REVIEWS, NOTES AND COMMENTS
BY THE EDITOR
THE NATION'S HISTORY
A new edition of The Nation's
History by two Ohio
authors, Arthur R. Leonard, head of the
Department
of History in the Central High School,
and Bertha E.
Jacobs of the North High School, of
Columbus, Ohio,
has just been issued by Henry Holt and
Company of
New York City.
The content of the volume of 648 pages
with ad-
denda, including 37 pages of biography,
a list of im-
portant dates in 1789, and a copy of
the Constitution
of the United States, is up to date in
every particular.
It includes an account of the flight of
Lindbergh to
Paris and his good-will flights to
Central and South
America. It is copiously and judiciously
illustrated and
contains some interesting plates in
color.
In their "Preface to the New
Edition" the authors
make the following statement:
The necessity for making new plates has
made possible a
careful revision of the text in the
interest of simplification and
teachableness. The helpful suggestions of teachers who have
used the earlier edition have determined
the direction of all
changes made. The earlier chapters of
the book have been
shortened to make room for a fuller
treatment of the Industrial
Revolution and recent history. New thought-provoking prob-
lems have been added, and the unit
organization of the book
has been emphasized by previews and self
tests.
(618)
Reviews, Notes and Comments 619
The authors hope that in its new dress
the book may be more
useful than before in helping boys and
girls to an intelligent
understanding and appreciation of our
Nation's History.
While this work was written especially
to meet the
demands for a seventh and eighth grade
text-book in
American history, the interesting
matter and style of
the work commend it to a much wider
patronage. Open
it at almost any page and you will find
it so interesting
that you will reluctantly lay it aside.
Great care has
been exercised in the statement of
facts and judgments
of the writers are just and free from
bias.
This book was reviewed in a previous
number of the
QUARTERLY. We can only add that the new
edition
fulfills the promise set forth in the
preface quoted above,
and is a very worthy addition to the
literature of the
history of the United States.
INTERESTING AND VALUABLE CHRONICLES OF
SCIOTO COUNTY
Henry T. Bannon, former congressman and
emi-
nent lawyer of Portsmouth, Ohio, has
published a real
contribution to the history of Ohio in Stories
Old and
Often Told, Being Chronicles of
Scioto County, Ohio.
While these stories are old and some of
them have been
frequently told, the author presents them
in a new light
and an attractive style. We quote from
his introduc-
tion. It is a statement of his method
and a plea for the
writing of local history.
Many were the books that were read,
many were the library
catalogues examined, many were the volumes thumbed
through,
that this simple book might be made.
The doing of it has been
a joy.
That the effort may prove wasted, is a fear. These
chronicles are faithful; as thorough as
the writer's diligence and
perseverance could make them. Mistakes
there may be, but the
620 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications
salient outstanding
facts are here. There has been no
yielding
to temptations either
to state conclusions or to make forecasts.
History must live in
the past; a man, never.
The study of history is
a stimulus to youth. Such was the
inspiration for
Longfellow's lines, beginning, "Lives of great men
oft remind us."
The history of a nation can deal only with the
very few who have
attained the pinnacles of fame. But the lives
of the outstanding men
of any community, men known in per-
son, or by their works,
to the youthful reader, are better
reminders to such
readers that they, too, may make their lives
sublime; and,
departing, leave behind them their footprints on the
sands of time. It is
the age old struggle with oblivion. Genius
is a germ either
present or absent at birth. If present,
it will
grow. If not, it cannot be acquired. But persistence, applica-
tion, economy, and
integrity will make useful men and women
of us all. What such men and women may accomplish, the
community accomplishes;
no more, no less. Many are they,
unmentioned here, who
have done much to make Scioto County
notable. To tell of each is impossible; to
discriminate is un-
thinkable. Our development is due to the concerted
efforts of
bankers who knew
credits; merchants versed in salesmanship;
farmers who rotated
crops; manufacturers who knew their costs;
artisans, skilled and
earnest; lawyers, learned and alert; physi-
cians, sympathetic and
wise; teachers, patient and thorough;
statesmen, logical and
foresighted. All are merged into a narra-
tion of events creative
of our common weal. The youth of
Scioto County can, and
they will carry on the work of those men
and women who have done
the things set down in this book.
The work throughout
bears evidence of the state-
ment of the author,
"These chronicles are faithful; as
thorough as the
writer's diligence and perseverance
could make them."
Every page bears testimony to the
consultation of
authorities, and the exercise of good
judgment in weighing
testimony and in the winnowing
of the material of
real importance from the mess of
authorities consulted.
As evidence of his judicious han-
dling of conflicting
sources, we quote his statement on
the French claim that
La Salle discovered the Ohio
River. On this subject
he says:
Reviews, Notes and Comments 621
La Salle is known to history as an early
explorer of the
Great Lakes region, the Mississippi
Valley, and the Ohio River.
There is documentary proof that La Salle
descended the Ohio
River to "the falls" (now Louisville) in 1670. This proof is
not without elements of weakness,
however, and some historians
refuse to accord him that honor. Parkman
bases his conclusion
that La Salle discovered the Ohio upon a
memorial written by
the explorer in 1677, in which he states
that he made such dis-
covery and, also, upon the fact that his
rival, Joliet, recorded
upon his map, dated 1674, that La Salle
followed the route of the
Ohio. It is conceded that he knew of the
existence of the river
and was searching for it. The intensity of his courage and
determination add much weight to the
claims made in his favor.
But it is certain that La Salle made a
voyage on the Mississippi.
By virtue of this voyage, France claimed
all the region drained
by the Mississippi River. This, of course, included the Ohio
Valley.
The book is an excellent example in
typography,
paper and illustrations of first-class
modern book-mak-
ers' art. The illustration are
appropriate. They include
facsimiles of manuscripts and maps not
usually found
in one volume. Some of the chapters
scarcely belong
exclusively to "Stories
Old." Among the chapters that
have a very distinct reference to later
time are "The
Clay Products Industry," "The
Shoe Industry" and
Poets of Scioto County." An
appendix of 38 pages is
devoted to weather reports, flood and
low water stages,
plants, birds and the origin of place
names, all of which
are distinct additions to the value of
the work.
THE JOURNAL OF NICHOLAS CRESSWELL
1774-1777
There has recently come into the
possession of the
library of this Society The Journal
of Nicholas Cress-
well. Cresswell came to America in 1774 and remained
until 1777. He came intending to
purchase land in the
622
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
Illinois country. Shortly after he
reached America, the
Revolution began and he could not
return to his native
country, England. He was a faithful
subject of the
King and was not in sympathy with the
Revolution. He
was regarded with suspicion by the
American patriots
and experienced all the difficulties of
a Tory during the
greater part of his enforced sojourn in
this country. In
1775 he made a journey down the Ohio
River accom-
panied by seven men, who like himself,
were interested
in the purchase of land. This ranks
with other impor-
tant early voyages down that historic
waterway.
He was well educated, as his Journal of
287 pages
attests. The observations that he has
faithfully re-
corded constitute a valuable account of
conditions in
America in the early years of the
Revolution and the
period of unrest immediately preceding
it, from the
point of view of a loyal subject of
King George III
of England. He met some of the men who
figure prom-
inently in the history of the time and
is frank in his
opinions of their actions and
character. He is equally
frank in regard to his own activities
and opinions.
When we understand that he was in
entire sympathy
with the Tories, we may readily admit
that from his
point of view his Journal is a record
of facts as he saw
them and a sincere expression of his
judgment.
His observations on the life and
character of "Gen-
eral Washington" are full of
interest and not altogether
to the discredit of "The Father of
his Country." We
quote briefly:
The General seems by nature calculated
for the post he is in;
he has a manner and behaviour peculiar
to himself and particu-
larly adapted to his present station
and rank in life. It is said
Reviews, Notes and Comments 623
(and I believe with great truth) that he
never had an intimate,
particular bosom friend, or an open
professed enemy in his life.
By this method of behaviour he in a
great measure prevents all
parties and factions, and raises a
spirit of emulation amongst his
officers and men. As there is no
favourite to pay their court to
and pave their way to preferment, and
the General, I believe, is
proof against bribery, they have no way
to advance themselves
but by merit alone. His private
character is amiable, he is much
beloved and respected by all his
acquaintances. [Page 256].
Again he said:
He certainly deserves some merit as a
General, that he with
his Banditti, can keep General Howe
dancing from one town to
another for two years together, with
such an Army as he has.
Confound the great Chucclehead, he will
not unmuzzle the mas-
tiffs, or they would eat him and his
ragged crew in a little time
were they properly conducted with a man
of resolution and spirit.
Washington, my Enemy as he is, I should
be sorry if he should
be brought to an ignominious death. [Page 257].
It is remarkable that this Journal
should have been
carefully preserved in private hands in
almost perfect
condition for one hundred and
forty-seven years before
its publication. The Foreword to the
book is written
by Samuel Thornely of West Sussex,
England. Mr.
Thornely is the great-grandson of
Joseph Cresswell, the
youngest brother of Nicholas Cresswell.
The book is
published by The Dial Press, New York
City.
POPULATION MAP OF OHIO, 1920
Mr. Guy-Harold Smith of the Ohio State
Univer-
sity has contributed to the Geographical
Review of
July, 1928, a very valuable and
illuminating monograph
entitled, A Population Map of Ohio
for 1920. The text
is concise and comprehensive. No words
are wasted.
Much information is compressed in the
seven pages of
printed matter. The two maps, the
"Physiographic
624
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
Provinces of Ohio" and the
"Population of Ohio, 1920,"
are illuminating and tell their story
at a glance.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF VIRGINIA
The Old Free State, a Contribution
to the History
of Lunenburg County and Southside
Virginia, is the
title of a very interesting and
valuable addition that has
recently been made to the library of
the Society. This
work in two volumes by Landon C. Bell
contains a
wealth of historical and genealogical
material gleaned
by faithful and painstaking research
from original
sources. A review of this important
contribution to
the history of "The Old
Dominion" will appear in a
future issue of the QUARTERLY.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We are under obligation to Mr. B. A.
Aughinbaugh,
Ohio Department of Education, for use
of a photograph
from which the cut of the tomb of
William Henry Har-
rison has been made for this issue.