The Washington herald., 1907-12-29

II has been made 20 include IN one cate
CORY an yelIow-skinned nations. including
those, too, with a ~eddish-brown or dark
trge I'm the yellow, having also straight
hair always black. and dark eyes OF
various degrees Of intensity. In this sense
the word Mongol co-ordinates vast num-
bers Of people, immense groups of men.
who are like one another IN some traits
and widely d!ssimilar in others. Il en-
braces the Chinese. the Koreans. the jap
anese. the Mauchus. the original Mon
gols, with their near relatives the Tar
tar or Turkish tribes, which holds Cen
tral Asia, or most OF il. Moving west
ward from China, this term covers the
TIbetans, and with them all the non
Aryan nations and tribes until We reach
India and Persia. The word Mongol be
gan with the Chinese. and first appeared
IN the history Of the Tang dynasty. which
lasted from 61S 20 S07. and left its own
history. Il was after this that the great
Temudiin rose and placed the MongOls on
the stage of the world with skill and
power that was simply colossal and all
conquering. In the first decade Of the
thirteenth century his supremacy over
ms own wild mountain people was abSO-
lutte. Out OF the Mongol robbers he made
the most formidable troops then IN ex-
istence in the world His army. once or
ganized, sent them conQuering East
West. ans South. and HIS work was car
rled on ably by mis- successors. so that
two generations went by before any
troops were found in Asia or Europe who
could hold their own with them and their
subject allies. and remote kinsmen. the
TOrko-T Tartars, who served with and un-
der them.
They conquered China and set on the
throne a Mongoi dynasty. India also
their descendants conquered, and there
likewise they erected a great Aiongol
empire. Persia, in the same way. fell
into their hands. They struck down the
Russians at a blow. They conquered the
Magyars in single battle and drove
the Hungarian King from his realm.
They over-ran Poland. and the knight
hood in North Germany in Slesia avail
cd nothing against them.
All this with inhnitude detail is con-
tained in this notable history By Mr..
Curtain. And if the subject seems re-
ccndite and removed from the affairs OF
to-day IL Is only necessary TO listen once
more TO Mr.. Roosevelt. who. in his able
summing Up Of the results OF the Mongol
rise, says;
Gradually their empire, after splitting NJ rassod
away and lef; little direct influence in any c1un-
Try but II Was at the time prOCi-iOss a nheno-
mena. fr1ught with sch dire and vast possibilities
that full knowledge Of the history Of tie Mougol
people is imperatiycly necessary % All who would
understand the development Of Asia and Of Eastern
Europe.
Such an understanding can be gained
from this voluminOus and interesting
work. It is admirable as literature, ap-
pealing and useful as history II there
is one criticism 10 be leveled against
the making of such a history Il is that
Mr. Curtin has not given as carefully
as ne might or as frequently as would
make such a work most valuable neces-
sary dates. It is. for instance-in spite
Of the admirable indeX-quite a task 10
search out the date Of the birth OF
Genghis Khan and Of other epoch-mal1ing
events In Mongol history But, on the
whole, the volume is one that will com
mend itself highly TO scholars and his
torians, and Will probably remain for
many years the final and authoritative
work on the subject II is understood
that before his death Mr.. Curtin had
completed the manuscript OF a companion
work 10 this. Russia Under the Men
gols, which will be published next year.
1t viii be looked forward 10 eagerly.
Boston: Little, Brown & Coz