New-York tribune., 1903-03-22

illustrations.
land: The Arthur II. Clark Company
With these four volumes Mr.. Hubert begins
series of sixteen under the alluring title Of
Historic Highways OF America" They present
example OF the kind Of historical monograph
which is worthy OF encouragement. Nothing
has much greater suggestion Of the charm OF
human occupation than the network OF roads
which overspread country, and in a new land,
the face of which is open to continual change,
the record Of the origin and of such Of those
highways date back to the days Of pioneering
has distinct value. These monographs have the
merit Of being no longer than their fund Of in
formation warrants. and are presented IN pop
ular and readable manner.
useful feature Of the first volume, to those
interested in the subject of our mound build
ers, is the reproduction Of archaeological
maps Of Wisconsin. Ohio, Illinois and Indiana,
showing the location of remains. The trails Of
buffalo are interesting beyond the light they
throw on the habits of the animal, by reason Of
the quickly advancing Disappearance Of the
species. The strength OF custom and the short
interval that has elapsed since buffalo crossed
back and forth over the prairies il LroN"s have
left several striking memorials.
A peculiar custom of the buffalo Was " allow
ing In The uo0Is of water th. old fathers Cf
the herd lowered themselves on one hh"''. aId
with the aid Of their horns soon had AN eXca-
walton. into which the water trlck"d. forming a
H.
arose, coated with mud. allowing the patient
successor to take his turn. Zach entered the
"walow," threw himself fiat on his back. and,
by means of his feet and horns. Violently forced
himself around until he was cOmpl't"ly m
mersed. After many bufalUes had thus I'M
mersed themselves, and, by adhesion, had carried
away each his share of the sticky mass, 4 hole
two feet deep and often twenty feet in diameter
was left, and even 20 this day marks tn" spot
of a buffalo WaIlOw. This "decCtable layer OF
mud" soon dried upon the buffalo, and left him
incased in an impenetrable ar1nor, secure from
the attack Of insects
The subject Of the second volume in its origins
precedes III point of time the subject OF the first.
The Indians of prehistoric times had already
lost the art Of road building. Their mound
building ancestors had transported large quaint
ties of stone and earth. and had needed the
graded road. But the Indian needed thorough
fares fer hunting and war only. and he returned
to the little trail which was sufficient for the
beasts. This makes the work of identification
difficult and its possibility increasingly
less, except in cases where trails have become
the course OF present roads, such as that which
went through The region near Gnaddenhutten, IN
TuscaraWas County, Ohio
The work Of Washington as 4 surveyor and
his appreciation OF the Importance Of opening
up the country when its chief executive
we'll testified to by the Results Of the third OF
Mr.. HUbeIt's volumes.
Truly, Washington in d special sense the
father of the Central West. 1t is Impossible to
tell what might have been its history had il not
be Ell ChampiOued from the earliest day hy this
great, far Seeing man, i'll MhOm the pcop!" of
the nation, people, believed and trusted
as perhaps leader history, with the pos
sIbIe eXc.Itun Cf William the Silent has ever
been trusted hy his cOuntrymcn. What
he could DO toward creating right conceptions
concerning the future Of the Mississippi basin.
Washington did; and if he had not 50 done and
beIIcy ed it is sure that the progress OF the-r
great empires between the Allegheny and the
Mississippi, the Great Lakes and the Blue Iiidts-,
would not have been what it is.
The memory Of Washington is relate, To the
expedition under BraGdock, which has left
its path IN indelibIe mark upon the r"g!o!.s de
velopment.
The narrow swaih Of q road through the
darkling AlIrghenics by General BrIddock has
Throughout the latter half Of the eighteenth cen
the Ohio Valley. and Whcn. at the daW ming e
the nineteenth, the United States built our iTet
and greatest public highway. the general align
nrut IF I!raddnCk's Road between CuU!i'"r!.i'.I
and the last range of the AN"Ehpni.S- Laurel
Hill-WaS the course pursued. In certain local.
tics this famed national boulevard, tn" CUM
ErrIand Road. was built upon the very ted Of
I?radduck's road. ISraddu"k'S road had t"' II
l,Iiit partly upon the early Washingt"r.> road.
" hich followed the path Of Indian. kuf"l" and
mound building abOriGlnes-
The completion of the series viii MAX these
books more sprvicc;ble as the ind~A ha~ been
reserved 10 the last volume