nineteenth Century" and Part 1, re-
Gently issued, covers the time between
18OO-1835, with $50 pages. We hope it
was a mistake in a magazine thai stat
ed that one more similar issue would
complete the historic survey of an
hundred years. This would make the
Eoook too scrappy, 700 hurried, too brief
ito be satisfying. The History OF Eng
land as discussed with such distin-
guished ability AMI elaboration Of de-
tail, by Lecky in his mastery eight &C.
tavo volumes, is a work to be read ana
re-read, to be treasured in the men,
: DRY, for it covers much that is of the
highest historic Importance, and deals
with much effectiveness and even new
ness with the war between the Thir-
teen Colonies and Great Britain for in
dependence. The nineteenth century is
as interesting and important certainly
as the preceding century. GreaG events,
great discoveries, great men have
fourished since 1901, when the century
began. If the gifted Irish writer will
produce a work of sufficient fullness
and ca~refulneSS to present the chief
events and great developments and
true advance in civic affairs and the
rights of the people, with all that con-
Germs the grandeur and glory Of Great
Britain and Ireland during this GEN.
fury now nearing rapidly it's close, 1t
will prove indeed a boon to the lovers
of good books. We have not read a line
VI lAC LC" Oih L. INDY ~ oA
proper demands. A critic in The New
York Saturday Review who has read
Part /, has this that interests:
THE things that interest us ABOUT
the people of the past is not how many
were killed in this or hat battle to up
hold a despot'S power, but how these
people lived previous to their final bat
tie, n what effect, if any, their bat
ties had or their surviving brothers.
And so Mr.. Mccarthy rightly states
hat the history of England in this
century is the history of the great re-
forms in society and politics and n de-
scription of the state smen and philan-
~ttiropists who assisted in their coun-
t1y's progress and growth, and tine part
they took in making the lives of the
people more useful, healthful, inc hap
py- This purpose the author has carried
out to an admirable degree, and he
tells a straightforward md smoothly
running story that closely holds the
attention and. interest"
The writer refers to it at the close
of his critique as being a most inter-
esting and valuable history We note
h publication with pleasure, as it is
one of the historic works we purpose
reading.
The Memorial Edition" lately issued