Download or read book Memorial of the and Life and Character of John W. Francis (Classic Reprint) written by Henry T. Tuckerman and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-01-25 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Memorial of the and Life and Character of John W. Francis The gifted and the loved who have left the earth, it has occurred to me that it might prove a grateful tribute both to his memory and to his parents' sorrow, to note the prominent facts of his develop ment, and traits Of his nature. It is, I think, a great error to suppose that the whole interest Of biography centres in events; lives the most hon ored in remembrance, are Often the least enlivened by incident: neither is a short career absolutely devoid of characteristic materials; especially where, as in the present case, the Roman orator's wish has been realized; I approve, says Cicero, of a youth that has something of the Old man in him. The philosopher and the friend look be yond the casual landmarks that circumstances leave along the path Of a finished life, and seek to revive the habits of mind, the tendencies of character, the purposes and the principles Of those who have gone before; what the New Testament significantly calls, the spirit they are Of - is the great Object of inquiry and source Of moral interest. Nor are such comparatively abstract details insufficient to convey a just idea Of one whom we have person ally never known. Let me recall to your memory the sketch which Dr. Beattie prepared of his son. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.