Excerpt from Fact, Fiction and Reflection This book has at least to recommend it that it is a set ting forth of individual thought and judgment. A volumn from the pen of any intelligent person and de voted to the discussion of a variety of topics should prove more or less valuable as affording an intellectual and sentimental view from the particular standpoint of that observer. Great authors look forth from high mount tain tops, while the lesser ones have to content them selves with little knolls, but these small hills and all the intermediate places have each their peculiar advantage in commanding what cannot always be made out from the higher grounds of literature. Encouraged by these thoughts, I have collected from the public prints this volume of my miscellaneous prose and offer it to the reader in the hope that, standing with me for a little time and looking out upon the domains of nature, thought and human activity, he may consider his attention not wholly wasted. 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.