seases in different localities at an early period, but to
ask an intelligent being to wade through nearly four thousand "personal
histories" in order ascertain these facts is, to say the least, somewhat
of an imposition on his good nature.

Later on in his preface the author contradicts himself in this regard,
for he shows us how far from philanthropic were the publisher's motives
and how little he thought of posterity in inserting these biographies,
by writing the following well-turned and suggestive sentences: "It may
be asked, Why have the biographical sketches of comparatively obscure
men been inserted? The reasons are obvious to business men and should be
to all. None but citizens are represented. Whatever Milwaukee is her
citizens have made her. Shall the publisher exercise a power higher than
the law, and erect a caste distinction or estimate each man's work from
some fictitious standard of his own? Assuredly not. If, in the
preparation of this work, a citizen has shown commendable pride, and
aided its publisher by his patronage, he is entitled to mention in its
pages. Such men and women have received a sketch, but the fact of
pecuniary assistance has not biased the character of the book."

This is a very specious attempt to throw a glamour of respectability
over a very unpleasant and repugnant fact, namely: that a mass of
"biographical sketches of comparatively obscure men" has been given to
the public under the guise of a history of a city, with the sole object
of making money. It is indeed consoling to know that "none but citizens
have been represented," but why this statement should be coupled with
the platitude that follows it would be hard to say. And then the utter
ridiculousness of the nonsense about the publisher exercising a power
higher than the law and erecting a caste distinction! "What fools these
mortals be!"

But whatever may be said of the historical value of such books as the
above, there can be little doubt that they are remunerative business
enterprises, for the country has of late years been flooded with them.
Perhaps we ought to be thankful for any history at all of these new
Western cities, even though the wheat therein be so scarce and the chaff
so plenty. The prevalence of this same affliction--the biographical
history--in literary New England seems more anomalous than it does in
the West, but it is even more widespread. A fair type of the Eastern
species is the Quarter-Centennial Histo