PREFACE HILE this book mainly consists of matter WHILE now published for the first time, it also contains reprints of the author's articles from Harper's Magazine, The Century, Scribner's, The Outlook, and other periodicals. I desire to give my hearty thanks to the proprietors of these magazines for the kind permission which enables me to reprint articles which are their property and no longer mine. A book which contains the collected writings of a lifetime — and nearly all on one subject must of necessity comprise some repetitions. In defense of such repetitions I may justify myself by quoting a line from the veracious author of "Alice in Wonderland": "What I tell you three times is true!" F. K. |