BOOK REVIEWS
Early Stockaded Settlements in the
Governador, New Mexico.
By Edward Twitchell Hall, Jr. Columbia
Studies in Archae-
ology and Ethnology, Vol. II, Pt. I. (New York, Columbia
University Press, 1944. 96p. Illus.
$2.00.)
This is a report of excavations carried
on in north-central
New Mexico by a joint expedition from
Columbia University and
the Laboratory of Anthropology, Santa
Fe, New Mexico. The
purpose of the expedition was to expand
our knowledge of the
Rosa culture phase, the oldest known
from this part of the
Southwest, and to prove or disprove its
relationship to the later
Largo-Gallina phase.
A connection between these two phases
was established and
in addition a number of discoveries were
made which are of great
importance with regard to early contacts
between the Plains and
Southwestern cultures. Three sites were
intensively excavated,
twelve sites tested, and over seventy
added to those already noted
in archaeological surveys. The book is
liberally illustrated with
pictures of typical structures, pottery,
and artifacts and contains
a bibliography and index. This report
constitutes Part I of Vol-
ume II of the Columbia Studies in
Archaeology and Ethnology.
H. L.
Christopher Columbus, The Discoverer.
By Mattie Johns Utting.
(Boston, Mass., Christopher Publishing
House, 1944. 176p.
Illus. $2.00.)
This biography chronicles the
outstanding events in Co-
lumbus' life in a colorful, and yet
brief, and compact form. Pages,
lavish with detail, set the mood,
followed by chapters of general-
izations, sketching in the main events
in the life of Columbus.
The principal individuals receive clear
characterization; and
groups comprising backgrounds are
satisfactorily typed. Plans,
voyages, successes and disappointments
of major importance are
(177)
178 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
set down by year; the tone of each year
or chapter being defi-
nitely indicated in the varying form of
sentence structure and
words.
Descriptions of the islands Columbus
found testify to the
joy in the hearts of the weary seamen as
they entered these
tropical paradises. Speaking of Jamaica,
Mattie Utting says,
"It was a night memorable for sweet
odors, the marvelous
scent of flowers coming out from the
land. And the sweet voices
of the singing birds filled the air;
some of the men went ashore
and rested under the palms, so tall they
grew."
The abundance of riches in these new
lands is also fully
pictured:
"In a few days, they had reached a
valley where a stream
carried down quantities of gold-dust,
and deposited among the
sand; and where the rocks in the
river-bed were shining with
the coveted particles."
Imagination enters largely into the plan
and details of this
book, as it should in the biography of a
resourceful and far-
seeing leader such as Columbus. In contrast to authoritative
works, in which references are cited for
most of the statements,
this history presents, in story form, an
attractive, brief picture of
the famed Admiral of the Ocean Sea.
A. M.
The Chicago Tribune, Its First
Hundred Years. By Philip Kins-
ley. Vol. I, 1847-1865. (New
York, Alfred A. Knopf,
1943. 381p. $5.00.)
The first of three volumes on the
history of the Tribune, this
volume covers the period from the
founding of the paper through
the years of the Civil War. The
reconstruction period will be
taken up in the second volume; and the
third volume will complete
the history of the paper up to its
hundredth anniversary. This
first volume was planned and largely
composed by Edmund Scott
Beck, a member of the Tribune staff
for 45 years, who died in
1942.
BOOK REVIEWS 179
Consisting largely of headlines,
editorials and comments by
editors Joseph Medill and Dr. Charles
Ray, this volume traces
the Tribune leadership in the
formation of the Republican party,
the nomination, election and reelection
of Lincoln, and its active
participation in the Civil War. Of
special interest to Ohioans is
the full portrait of Joseph Medill, from
his boyhood in Massillon,
Ohio, his association with the Coshocton
Whig, the Cleveland
Daily Forest City, later the Cleveland Leader, to his moving to
Chicago in response to Horace Greeley's
famous advice, "Go west,
young man, go west."
The outstanding quality of the Tribune,
as shown in this
history, is its vigorous consistency on
public questions, whether it
proves to be right or wrong, a
characteristic boldly upheld by
Medill's grandson, Colonel Robert R.
McCormick, the present
editor-in-chief. There are 22
illustrations and a thorough index.
A. M.
What Became of Anne Bolton. By Louis Bromfield.
(New
York and London, Harper and Brothers,
c1943, 1944, 311p.
$2.50.)
Anne Bolton was peculiarly a product of
the vainglory of
Europe's pre-war days, although she
would have flourished too in
Paris in 1789 or Rome in 64 A. D. But she
was at her palmiest
in the milieu of London, 1937--"a
London none of us will ever
see again, a London in which the
nineteenth century and some-
times even the eighteenth was just
around the corner." England
was tired then, confused and worried,
half-hysterical--and all this
made "those last Junes" before
the war the most brilliant England
had ever known. Only "tremendous
shows" caught the people's
fancy--when all things garish competed
with each other.
In a sense, Anne Bolton was one of those
"tremendous
shows." In Europe, people cared
less than in America what you
were or what you had been--only that you
be rich or famous or
eccentric or notorious. Anne was rather
all four.
Anne was born Anne Scanlon in Lewisburg,
Ohio, a small
I80
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
town of up-nosed people who were born,
married and buried in
set social circles. Anne belonged to the
Flats, the only child of
Mary Scanlon, charwoman to the best
houses on Center Avenue,
and one-legged Pete, who operated the
Tenth Street gates when
he wasn't drunk. Anne-sensitive, proud,
ambitious, grew up
bitterly resenting her outcast status
and determined somehow,
some way, to "show Lewisburg."
From life in Lewisburg to New York,
London, Monte Carlo,
Biarritz, Rome, Paris is Anne's story.
The events wind up like
a clock; her early happy Lewisburg
marriage to Tom Harrigan,
the deaths of her husband and baby; her
affluent marriage with
Ezra Bolton (a very rich, eccentric,
gentle old man who always
apologized for being a nuisance); her
taking up with Miss God-
win, her traveling companion and
secretary and a respectable
wedge into the best social circles; her
fantastic tour of Europe
in her desperate campaign to "go
everywhere and see everything"
-and on and on-until the spring snaps in
Paris, in the tragic
days of its fall and occupation.
Then, from the moment when Captain Jean
Lambert's infant
son is thrust in her arms on a death-strewn
road south of Paris,
Anne finds the suffering and agony of
other lives a part of her
own. Strangely and wonderfully, for the
first time in her life,
she is one with humanity, and in her new
freedom of spirit, for-
gets Lewisburg at last and loses herself
in the care of others.
That, in part, is what happened to Anne
Bolton. But for
the complete joy of it, one must read
the book. The story is
tender, but strict for Bromfield, simple
but important, and natu-
rally but very skillfully told.
Ohio State University. ARDIS
HILLMAN WHEELER.
The Land of the Free. By Homer Carey Hockett and Arthur
Meier Schlesinger. (New York, Macmillan,
1944. 765p.
Illus. Cloth. $4.00.)
The subtitle of this book is "A
Short History of the American
People," for this work is a
rewriting and condensing of the
BOOK REVIEWS 181
authors' Political and Social Growth
of the American People of
which Professor Hockett wrote the first
volume and Professor
Schlesinger the second. In this single
book, Professor Hockett
assumes responsibility for the first
twenty-six chapters and Pro-
fessor Schlesinger for the remainder.
Thus reduced, the subject
matter is necessarily subjected to more
of an outline treatment,
yet it is presented in attractive,
readable style appealing to the
general reader as well as the student
for whom it is primarily de-
signed. It is issued in two editions,
one for textbook purposes
and the other for the trade. The book
contains a large selection
of illustrations, many of which are
unusual and this feature adds
much to its attractiveness and value. In
addition to the illus-
trations, there are fifty-five maps,
tables and charts.
This history of the United States is
brought down to 1944
and might be called Hockett's and
Schlesinger's "Basic History."
Professor Hockett is emeritus professor
of history in the Ohio
State University where he taught for
many years and Professor
Schlesinger, now professor of history in
Harvard University, is
a graduate of the Ohio State University
and was a member of the
History Department faculty in his
earlier career.
H. L.
The Midwest Pioneer--His Ills, Cures
and Doctors. By Madge
E. Pickard and R. Carlyle Buley.
(Crawfordsville, Indiana,
R. E. Banta, 1945. 339P. Illus.
Hand-blocked, English
paper cover. $5.00.)
This book, published in a limited
edition of 500 copies, makes
available to the public a scholarly and
highly entertaining book on
early medicine in the Middle West. The
authors, who are mem-
bers of the Department of History in
Indiana University, state
that the book is a by-product of more
extensive work in the field
of middle western history. It is a
distinct contribution to the
social history of the region covered.
The book is divided into seven
chapters--He's Ailin'; Home
Remedies and Domestic Medicine; Doctors:
Bleed, Blister and
182 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
Purge; The People's Doctors; Medical
Odds: Anima to Zootes;
"Who Is a Doctor?"; and
Nirvana in Bottles--Drugs and
"Patents." Extensive notes are
given for each chapter, followed
by a comprehensive bibliography. An
index completes the volume.
One rarely sees a more attractive book
in appearance and the
subject matter is presented in very
readable form. Both the
authors and the publisher are to be
congratulated. The book will
be of interest to Ohio readers since it
contains much material
covering Ohio. Orders may be placed
through local booksellers
or direct to the publisher.
H. L.
Guide to the Manuscripts of the
Wisconsin Historical Society.
Edited by Alice E. Smith. (Madison,
State Historical Society
of Wisconsin, 1944. xiv+290p. Illustrations.)
This volume, prepared under the
supervision of Miss Smith,
curator of the Manuscript Division, can
be labeled as an excellent
bibliographical achievement. The 802
collections listed in a single
alphabetical sequence are briefly,
simply, but adequately described;
no attempt is made at evaluation and all
mystical measurements
(such as cubic feet or linear feet) have
been omitted. The ap-
proximate measurement of the boxes is
indicated and, in most
instances, the total number of boxes
and/or bound volumes is
given. The term "including" is
a bit misleading for collections
containing both boxes and volumes.
"Plus" might have told the
story better for such collections.
The famous collection of Draper MSS. has
been omitted
from the present Guide, since
these were covered in the Descrip-
tive List that appeared in 1906. In her preface, the editor says
that her Division of Manuscripts now has
more than 700,000
unbound pieces and about 2,500 volumes.
Miscellaneous manu-
scripts of ten or fewer items have been
omitted from this compila-
tion, as have also notations on sketches
of Wisconsin biographies
and local history. Manuscripts on
deposit have not been included,
nor have copies of records which are
available in near-by deposi-
BOOK REVIEWS 183
tories. Otherwise, the Guide gives
information on all classes of
records--personal, federal, state,
local, business, and fraternal.
Among the larger collections listed are:
Lucius Fairchild Papers,
Green Bay and Prairie du Chien Papers,
Grignon and Porlier
Fur Trade Accounts and Papers,
Plankinton Bank Papers, and
the various collections of state
archives. The correspondence of
the late Carl Russell Fish is preserved
here as is also the collec-
tion of Papers of the Socialist Labor
party, from 1866 to 1907.
The volume contains a brief foreword by
the Superintendent
of the Society, Edward P. Alexander, the
editor's preface, and an
explanation of terminology. Three
illustrations enliven the text.
Its excellent index will make the book
doubly valuable.
B. E. J.
A History of Oberlin College from Its
Foundation through the
Civil War. By Robert Samuel Fletcher. 2 Vols. (Oberlin,
Ohio, Oberlin College, 1943. xvii+ 1004p. Illustrations.
$5.00.)
Whether a state develops in response to
the leadership of its
educational institutions; or whether, in
some instances, these insti-
tutions are the outgrowth of a maturing
state, it would be diffi-
cult to say. Oberlin College, at any
rate, from its foundation
through the Civil War, exerted a
profound influence on Ohio,
the central portion of the United
States, and on educational prac-
tices in general.
Robert Samuel Fletcher divides the first
36 years of Oberlin
College into the following books: The Shadow
of a Man,
Oberlinism, The Struggle for Existence,
Learning and Labor,
and War and Transition.
Though the Oberlin colony and school,
the latter established
in 1832, were planned by Philo Penfield
Stewart and John Jay
Shipherd, the spiritual leadership and
dominant personality of
the enterprise, during its first 30
years, was the Billy Sunday of
that day, Charles Grandison Finney.
Finney was Oberlin, and
Oberlin was Finney to the spiritual and
educational personnel of
that era.
184 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL
AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Oberlinism was unique in three basic principles: The
Manual Labor System, Coeducation, and
Admittance of Negroes.
It is also true that the educational
system that produced these
progressive principles, was itself
responsible for the formation
and propagation of numerous isms in the
40's and 50's. Typical
examples are: The Christian Reform
Movement, extreme aboli-
tionism and Grahamism. To her credit,
however, Oberlin College
did not approve of the violent feminist
organizations of the time.
Despite this spiritual and educational
unrest in the country during
these years, the college firmly upheld
the three principles that
made it unique.
The first ten years of Oberlin College's
existence were pre-
carious for a number of reasons. Western
Reserve College, at
Hudson, was jealous of the new school
nearby; New England edu-
cators and critics felt that Oberlin's
curriculum lacked a sufficient
amount of Latin; and a general scarcity
of money in the Middle
West in the 40's added to the new
school's difficulties. A per-
sonal solicitation of English reformers
alleviated the financial
situation somewhat; these appeals were
based on Oberlin College's
known antislavery position, and the
funds raised from this source
amounted to $30,000. In 1850, as a
result of administration dif-
ferences, Asa Mahan, the first president
of the college, resigned;
and the college continued to operate on
a basis of economy and
meager gifts. It was reported that at
one time the college had
a cash balance of 76c.
From its founding until after the Civil
War, Oberlin drew
its students principally from New
England, New York and Ohio;
young people of modest means and stern
religious beliefs chose
Oberlin because of its Manual Labor
system and antislavery
principles. Not the least interesting
must have been the Negro
personnel of the student body; natives
of Jamaica, and sons and
daughters of southern masters brought a
variety of opportunities
and problems. The student life,
described by the author as "Plain
and holesome," dominated by the
fervent Finney, and quite as
earnest a board of trustees, rather
surprisingly resulted in notable
literary societies, and in the
establishment of the Oberlin Depart-
ment of Music. Mixed singing, with the
few sports that were
BOOK REVIEWS 185
then permitted, must have meant much in
an otherwise stern
curriculum.
The Civil War robbed Oberlin College of
her young men,
and left her no longer unique among
institutions of higher learn-
ing. At the outset of the war, Oberlin
officially expressed her
desire for freedom of the slaves, and
perhaps in second place
was a wish for the preservation of the
Union. Oberlin gave no-
table support, however, with her Company
C, the 2nd Ohio Cav-
alry, her many other troops and several
Negro regiments. As in
the case of many schools today, the
women students kept the
college in operation by their money and
work during the war
years. With the ending of the war and a
measure of prosperity,
at least in the north, the number of
students, the amount of gifts
and endowments to the college greatly
increased. As Oberlin
grew and matured, her principles of
Manual Labor, Coeducation
and Admittance of Negroes were gradually
adopted by more and
more schools; until in the 70's Oberlin
was no longer the leader
or unique in these aims; but rather, she
became one of a number
of progressive institutions.
Robert Samuel Fletcher's history of
Oberlin College from its
founding through the Civil War is
thorough. Every known
source seems to have been followed in
search for material. Pri-
mary sources, including newspapers,
minutes, account books and
numerous personal letters are quoted at
great length. References
for quotations are given in every
instance. Rarely does Fletcher
rely on secondary sources.
Although the style is quite
matter-of-fact, the content con-
sisting largely of data and minute
characterization, there are rare
passages of humor. Frequently the
author's italics within quota-
tions and the exclamation marks which
follow them indicate his
amusement. Speaking of a young man
choosing Oberlin because
it was coeducational, Fletcher adds,
"We smile and wonder if perhaps
there were not other young
men attracted to the new center of learning
in the West, partially,
at least, because 'females attend the
same Institution, and recite
in the same room'."
186 OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
Following a description of a dormitory
for both "young
ladies" and "gentlemen,"
he further quotes,
"Early in the following year a
number of students petitioned
the faculty 'that the partition in the
hall between the Ladies' &
Gentlemen's apartments be made more
secure'."
Describing a major scandal at Oberlin,
caused by a "very
plain looking" instructress kissing
a "gentleman" of the school,
the author adds,
"The shocked (and probably not
particularly flattered)
young man rushed posthaste to the
Ladies' Board and told them
of this affront to his manly
purity!"
Fletcher lists 49 pages of sources. The
index is very in-
clusive. A. M.
Babel's Tower--The Dilemma of the
Modern Museum. By
Francis Henry Taylor. (New York,
Columbia University
Press, 1945. 53p. $1.OO.)
The dilemma of the modern museum of
art--whether to be-
come a temple of learning and
understanding or to remain merely
hanging gardens for the perpetuation of
Babylonian pleasures of
aestheticism--is the subject of this
delightfully written, informal
book.
Drawing upon a wealth of experience as
administrator of the
greatest collection of art in this
country, Mr. Taylor discusses the
obligations of the museum to society. He
traces the history of
museums, the philosophy which has
directed their development,
and the problems which they face in the
future; and he expresses
his belief that the only possible excuse
for the existence of the
art museum in the postwar world is to
reconcile the point of
view of the layman who is bored with
museums and their inability
to render adequate service with that of
the scholar who has placed
art on pedestals beyond the reach of the
man in the street.
Not only those connected with museums
will find stimulating
reading in these pages, but everyone who
is interested in the prob-
lem of making more effective use of the
leisure that is to come
BOOK REVIEWS 187
and who knows that art is not remote
from reality but has a
vital meaning in the defense of our
spiritual life and liberty.
The book contains six chapters, entitled
"Babel's Tower,"
"Museums in a Changing World,"
"The American Phenomenon,"
"The Potential Role of the Museum
in Society," "The Museum at
the Cross-roads," and
"Problems of the Democratic Future."