The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-06-06
NEW Books OF HISTORY.
THE TRANSIT OF CIVILIZATION. by
Edward Eggleston

THE TRANSIT OF CIVILIZATION. by
Edward Eggleston:
"The general repulsion TO the use of alb
original words was no doubt increased
by the polysyllabic prolixity of the agglut-
mated vocables that gave stateliness TO
the intervals OF utterance with which a
savage broke the monotony Of his native
tacturnity." observes Or. Eggleston
complacently enough IN his chapter ON
mother English. folk speech. folk lore
and the literature OF the seventeenth
century in "The Transit OF Civilization
from England TO America" The sem
tence Is remarkable because IL Is about
the biggest thing i'm the way OF a col
lection OF words 10 be found In work
the writing OF which is for the most part
remarkably simple. We were surprised
and somewhat shocked when We came
against IL I'm the middle Of demonstra-
ton OF how the language of the colonists
was influenced by the Indian tongue.
Examination OF the sentence demon
stated that on the whole DIR. Eggleston
had expressed much and precisely In
very short space and the impressive Vo-
cables which he called In at this point
only served again 10 remind us, this time
by contrast, OF how amazingly simple
marksble book.
The Transit Is the second volume OF
"A History of Life i'm the United States"
OF which the Beginners of Nation
published some two years ago. was the
first The impressive work on which
DR.. Eggleston Is engaged of portraying
life" at the different periods from the
earliest settlements proceeds slowly in
respect 10 publication but the two in
-stailfnents nnM- available are immenselH=
satisfying There is nothing quite like
them. DR.. Eggleston's work Is as differ
ent i'm its way from ordinary history as
is Prof. McMaster's. who is writing. "A
history of the people" of the United
States within the comparatively narrow
limits Of the Revolution and the Civil
war.
The new volume OF DIR. Eggleston's is
distinguished as was the Beginners OF
a Nation" by the exhaustiveness of it's
Information and the simplicity OF its
telling. The idea of the author is 10
give the reader OF this day and all future
days notion of the colonsts. their life
and time. from the standpoint of the
actors themselves He designs to make
his reader live with the man of the
seventeenth century ana reach an under
standing of him by making himself IA
miliar with his environment and the in
fiuences which were at work on him.
He brings you close up TO the picture and
invites you TO view all the details dim IN
the background we'll as I'm the more
clearly defined foreground and note the
atmosphere-instead or standing far off
and getting effects" 10 suit yourself
from the standpoint of the twentieth CEN
tury.
People with ancestors will be dis
appointed" observes our author in his
piece. And so they will If they have
ha hat ho
ness of the nineteenth century was nee
essarily wrapped up In the peculiarly
narrow and forbidding husk of the later
seventeenth century" or that those first
emigrants, with all their courage hope
and foresight had any idea that they
would be so largely credited with fore
seeing and planning. or even possessing
a germ ef the HetieH- of Tire empire which
has developed. The causes OF greatness
are not always traceable." And so DIR.
Eggleston in the Transit of Civilization
undertakes TO make us understand just
what sort of people they were that began
the building of our country, just what
they did do, and the life they led, enjoyed
and sufferaS~'
that of the Beginners of Nation"
First, the story is told I'm a chatty, breezy,
gossipy, but always convincing style, that
nevertheless makes one feel conscious OF
the immense research and study that lie
behind the crisp and wonderfully con-
densed sentences and paragraphs. From
each chapter reference is had 10 a number
of pages-often as many as the chapter
itself contains-of calculations" which
give copious extracts from the authorities
from which the body OF the work Is
drawn And from these calculations the
reader may proceed If he has the mind
and industry to the whole photography
that Dr. Eggleston has with so much
pains gathered together from one quarter
and another in order 10 prosecute his
work. published by d. Appleton q Co.
For sale by Gregory. Price $3.50.