numerous eloquent eulogies may be found in the addresses of Rufus Choate, William Cullen Bryant, Charles Sumner, Parke Godwin, and their contemporaries.
Many of the occasional addresses treat of miscellaneous subjects which will be found systematically classified in the analytical index. The representative speeches derived from French, German, and Spanish sources were in most instances specially translated for this work. In the English version great care has been exercised in preserving the thought and idiomatic flavor of the original text.
The capital stories, bright sayings, famous passages, and flashes of wit embodied in the final volume greatly increase the value of the library as a cyclopædia of eloquence. Reference to each one of these extracts will be found in the analytical index, entered under its proper subject-head or topical classification. The work thus becomes a topical cyclopædia of oratorical quotations which will be found of great convenience to public speakers and to all persons called to prepare a lecture, respond to a toast, or deliver an occasional address. At a moment's notice one may turn to the brightest anecdote and most pertinent illustration for any subject or occasion.
Wit and humor, however, are not confined to the final volume. Throughout the whole body of the work the element of humor is found in generous measure, but it is especially prevalent in the after-dinner speeches and the lectures. A special effort has been made to find the best stories and sayings of modern humorists. This feature of the library will make it highly interesting for the family circle. Stories that have convulsed great audiences with laughter cannot fail to evoke an echoing ripple around the fireside.
The work is embellished by numerous full-page photo-gravures and illustrations in color. Portraits of great orators will be found in connection with their speeches. The illustrations also include historic scenes and historic buildings referred to in the text. Many of them are reproductions from famous paintings, and all of them are artistic and appropriate.
Every page throughout the work has been thoroughly indexed in order to enhance its usefulness for purposes of reference. In this index each speech, lecture, and address
