Nothing could be clearer to the mind of a child eager
to know the reason of things, nor to that of a grown person, fatigued by
the jostling memories of both important and useless events, than this
return to the fundamental, the philosophical, the moral causes which
underlie the life of the Republic. The tortuous channels by which the
currents bore us into the war of 1812 are described with such surprising
simplicity that one almost fails to realize how admirable a piece of
condensation the single chapter is; and the annexation of Texas is told
with equal precision. The earliest traces of our present policies, such
as the Monroe Doctrine, the protective tariff and free-silver issues,
are explained so clearly and impartially that the author's brevity helps
rather than mars the effect upon the mind.
"The history of America should be an inspiration, not a task. It ought
to be known in its grand, simple lines by every child in the nation. Let
it be so acquired first in its utmost brevity, then enlarged, and
enlarged, and again, gradually approaching to a nearer view of the
multiplicity of detail.
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