E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Charlie Kirschner,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
This being the last possible volume in the series of "Beacon Lights ofHistory" from the pen of Dr. Lord, its readers will be interested toknow that it contains all the lectures that he had completed (althoughnot all that he had projected) for his review of certain of the chiefMen of Letters. Lectures on other topics were found among his papers,but none that would perfectly fit into this scheme; and it was thoughtbest not to attempt any collection of his material which he himself hadnot deemed worthy or appropriate for use in this series, which embodiesthe best of his life's work,--all of his books and his lectures that hewished to have preserved. For instance, "The Old Roman World," enlargedin scope and rewritten, is included in the volumes on "Old PaganCivilizations," "Ancient Achievements," and "Imperial Antiquity;" muchof his "Modern Europe" reappears in "Great Rulers," "Modern EuropeanStatesmen," and "European National Leaders," etc.
The consideration of "Great Writers" was reserved by Dr. Lord for hisfinal task,--a task interrupted by death and left unfinished. In orderto round out and complete this volume, recourse has been had to someother masters in literary art, whose productions are added to Dr. Lord'sfinal writings.
In the present volume, therefore, are included the paper on"Shakspeare" by Emerson, reprinted from his "Representative Men" bypermission of Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., the authorized publishersof Emerson's works; the famous essay on "Milton" by Macaulay; theprincipal portion--biographical and generally critical--of the articleon "Goethe," from "Hours with the German Classics," by the late Dr.Frederic H. Hedge, by permission of Messrs. Little, Brown & Co., thepublishers of that work; and a chapter on "Tennyson: the Spirit ofModern Poetry," by G. Mercer Adam.
A certain advantage may accrue to the reader in finding these mastersside by side for comparison and for gauging Dr. Lord's unique life-workby recognized standards, keeping well in view the purpose no less thanthe perfection of these literary performances, all of which, like thoseof Dr. Lord, were aimed at setting forth the services of selectedforces in the world's life.
NEW YORK, September 15, 1902.
SOCIALISM AND EDUCATION.
Jean Jacques Rousseau and Edmund Burke
Rousseau representative of his century
Birth
Education and early career; engraver, footman
Secretary, music teacher, and writer
Meets Thérèse
His first public essay in literature
Operetta and second essay
Geneva; the Hermitage; Madame d'Épinay.
The "Nouvelle Héloïse;" Comtesse d'Houdetot
...