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27 chapters
SARAH K. BOLTON
SARAH K. BOLTON
AUTHOR OF "POOR BOYS WHO BECAME FAMOUS," "GIRLS WHO BECAME FAMOUS," "FAMOUS AMERICAN AUTHORS," "STORIES FROM LIFE," "FROM HEART, AND NATURE," ETC. "A nation has no possessions so valuable as its great men, living or dead."— Hon. John Bigelow. NEW YORK THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO. No. 13 Astor Place Copyright, 1888, by Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. Electrotyped By C. J. Peters and Son, Boston. Presswork by Berwick & Smith, Boston. To THOMAS Y. CROWELL. Respected as a Publisher and Es
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
"With the great, one's thoughts and manners easily become great; ... what this country longs for is personalities, grand persons, to counteract its materialities," says Emerson. Such lives as are sketched in this book are a constant inspiration, both to young and old. They teach Garfield's oft-repeated maxim, that "the genius of success is still the genius of labor." They teach patriotism—a deeper love for and devotion to America. They teach that life, with some definite and noble purpose, is wo
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GEORGE WASHINGTON.
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
The "purest figure in history," wrote William E. Gladstone of George Washington. When Frederick the Great sent his portrait to Washington, he sent with it these remarkable words: "From the oldest general in Europe to the greatest general in the world." Lord Brougham said: "It will be the duty of the historian, and the sage of all nations, to let no occasion pass of commemorating this illustrious man; and until time shall be no more will a test of the progress which our race has made in wisdom an
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
"To say that his life is the most interesting, the most uniformly successful, yet lived by any American, is bold. But it is, nevertheless, strictly true." Thus writes John Bach McMaster, in his life of the great statesman. In the year 1706, January 6 (old style), in the small house of a tallow-chandler and soap-boiler, on Milk Street, opposite the Old South Church, Boston, was born Benjamin Franklin. Already fourteen children had come into the home of Josiah Franklin, the father, by his two wive
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THOMAS JEFFERSON.
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
Five miles east of Charlottesville, Virginia, near where the River Rivanna enters the James, Thomas Jefferson was born, April 13, 1743, the third in a family of eight children. Peter Jefferson, his father, descended from a Welsh ancestry, was a self-made man. The son of a farmer, with little chance for schooling, he improved every opportunity to read, became, like George Washington, a surveyor, and endured cheerfully all the perils of that pioneer life. Often, in making his survey across the Blu
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ALEXANDER HAMILTON.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON.
To the quiet and picturesque island of Nevis, one of the West Indies, many years ago, a Scotch merchant came to build for himself a home. He was of a proud and wealthy family, allied centuries before to William the Conqueror. On this island lived also a Huguenot family, who had settled there after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which drove so many Protestants out of the country. In this family was a beautiful and very intellectual girl, with refined tastes and gentle, cultured manners. T
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ANDREW JACKSON.
ANDREW JACKSON.
George Bancroft said, "No man in private life so possessed the hearts of all around him; no public man of the country ever returned to private life with such an abiding mastery over the affections of the people.... He was as sincere a man as ever lived. He was wholly, always, and altogether sincere and true. Up to the last he dared do anything that it was right to do. He united personal courage and moral courage beyond any man of whom history keeps the record.... Jackson never was vanquished. He
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DANIEL WEBSTER.
DANIEL WEBSTER.
In the little town of Salisbury, New Hampshire, now called Franklin, Daniel Webster was born, January 18, 1782, the ninth in a family of ten children. Ebenezer, the father, descended from a sturdy Puritan ancestry, had fought in the French and Indian Wars; a brave, hardy pioneer. He had cleared the wilderness for his log house, married a wife who bore him five children, after which she died, and then married a second time, Abigail Eastman, a woman of vigorous understanding, yet tender and self-s
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HENRY CLAY.
HENRY CLAY.
Henry Clay, the "mill-boy of the Slashes," was born April 12, 1777, in Hanover County, Virginia, in a neighborhood called the "Slashes," from its low, marshy ground. The seventh in a family of eight children, says Dr. Calvin Colton, in his "Life and Times of Henry Clay," he came into the home of Rev. John Clay, a true-hearted Baptist minister, poor, but greatly esteemed by all who knew him. Mr. Clay used often to preach out-of-doors to his impecunious flock, who, beside loving him for his spirit
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CHARLES SUMNER.
CHARLES SUMNER.
Henry Ward Beecher said of Charles Sumner: "He was raised up to do the work preceding and following the war. His eulogy will be, a lover of his country, an advocate of universal liberty, and the most eloquent and high-minded of all the statesmen of that period in which America made the transition from slavery to liberty." "The most eloquent and high-minded." Great praise, but worthily bestowed! Descended from an honorable English family who came to Massachusetts in 1637, settling in Dorchester,
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U. S. GRANT.
U. S. GRANT.
What Longfellow wrote of Charles Sumner may well be applied to Grant:— The light left by General Grant will not fade out from American history. To be a great soldier is of course to be immortal; but to be magnanimous to enemies, heroic in affections, a master of self, without vanity, honest, courageous, true, invincible,—such greatness is far above the glory of battlefields. Such greatness he possessed, who, born in comparative obscurity, came to be numbered in that famous trio, dear to every Am
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JAMES A. GARFIELD.
JAMES A. GARFIELD.
Not far from where I write is a tall gray stone monument, in the form of a circular tower, lined with various polished marbles, and exquisite stained-glass windows. It stands on a hill-top in the centre of three acres of green lawn, looking out upon blue Lake Erie and the busy city of Cleveland, Ohio. Within this tower rests the body of one whom the nation honors, and will honor in all time to come; one who was nurtured in the wilderness that he might have a sweet, natural boyhood; who studied i
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THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO.
THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO.
13 ASTOR PLACE, NEW YORK. By J A K 12mo. Illustrated. $1.25 per Vol....
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BIRCHWOOD.
BIRCHWOOD.
"A hearty, honest boys' book, which young people are sure to enjoy."— N. Y. Mail and Express. "An eminently wholesome and good book."— Zion's Herald. "An excellent story for boys, inculcating the valuable truth that whether a boy be rich or poor he should learn to work. There is also a good temperance lesson taught; and it is all told in a simple way, that ought to interest young readers."— Literary World....
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RIVERSIDE MUSEUM.
RIVERSIDE MUSEUM.
"Thoroughly healthy in tone."— Nation. "A very charming story for young folks."— Inter-Ocean. "In a pleasant, easy style, the writer shows how children aiming at improvement can find around a village the objects in Nature which develop thought and knowledge."— Christian Intelligencer....
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THE FITCH CLUB.
THE FITCH CLUB.
"A very interesting and very profitable story."— Hartford Post. "The author has a happy way of telling a story in just the style calculated to interest boys."— Christian Union. "A pure and interesting story for the boys and girls. Ways and means of doing many useful things are so naturally and pleasantly told that the information does not appear like teaching, but like story-telling."— Kansas City Times....
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PROFESSOR JOHNNY.
PROFESSOR JOHNNY.
"An admirable book for teaching boys the science of common things."— Home Journal. "Combines scientific information, wise moral instruction, and capital entertainment in good proportions."— The Congregationalist. "It is characterized by that uncommon thing—common sense."— Christian Index....
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WHO SAVED THE SHIP.
WHO SAVED THE SHIP.
"Good wholesome reading."— Milwaukee Sentinel. "One of the brightest books of the season."— Ohio State Journal. "Admirable in tone and full of interest."— Boston Traveller....
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THE GIANT DWARF.
THE GIANT DWARF.
"Young and old will read the story with pleasure."— Philadelphia Inquirer. "The author of 'Birchwood,' 'Prof. Johnny,' and other tales, will always be sure of a welcome among young people, and 'The Giant Dwarf' will be found to rank among his most fascinating work."— Boston Traveller....
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THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO.
THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO.
13 ASTOR PLACE, NEW YORK. $1500 PRIZE STORY. A STORY OF THE MINES. By HOMER GREENE. 12mo, cloth. 230 pp. 14 illustrations. 90 cents. "The recent prize competition for stories, held by the publishers of the Youth's Companion , called forth about 5000 aspirants for literary honors, among that multitude, Mr. Homer Greene, of Honesdale, Pa., whose story, the Blind Brother, took the first prize of $1500, probably the largest sum ever paid for a story to a hitherto comparatively unknown writer. The Bl
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POOR BOYS WHO BECAME FAMOUS.
POOR BOYS WHO BECAME FAMOUS.
By Sarah K. Bolton . Short biographical sketches of George Peabody, Michael Faraday, Samuel Johnson, Admiral Farragut, Horace Greeley, William Lloyd Garrison, Garibaldi, President Lincoln, and other noted persons who, from humble circumstances, have risen to fame and distinction, and left behind an imperishable record. Illustrated with 24 portraits. 12mo. $1.50. "It is seldom that a book passes under our notice which we feel impelled to commend so highly to young readers, and especially to boys.
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GIRLS WHO BECAME FAMOUS.
GIRLS WHO BECAME FAMOUS.
By Sarah K. Bolton . A companion book to "Poor Boys Who Became Famous." Biographical sketches of Harriet Beecher Stowe, George Eliot, Helen Hunt Jackson, Harriet Hosmer, Rosa Bonheur, Florence Nightingale, Maria Mitchell, and other eminent women. Illustrated with portraits. 12mo. $1.50. "Give this book to your daughter; she may, perhaps, never become famous, but it will help her to do well her life's work."— American Baptist....
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FAMOUS AMERICAN AUTHORS.
FAMOUS AMERICAN AUTHORS.
By Sarah K. Bolton . Short biographical sketches of Holmes, Longfellow, Emerson, Lowell, Aldrich, Mark Twain, and other noted writers. Illustrated with portraits. 12mo. $1.50. "Bright and chatty, giving glimpses into the heart and home life of some whom the world delights to honor.... At once accurate, inviting, instructive."— Chautauquan....
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FAMOUS AMERICAN STATESMEN.
FAMOUS AMERICAN STATESMEN.
By Sarah K. Bolton . A companion book to "Famous American Authors." Biographical sketches of Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Webster, Sumner, Garfield, and others. Illustrated with portraits. 12mo. $1.50. Such lives as are sketched in this book are a constant inspiration, both to young and old. They teach Garfield's oft-repeated maxim, that "the genius of success is still the genius of labor." They teach patriotism, a deeper love for and devotion to America. They teach that life, with
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BOYS' BOOK OF FAMOUS RULERS.
BOYS' BOOK OF FAMOUS RULERS.
By Lydia Hoyt Farmer . Lives of Agamemnon, Julius Cæsar, Charlemagne, Frederick the Great, Richard Cœur de Lion, Robert Bruce, Napoleon, and other heroes of historic fame. Fully illustrated with portraits and numerous engravings. 12mo. $1.50. "A capital book for youth. Each subject has a portrait and illustrations of eventful scenes."— Boston Globe....
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GIRLS' BOOK OF FAMOUS QUEENS.
GIRLS' BOOK OF FAMOUS QUEENS.
By Lydia Hoyt Farmer . A companion book to "Boys' Book of Famous Rulers." Lives of Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth, Catharine de Medici, Josephine, Victoria, Eugénie, etc. 12mo, cloth. 85 illustrations. $1.50. "Such a book for young people is worth a score of 'blood and thunder' fictions; it is worthy a place in the library of every boy and girl."— Washington Post....
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LIFE OF LAFAYETTE, the Knight of Liberty.
LIFE OF LAFAYETTE, the Knight of Liberty.
By Lydia Hoyt Farmer. A glowing narrative of the life of this renowned general, with 58 illustrations. 12mo. $1.50. As a large portion of the material presented in this volume has been gathered from French works never before translated and which are now out of print, and also from original files of newspapers, and various manuscripts written by members of the La Fayette family, a more complete life of General La Fayette is here offered than has before appeared, either in this country or in Europ
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