Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-09-06

well known as the president of the New
York Genealogical and Biographical socie-
ty and is the author of numerous reliable
For many years he has been in
terested in the subject of American biogra-
ply, and has made a large collection of
books and materials. Prof John Fiske,
formerly of Harvard university, is equally
we'll known as one of the most accomplish
ed Of American authors and lecturers, and
has made special study Of the early and
revolutionary periods of our history. His
writings ON these subjects possess peculiar
clearness and vigor. Readers of the At
lantic Monthly know that his contributions
in this department of literature have form
ed one of the most valuable features of that
magazine. With these leading editors have
been associated as consulting editors men
eminent in literature, art, arms, and the
field of invention and science
1t has been the aim of the editors to make
the Cyclopedia educational as well as en-
Pertaining and instructive by making those
articles referring to important men and
measures full and exhaustive. Thus IN the
article ON the Presidents some POO pages
are devoted to a complete and authentic
account of all their public acts placing the
reader in possession of an accurate history
of their administrations, covering centu-
ny of our national annals. The same is
true in respect to the chief colonial and
state governors, our celebrated Judges aud
statesmen, members Of the cabinet, Of the
Senate and House, men distinguished IN
art commerce and literature, leaders in the
church, soldiers-forming 10y this method n
comprehensive history of the United States,
and Of other countries of the New World
to which we are bound by So many ties.
To these are added many notes of persons
of the pre- Columbian period, now appear
ing for the first time in the English Ian
guage.
The work, it will thus be seen, is Ameri-
can in the largest sense, the intention be
ing to give full and accurate information
concerning every person of note in North
or South America, its scope including, be
sides about 10000 native and adopted citi-
zens of the United States and the Domin
ion of Canada the names of several thous-
and eminent men of the Spanish speaking
countries, and also the names of nearly one
thousand men of foreign birth, who, like
Bishop Berkeley, Braddock, Burgoync, Cab
OF, Columbus CORVALLIS, Lafayette, Steu
ben and Whiteiield, are closely identified
with American history.
The principle of seection-as 10 what
names should he included and what omitted
has been put upon broad grounds. Ger
tain classes of men, for instance, are in
cluded entire because of their Off
cial position that is, we have not only
every President and Vice President of tn,
United States but every regularly nomi
mated candidate for these offices every
member of a Presidents Cabinet; every
| United States senator every justice of tn,
supreme court and speaker of the House o
| Representatives. every man that has hel,
as high rank in the military or naval ser
vice of the United States as brigadier- gen
eral or commodore every member Of thu
academy of sciences and the academy o
fine arts, together with the various bishop
of the Roman Catholic, Protestant Episco
pal, Methodist, and Moravian churches |
would not be practicable to include all gov
ernors of states, but it is believed that non
who have specially distinguished themseve
have been omitted. No name eminent il
craftsmanship, literature, art, music, sci
ence or invention has been overlooked Ii
the matter of inventions Americans STAN
before all the world, and in the Cyclopwdi
of American Biography an effort has bee
made for the first time to do justice to tn
American inventors individually, while a
the same time those classes more commo
to such books have not been neglected
Much valuable material has been obtaine
from original sources, and in the case of re-
cent lives, and those linen of light am
leading who are still living, important al
has been afforded 10y the friends and rela
tives of the subjects.
OF the way in which this part of tn
work has been done, the New York Exam
liner says:
"rhe editors deserve thanks, in the frs
place, for the pains they have taken t.
make the CyclopHdia as representative IA
possible No narrow theories have marre
its usefulness. Excellent Judgment ha
been shown in the apportionment of space
and the wants of all classes of readers ar
met. In no other reference book can 81
full and trustworthy critical biographies b
found of American men of letters, and q
public men still living. The longest arti
cles in the book are those on Grant OBJ col
umns) and Lincoln % columns), but Frank
lin has II columns, Emerson |, and ilaw
thorne ten Garfield has three columns les
than Greeley, and Hamilton but one NOR
than Irving. Politics, therefore, has n
exclusive recognition, and does not crow
out what will he more serviceable tn man
who consult the work In no other refer
ence book can one find SO many brief hlog
raphies of eminent preachers, theologians
educators, philanthropists, artists-the liv
ing no less than the dead-as are foun
here. To write of men still living is del
icate task that is eschewed as rule b.
makers Of cyclopRdas, and therefore tn
very information that one wishes most
exactly that for which one generally seek
in vain in such books. We highly common
the plan of including in this work the me
of whom one reads daily in the newspapers
but about whom most books of referenc
are silent.
Another element in the value of thes
volumes is the quality of the writers VIII
have been selected for the work. Thus, t
take the chief literary articles Emerso
was assigned to Mr.. q. p. Lathrop, HaW
thorne to Mr. George William Curtis, Gre,
ley to Mr.. Whitelaw Reid, and Irving {
Mr.. Donald q. Mitchell The article o
Lincoln was written by Col. Hay, that o
Garrison by Oliver johnson, that on Gai
field by Hon. William Walter Phelps, tha
on Grant by Gen. Horace Porter, and so ol
Though the articles are not signed list &
the authors of the more important biograpl
ical sketches is prefxed 10 each volume,
that in most cases where such nformatio
is desired it will be forthcoming"
The Cyclopadia is complete in six roy
octavo volumes of about $50 double -coum
pages each, and in the last volume is a SUI
plement which includes matter gathere
after tine publication of the earlier volum,
began, and which brings the work down
date The mechanical execution is as e.
cellent in every respect as the imprint
the Messrs. Appleton * Co, would lead til
/ puplN W eApoNI' r4hcu NoluHhe tonIhll
ten full-page steel portraits of ilustriol
, Americans, including every President
the United States, eminent statesmen, SO
iiers like Grant, Lee, Scott, Sheridan al
Sherman, authors like Bancroft, Bryan
Cooper, Emerson, Irving and Longfellow-
, and so on, Besides these, there are POO
smaller woodcut portraits. The pages a
+ a little broader than those of the America
Cycloppdia and present very attracti'
appearance,
, The purpose of the publishers was
, make the Cycloppda work of compile