1856.1 Our Views and Reviews. 253 



''Ancient History: containing the History of the Egyptians, Assj/rians, Chaldeans, 

 Medes, Lydians, Carthaginians. Persians, Macedonians, The Seleuadce in Syria, 

 and Parthians. By Edward Farr." Four volumes, octavo. Moore, Wilstach, 

 Keys & Co., Cincinnati, I'^oG. 



That department of History whicli is, by common consent, denominated 

 "ancient," and whicli includes all the known conditions and recorded doings of 

 the human race, anterior to the advent of Roman Imperialism, has been almost 

 exclusively occupied by the work of Charles Rollin, for about one hundred and 

 twenty-five years — so long, indeed, that this popular history of antiquity is, itself, 

 becoming an antique ! And while the world has, for more than a century, done 

 homase to the great learning and vigorous research with which RoUin's work is 

 replete, it has long felt that a good modern work on the history of the remote 

 past was a great desideratum ; the more so, as our English versions of Rollin's 

 work have no merit in point of ease, or elegance of style. This want is, we think, 

 well supplied by this edition of Faur's xVncient History, wherein the writer has 

 availed himself freely of Rollin's material, and has industriously sought for all 

 that coull enlighten our minds in relation to the civil institutions and domestic 

 conditions of those ancient nations whereof he speaks, that research and discov- 

 ery, more recent than the date of Rollin's work, have been able to reveal to 

 mankind. 



One matter, of no small moment in the arrangement of historic works, we find 

 has here received ample attention, that is, giving the topography of the countries 

 spoken of, in conformity with the more modern geographic nomenclature. In the 

 perusal of ancient history, explained only by ancient geography, the mind soon 

 loses the localities, and directly fancies itself reading about the inhabitants of 

 another planet ; for those unfamiliar and unrecognised names of localities leave 

 our historic ideas so confused and indistinct that we come to look upon the loci in 

 quo as almost fabulous, and the historic personages who figured therein, as but 

 little more than myths. The style of the present work is very pleasing ; and 

 with an eye to the philosophy of poetry, the author does not hesitate to draw 

 largely from the ancient poets delineations of the countries, and illustrations of 

 the customs and conditions of the people of whom his history treats. We regard 

 the work as a valuable accession to our historic literature. 

 For sale by Moore & Co., 2.5 West Fourth street, Cincinnati. 



*« An Introduction to the Study of Esthetics." By James C. Moffat, Professor of 

 Greek in the College of New Jersey, Princeton. Cincinnati : Moore, Wilstach, 

 Keys & Co., 1856. 



Thkre seems to be, in our view, no subject demanding greater attention among 

 American Educationists, than the Philosophy of Art. America can not be said 

 to have a " School " of Art. All our aims have been to the cultivation of those 

 intellectual faculties that may be summed up in mere intellection, for producing 

 the practical man, and adapting him to business life. This is certainly all very 

 well; but this is by no means all that we should aim to accomplish. The sense 

 of the Beautiful should not be permitted to slumber. The aesthetic faculties 

 should be duly cultivated, and properly educated. And we deem the present 

 work by Professor Moffat, a book well calculated to serve as an " Introduction " 

 to that very important and most neglected department of education — the •' Study 

 of Jiilsthetics.'^ For sale by Moore & Co., Cincinnati. 



