The San Francisco call., 1904-06-12

ATOOO pld-l h4AAN4A mas ND-AAC "
~ completion out OF the contem-
II plation OF many years is Elson's
History OF the United States"
IN & single volume, complete,
without being cumbersome.
brief. but not bereft OF the beauty of
literary style nor sufficient fuIlness 10
throw before the minds eye OF the
reader more VIVID realizations Of well
Culled memorable events IN our coun-
try's life than usually lie within the
scope Of contracted histories.
Elson set himself the task skillfully
% split the difference between those
many volumed histories made for peo-
pie with long hours Of leisure and spe-
cisl students who must delve deeper
than the average, and the other ex-
treme OF books which conderse chrono-
logically crowded. coldly stated facts,
good enough for school purposes, be
fore the learners mind has evolved 10
the necessity Of wise comment and the
delightful uses OF literary art as ap-
piled 10 making crystals out Of the
tumble of stuff which comes amor
phous 10 the historians hand. He
did ii.
The volume makes no speciality Of
any particular period OF our history
but shows in correct perspective all the
main events OF our country's develop
ment from the time Of the discovery
OF the continent, when Columbus, all
splendid in his scarlet robes, landed on
San Salvador and kneeled him there 10
thank his God for the realization OF
HIS lOng-che-ished dream-on, on, the
hnetOscope pictures pass, down TO this
very date when Uncle Sam. smiling
triumphant sharpens his spade 10 cut
that great canal which shall open a
short. swift way for the worlds COM
merce and perchance, too, Christian
ideals, 10 that far Cathay, the west
err path 10 which Columbus sought
as he so persistently followed the set
ting sun until he found q something
greater than the goal OF which he
Dreamed.
The work is e1cellently arranged as
20 divisions. contents, directory. list
of maps and all so placed as 10 make
pf1sn the narrative as II swiftly moves.
condensed chronology pages, dates ar
ranged oonve~ entity close 10 each i'm
portant paragraph, 30 as not, as some
books DO, keep the soul OF the hurried
reader harT1ed with the wonder.
when. Oh when. did this decisive
thing happenf" and more admirable
ehAn al IL mere mechanical makeup
ls the oontrfvance Of footnotes so that
the swift learner can at his pleasure
Ehp, skim, or study. special points
without thereby breaking the continu-
tty OF the main narrative.
Eson szyB that he has striven "a
Be impartial and 90 well has the book
fulfilled this effort that were its au-
thoTship anonymous the reader. by put
ding two and two together, Of pages
recording opposing opinions and forces,
might well be kept guessing as 10
what section the writer belonged By
birth OF adoption, and 10 what party
ane principles he gave preference in
his personal being, ss distinguished
nom his oflcisI capacity OF fair and
true historian Not always. thus.
though. and 70 siip or two attention
may be called later.
The book abounds with sentencaa
Nhich attract our hardening, some
samples OF which are herein cuIled:
eut no doubt the reader could fnd
many more forcefui according to his
fancy Of the right trick OF fitting ant
Eyilables close as a skull cap "a the
heads OF things that happen and IKE
labels 10 the personages whe ner-
form for our admiration, or detes+s-
ton, upon the historic stage. Here's
one st randum: fits his Majesty Ceorya
III; and the sentence Is akin to thosa
pictures which are so good they scarce
ly need 10 be named: He had not
the capacity 70 shield his natural little
ness BY surrounding himself with great
men, as many a mediocre sovereign
has done" Here is one that tells OF
great mans one great weakness.
Hamilton believed democracy To ba a
disease" After giving Andrew John
son fair praise for that side Of him
which was strong with virtues. Elson
draws his faulty side thus. The belli-
gerent, egousticaI, tactiess man from
Tennessee" He does Cleveland thus:
zone Of the most able and honest OF
American Presidents found himself al
most without party, chiefly through his
own want OF tact" This is Funston
whose right to fame the press has re-
Gently questioned: "AguInaldo was
captured by a clever though undigni-
fed strategy" And here's Nathaniel
Greene: Never won a battle. but al
ways won the campaign, which was
the vital thing after all" This is
Henry Knox: "A Boston bookseller, a
cOrpulent man with a winning smile
and a jolly laugh, who soon won his
way into Washington's heart, and who