Excerpt from Just Talks on Common Themes This book is a selection from articles appearing each day in the columns of the Lewiston Evening Journal, a newspaper published in lewiston-auburn, Maine. This accounts for the many local allusions and Maine colloquialisms. No apology is needed for the publication of this book - or if such apology be required, it should not come from the writer. One hundred readers (more or less) contend for the distinction of being the first to suggest that these familiar essays be put in a book. Left later, to the discrimination of the same public, one thousand readers professed by letter a desire to have copies of this book when published. Whether they will regret it, is a matter for the future to determine; but it leaves the publishers comfortable, since they have no critics to appease and no large market to seek. It will be seen that many of the sketches are auto biographical. Autobiography is always a matter of taste. It is true that there is little of interest in com mon lives; yet, there is value in the sum total of human experience. For instance, a certain man who lived a quiet life once wrote two books. One of them was to be his monument; in it he solved all the problems of life. In the other book were told the simple annals of his own life. The former book is forgotten - out of print; the latter is read by thousands, daily. The world may thus find something of interest in any commonplace life - especially if it be told with fidelity to truth. It is the fond belief of the writer that if there is any virtue in any portion of this book, it lies in the fact that these sketches were written out of a feeling of intimacy with his public, in a purely spontaneous enjoyment of the themes, and in belief in their truth. One word more, the material for many of these sketches came from many sources, to all of which thanks are due without further notice. It is hoped that the book will do no harm and there is a faint hope in the miraculous - that it may get a smile, or a tear or a second thought in a busy world. 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.

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