The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-05
BY w. r.

SURVEY OF HISTORY FROM THE
EARLIEST RECORDS TO THE PRES
ENT.-The average reader of history is
not often able to follow easily in his read
Ing the increasing purpose" which thru
the ages runs, because universal histories
usually do not cover tthe ages" connect
eddy enough, and authors generally have
made no special effort to keep the .in-
creasing purpose" in view. A universal
history to remedy these defects is J. N.
Larned's Seventy Centuries of the Life OF
Mankind. In two volumes of about 500
age each Mr.. Larned has condensed in
a mastery manner the history Of man
kin which bears on mans progress to
his present state, and in these one has no
difficulty in getting a survey of the
worlds history, or Of keeping in view the
great movements thru what may seem
to be a trackless tangle of threaded
consequences and causes from beginning
to end
Mr.. Larned divides the story of the
life of mankind, according to changes Of
circumstance, into six 'epochs-the epoch
Of earliest civilizations and known en-
pires, the epoch Of the Greeks and
Romans, the epoch of the new nations
known as the Middle, Ages, the epoch of
undermining expansions called the re-
Nuisance, the epoch Of political revolu-
tons, h epoch Of science, mechanism.
democracy and the Transforming of the
world. This division suggests at once
the progress OF the human race, and the
slgnlhcance Of any great event, within
any Of the epochs, in relation to the trend
OF that epoch, may be quickly grasped.
Inc authors plan tempts the reader,
and Will do so still more when it is seen
TO- pc coupled with a Sitting process
which eliminates the non-essential. Ac-
i COr0ln0 To hiEr Nuyn cfofovoo-tt - -
has been ito sift out almost everything
that does not contribute Importantly to
q clear disclosure of the main move
ments in, events, the occasional changes
OF direction in such movements. the
marking thereby of epochs and periods
that are more or less distinct, and the
continuity OF the forces that act in them
thruout." EEf- Z, -. .. ..
A feature that will appeal almost a.
strongly to the reader Is that of giving
character sketches of the prominent
personages of each epoch immediately
preceding its history, so that when one
OF these characters is made to appear
the part he plays is more easily compre.
hended, and therefore more perfectly en-.
joyed. In these sketches one gets a. good
idea Of Mr.. Larned's mastery as a. con.
denser of history. In q few words often
usually In a brief paragraph, he gives the
key to a character and it's relation t.
the period.
Turnout the book, indeed, Mr.. Larnet
has shown a comprehensive knowledge
of history that is. little short of amazing
a keen sense of selection and analysis
and fine powers OF expression and ar
rangement. These have enabled him t,
carry out his plan and purpose admir-
ably. 80. b. E
Illustrations, in colors and in black AM
white, a comprehensive index, margina
subdivision notes, maps and charts ad,
greatly to the value Of the book both TO
the running reader" and the studen
who uses the work for reference. Il
binding and letterpress the volumes ar
all h a one could ask.
The @. A. Nichols company, SPRINGFIELD.