and men of action; while last, but not least, as soldiers on
the field of battle, which tradition regards as the field of
glory, our great men have served as valiant soldiers while
the American Army and Navy have produced heroes of
undying fame in the defense of their land and in the cause
of humanity. Is not so complete a record a credit to the
nation and to the world?
While transmitting
to posterity the
memory
of distin-
guished persons of the past and present day, it will instil in the minds of our children the important lesson that
—
honor and station are the reward of continued exertion and that compared to a good education with habits of honest industry and economy, the greatest fortune would be but a poor inheritance. The courteous co-operation and words of praise received from prominent people throughout the Unite'd States,
confirmed the opinion that the public is sufficiently and importance of such a work, and the
alive to the value
from placing their names, by most honored ones, in a work that will be found in the great public libraries and reading rooms throughout the world, and which is ultimately destined to go down to posterity as an enduring record of the most eminent people of the United States; bearing in mind that without such a record some of the most illustrious names would be lost in oblivion, and their posterity deprived of the gratification and advantage of reference lasting benefit to be derived side
to so
side with those of our
honorable an ancestry.
