River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-12-24
JOHN b. COUGHS NEW BOOK,
PLATFORM ECHOES.

This entirely new and splendidly
illustrated volume is the browning life
work of the world famous John b. Cough.
Every oIHsis familiar with the story of
his early life, and of his rescue from a
drunkard's grave, and how this once
wretched and despised sot became one OF
the most famous men of our time, and
the best known. - ,';fa.eaker IN the world
For se"en years he stood amid the
horrors of delirium tremens, an abject
slave to the bottle; and his condition and
wretched appearance were such as to
cause people to exclaim, There's man
who has been in hell" Since that time
the good he has accomplished
cannot be estimated The rich,
the poor, the high, the low, the
learned and the unlearned, have been
alike thrilled and moved by his burning
words He has swayed brilliant audi
ences of royalty and fashion; has spoken
in state prisons, iails, poor houses,
penitentiaries, reform schools, and
houses of correction; to the deaf, the
dumb, the blind; to audiences composed
wholly of outcasts; and to audiences
numbering thousands of children. At
his feet more than ten million people
have sat and listened in admiration and
wonder. In his library may be seen a
set of large volumes-a far better memo
rial of his life and labors than any
monument of marble or bronze-contain-
ing the original signatures of one
hundred and fifty thousand men and
women who were induced TO sign the
pledge through his personal efforts.
These names-many of them tear be-
dewed and written with trembling hand
represent stories of happiness and woe,
of ruin and remorse, of blighted hopes
and wasted lives, of battles fought and
victories won. TO give some of these
thrilling life histories; to depict scenes of
iov and sadness; to lift the curtain on
life's stage and show its tragedy and
comedy; and to draw Giving truths"
from the lessons thus taught and bring
them home to every heart, is the prime
object of this volume.
Many distinguished men and women
have long urged Mr.. Cough to write this
book. They knew that in forty-tive
years of unceasing work among all
classes in Europe and America he has
seen much of the bright and shady sides
of life, and that the wealth of material in
mis- possession would make one of the
most valuable and thrilling books of the
day. Rev. DR.. Lyman Abbott, the
eminent editor and divine, has written
the story of Mr.. Coughs life and career
for the book.
1t is John B. Cough in print. In it he
gives to the world in permanent form his
best thoughts on many topics, his most
touching tales, his most stirring anecdotes
and incidents, his most telling stories of
deepest pathos and keenest humor. As
a story teller he has never been equalled.
The tenderness of his pathos and the
spice of his humor are irresistible. But
whether he narrates story of m1rth or
of sorrow, it is always to illustrate great
and living truths. Stranger stories are
told than romance ever dreamed of, every
one of them drawn from real life by a
master hand. In every chapter he
weayes in anecdote after anecdote, incl
dent after incident, story after story, and
underneath them all lie Living Truth"
that stand out as beacon lights. He
plays upon the readers feelings as with
an enchanter's wand, at one time filling
his heart with gladness, at another blind
ing his eyes with tears. At his bidding
hearts are melted, and stern, strong men,
| as well as sensitive women, weep tears OF
compassion, are aroused to indignation,
or moved to uncomfortable laughter in
spite of every effort to control their
| feelings.
This work is wholly and entirely new.
| Not one word of it has ever before been
published. 1t contains nothing tnat
appears in Mr.. Coughs Autobiography
(i869), or in his Sunlight and Shadow"
| (18SO) This is totally different work,
and is conceded by critics, and by the
entire press, to be the browning life-work
| of its illustriOus author
Its illustrations are the best we have
ever seen. 1t contains two hundred and
| twenty-seven fine engravings by the best
artists and engravers in the world.
Many of these illustrations are :" too
funny for anything" while others depict
| Indebtedness and woe. Sixteen of these
engravings are full-page ones, and are
| magnificent specimens of art Two
hundred and nine are text illustrations.
There are two fine steel-plate portraits.
| One is from life-size full length paint
| ing, showing Mr.. Cough as he appeared
shortly after his rescue. The other is
| from a photograph just taken. All in all,
| it is one of the finest and most elaborate
| ~ illustrated volumes ever produced by
| the American press.
We advise our readers to buy Platform
Echoes at the first opportunity. They
can, in our opinion, much better afford to
dispense with dozen other books than
| not possess this. Once begun, it will not
willingly be laid aside till the last page is
| finished.