The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-26

ana had faith to be assured of, that would one have. So when she came to take care of her invalid aunt, who promptly dis carded her invalidism, and expounded her beliefs to friends and neighbors, the vil- lage found itself quite upset. and the va rious characters followed Jane's teach ings as far as they were materially ap- plicable to themselves with most astonish- ing results.
 But underlying all the droll fun is a sound and helpful doctrine of optimism and faith in the ultimate good in all things, and an entirely practical rule of happy living. Janes intention was to bring sunshine into every life she touched, and her story will go far towards carrying out it's heroines ideals with every reader. THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED
 STATE, 17S9-1914.
 By John Fiske, Carl Schurz, Robert c.
 Winthrop, George Ticknor Curtis, George
 Bancroft John Hay, and many others. Edited by James Grant Wilson. Un four
 volumes) Charles Scribner's Sons Pub
 fishers, New York.
 In four handsomely bound and beauti- fully gotten up volumes, entitled "The Presidents of the United States, 17S9-1914' D work is presented to the literary world that is at once educational and instructive.
 concise, accurate, nonpartisan and com- plete, the work Is a masterpiece of his- tory as well as general reading matter.
 The many contributors their work being excellently edited by James Grant Wilson, spell the highest and the best in all the world of letters and any library will find decided addition to it's ranks in this new work
 In the Preface" to "The Presidents of the United States the following is said:
 Many of the brief biographies of the v Presidents of the United States con tained in these four volumes were writ ten by distinguished scholars and states men who were peculiarly fitted by their training or contact with our chief magis- trates to render ample justice to their subjects. and also to treat them with what Edmund Burke describes as the cold neutrality of an impartial judge. number of the sketches, particularly of the Presidents in our own time. were especially prepared for this work; others were originally written for 'Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography In some insxances they have been revised and enlarged for the present volumes These seven-and-twenty articles contain a complete record of the most important events in the nations history from the inauguration of our first President to the close of 1913, a period of more than 124 years. and including 32 administrations The well known writers of these model biographies Of our chief magistrates are not responsible for the brief notices of the ladies of the White House. for the sketches of other persons connected with the families of the Presidents, for the accompanying their mono graphs, or for the selection of the many illustrations, which 1t is believed will en- nance the interest and value of the work These have been added by the editor. The portraits have been reproduced from the best originals obtainable, and the in- testing series of facsimlles, with a few exceptions. were taken from the editors complete collection of letters>written by the Presidents concerning some of whom -such as Washington, the elder Adams, Jefferson. Lincoln and Grant-it may be safely said. upon the adamant of their fame the stream of time beats without Injury For those of John Adams James Monroe. Andrew Johnson and William the publishers are indebted to the courtesy of other collectors as those four examples among the editors letters of our chief magis- trates. were not adapted for use in this work"