Reminiscences, Addresses, and Essays, Vol. 1 (Classic Reprint)

Book excerpt: Excerpt from Reminiscences, Addresses, and Essays, Vol. 1 At the request of the widow of Dr. Francis Lieber, I have undertaken to examine and arrange for publication some of his less extended, I can hardly call them his less important, writings. The task, though a pleasant one, was not easy, for the papers submitted to me were voluminous, related to a great variety of subjects, and were originally printed in divers forms during a period of literary activity which extended through almost fifty years. Moreover, while much that he wrote was upon transient topics, not much was trivial. He brought to the discussion of local and temporary questions rich stores of learning and habits of philosophical thought. Even in those essays and paragraphs which are humorous there is a grave and substantial foundation. He was thoroughly earnest in that which was least and in that which was most. He was zealous in his desire to promote the highest good of modern society by a study of the past, by a comparison of existing institutions and of the most recent acts of legislation in different countries, and by applying the fundamental principles of justice - of rights and of duties - to the passing events in America and Europe. There is consequently very little which he printed in pamphlets, magazines, or newspapers which would not be valued by a student of political science, interested in the lessons to be derived from the history of the United States. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.