The Mississippi River and its Peculiarities. By De B. R. Keim, 629

The Mound Builder. By January Searle, 517

The Red Man's Plea, 160

The Treasury Report and Mr. Sec'y Chase. By Hon. Frederick
P. Stanton, 151

The Unkind Word, 690

The War a Contest for Ideas. By Henry Everett Russell, 578

The Wild Azalea. By E. W. C., 596

The Young Author's Dream. By Edwin R. Johnson, 395

Thistle-Down. By Frances Lamartine, 318

Thomas De Quincey and His Writings. By L. W. Spring, 650

Thomas Jefferson, as Seen in the Light of 1863. By J. Sheldon, 129

Thought. By Virginia Vaughan, 577

Union Not to be Maintained by Force. By Hon. Frederick P. Stanton, 73

Was He Successful? By Richard B. Kimball, 80, 221, 341, 445

THE

CONTINENTAL MONTHLY:

DEVOTED TO

LITERATURE AND NATIONAL POLICY.

VOL. V.--JANUARY, 1864.--No. I.

RETROSPECTIVE.

Time makes many dark things clear, and often in a wonderfully short and
decisive way. So we said hopefully two years and more ago in regard to
one of the unsolved problems which then pressed on the minds of
thoughtful men--how, namely, it was to fare with slavery in the progress
and sequel of the war. The history of our national struggle has
illustrated the truth and justified the hope. Time has quite nearly
solved that problem and some others almost equally perplexing. The
stream of historical causes has borne the nation onward on the bosom of
its inevitable flow, until we can now almost see clear through to the
end; at any rate, we have reached a point where we can look backward and
forward with perhaps greater advantage than at any former period. What
changes of opinion have been wrought! How many doubts resolved! How many
fears dispelled! How many old prejudices and preconceived notions have
been abandoned! How many vexed questions put at rest! How many things
have safely got an established place among accepted and almost generally
acceptable facts, which were once matters of loyal foreboding and of
disloyal denunciation! No man of good sense and loyalty now doubts the
rightfulness and wisdom of depriving the rebels of the aid derived from
their slaves, and making them an element of strength on our side; while
the fact that the enfranchised slaves make good soldiers, is put beyond
question by an amenability to military discipline and a bravery in
battle not surpassed by any troops in the world.

HAS THE