“ On the occasion of the assassination of President McKinley, Secretary Cortelyou was with him and at once assumed general direction of the arrangements attending the illness, death and burial of the president. He had not only the duty to the dead to perform, but a much more delicate one in looking after the invalid wife and widow, and helping her to bear the great sorrow in which she had been so suddenly plunged. ”

“ Secretary Root’s own words in an address at a dinner given him by the general staff are these: “Effective and harmonious organization is the moving power of the world today. Days of trial for our country are sure to come, but I believe the American people will look back to the inauguration of the general staff and a spirit of brotherhood in arms permeating all branches of the American army, as the beginning of a new day, and the origin of an efficiency never before known in the defenders of our government and of our nation.” ”

“ THEODORE ROOSEVELT, twenty-sixth president of the United States, is a prominent instance of the best results of mind and character evolved by the Christian civilization and culture, the free institutions and progressive development of the Western world. His parentage placed him at his entrance into life on high vantage ground. Intelligent, lofty of purpose and benevolent, his father and mother made the home of his childhood and youth such an environment as gave to his excellent and growing capacities ideals of fidelity, honor and effectiveness in life. ”

“ But he has no doubt that our Government will treat the natives of the islands with the highest degree of fairness and consideration. In a recent address he said: "I have an abiding confidence in the power of the American people to reach a right conclusion and put it into effect against the selfish purposes of special interests. It takes time, but the people always win in the end." Although already a man of large achievement, not wanting in personal dignity, Secretary Taft is a truly modest man, and is more easily approached by "the common people" than are most men in high official station. ”

“ He is a conspicuous example of the continuous mental growth which steady application to the problems of transportation, both in the passenger and freight departments, and to all the related business of the great highway's of commerce and travel, develops in a man endowed with good natural capacity. The dispatch and accuracy, the foresight and the unremitting attention, which railroad work demands in all its branches is a constant stimulus to the brain and the will. The harmonious management of the work as a whole, calls for an insight on the part of leading minds which is akin to genius. ”

“ A lawyer of wide experience, a citizen of the highest type, a jurist of undoubted ability, Chief Justice Fuller has proved a worthy successor of the notable men who in the past have been elevated to our highest judicial position. ”

“ TAFT, WILLIAM HOWARD, LL.D., United States secretary of war, is a man of character and achievement, and a worthy example for imitation by the young. In youth, and especially during his college days, he laid broad and deep the foundation upon which he has built with remarkable success. ”

“ His affection for President McKinley was strong, though not frequently expressed. If he does not especially draw the affections of others to himself, admiration of his intellect is a tribute which none can fail to pay him who have watched his methods and their results. He is a tireless worker, remaining at his desk ten to twelve, and sometimes fifteen hours a day. The American people owe him a debt of gratitude for helpfully adjusting to legal principles our new colonial policy.
In February, 1905, having resigned from the cabinet, Mr. Root resumed the practice of law in New York. ”

“ He devoted himself to boating, tramping, running, and vigorous exercise generally, to the limit of his ability, and by force of will, that he might transform his frail body into a strong and responsive instrument for his spirit and will; and seeing that the lack of physical strength is a hampering hindrance to any career in life, by his personal resolution and by life in the open, he at length became the athlete, the hardy hunter and horseman whom the world knows through his books and his deeds. ”

“ Others are born who under no possible circumstances can achieve anything like success, and who in spite of the most favorable surroundings are doomed to failure. I regard inherited wealth, or the expectation of it, as one of the most serious obstacles to success, though there are a few brilliant examples of those who have managed to surmount it. With fair inherited talents, industry and ambition, success in one’s chosen field is most probable and almost certain, provided bad habits are eschewed. ”

“ Cleveland and his wife and children at the White House and in New York, at Buzzard's Bay and later at Princeton, has been happy, unostentatious, and sheltered from publicity as far as he could effect that desired end. "Those who are selected for a limited time to manage public affairs" he said in his first inaugural address "may do much by their example to encourage, consistently with the dignity of their official functions, that plain way of life which among their fellow citizens aids integrity and promotes thrift and prosperity." ”

“ If, therefore, I am permitted to retire from the army, I beg the commanding general to feel assured that it is from no want of confidence either in the justice or the ultimate triumph of the Union cause. ”

“ President McKinley's choice was vindicated as soon as Mr. Root began to apply his well-trained legal mind to our national problems. The war department immediately felt the pressure as well as the inspiration of his presence. Intellect is said to be impersonal; and this characteristic is not without great weight in questions concerning the most efficient men and methods. Personal considerations of friendship and favor may be allowed to enter into the private judgment of a business man, if he is willing to bear the consequence of choosing poor instruments of service. ”

“ Hay addressed a note to the powers, declaring that the United States did not propose to make war against the Chinese nation, but was determined to rescue our legation from the perils by which it was menaced at Peking, to secure the safety of American life and property, and to prevent the spread or recurrence of the disorders. As a result of this declaration and a strict adherence to the policy which it outlined, the imperial Government disavowed all responsibility for the outrages of the Boxer uprising and solicited the good offices of President McKinley in restoring peace. ”

“ Secretary Moody affords a striking example of the possibilities open to the ambitious American youth belonging to the well-to-do New England family of the present generation, but seldom accepted by them as desirable or practicable. Born amid surroundings that made his career in its possibilities similar to those of most other boys of his class, he advanced to the head of his chosen profession as a lawyer and as a statesman. ”

“ President Roosevelt holds a place exceptionally his own in the affection, faith and admiration of the American people. His principles, politics and aims are as broad as the nation. He has been able to impress his puissant individuality on them, as only the towering figures of our history have done. He is a strong leader; a powerful organizer. His record as well as his character have given the people entire confidence in him as their chief executive.
Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York city, October 27, 1858. ”

“ The primary, grammar and high public schools; the preparatory academy, the New England college, the Harvard law school, each in turn took him into its experienced care; and a well equipped lawyer left the office of one of the most celebrated advocates and counselors in Massachusetts and took his place at the noted Essex bar. His desire to serve his country rather than to become a rich lawyer prevailed, and promotion came to him in his political life as rapidly and as regularly as it had in his school days. ”

“ Grover Cleveland's love of work, his dislike for display, and his determination to perform scrupulously each duty as it presented itself, regardless of possible consequences to his political future, throughout his career have appealed to the good sense rather than to the imagination of the country. ”

“ MELVILLE WESTON FULLER, lawyer, jurist, the eighth chief justice of the United States, was born in Augusta, Maine, February 11, 1833. His distinguished career runs emphatically counter to the extreme theory that a man's ancestry counts for little, and that the eminence of honor and fame belong only to those who begin the ascent with bare feet. ”

“ The creation of the Department of Commerce and Labor is a just recognition of the importance and magnitude of the nation’s commercial and industrial growth and expansion. Under the organic act its province and duty are to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce, mining, manufacturing, shipping, and fishery industries, labor interests, and transportation facilities of the United States. ”

“ It will, in my opinion, be the duty of the United States to resist by every means in its power, as a willful aggression upon its rights and interests, the appropriation by Great Britain of any lands or the exercise of governmental jurisdiction over any territory which, after investigation, we have determined of right belongs to Venezuela. ”

“ For the purpose of aiding young people who may read this biography, Secretary Taft expresses regret that he has neglected the study of modern languages, and emphasizes the fact that in the enlargement of our national life, the extension of our territorial area, and the increasing closeness of our relations with other peoples, a knowledge of French, German and Spanish is becoming absolutely essential to a liberal education and to the highest usefulness. ”

“ Grover Cleveland has never been blindly subservient to party machinery, but has rather been predisposed against political manipulation. His nomination for governor in 1882 was brought about by a group of young men, many of whom were lieutenants of Samuel J. Tilden, impressed with his belief that Democratic national success could be obtained only by advocacy of the policy of rigid economy in public expenditures and low taxation. Mayor Cleveland's brief record made him the most conspicuous practical exponent in the state at the time of that policy. ”

“ The views of Justice Brown regarding the influence of inheritance and early surroundings, and the means upon which the young should depend for success in life, can best be stated in his own words, which we quote as follows :
“I am a strong believer in heredity. I believe there are certain children who are bound to make their way in the world. Their success is usually dependent upon circumstances of birth, moral training, education, and is sometimes independent of all these circumstances except inherited ability and ambition. ”

“ But as soon as the war with Spain was declared Theodore Roosevelt made it evident that what he had said and written about patriotic service of the country in time of need, he meant. Resigning an official position where he had great opportunity for usefulness, he proceeded to recruit the First U. S. V. Cavalry, the "Rough Riders," made up of many of his acquaintances in the West, including cowboys and miners, with personal friends of his own from wealthy families in New York and Boston—all men accustomed to athletics, riding, shooting and hunting. ”

“ Possessed of a sound body, a good collegiate and medical education and a determination to be a leader of men, I began my professional life believing that I could in time tread where my teachers had walked. ”

“ Chief Justice Fuller is a man of fine literary instincts. He is not only learned in the literature of the law, but he has an intimate acquaintance with history and literature in its broader aspects and bearings. ”

“ SHAW, LESLIE MORTIMER.The entire range of American biography contains few more inspiring examples of the development of sturdy, self-reliant American manhood than the history of Leslie M. Shaw, twice governor of the state of Iowa and now secretary of the treasury of the United States. ”

“ The influences of home and school, of private study, and of the companions of his early and later life have all been strong, but it is impossible for him to state which of them has been the most powerful in its effect upon his work and his success. ”

“ A system of reports was made the basis of promotion, with the result of greater efficiency than by the old way which left room for favoritism, and by regarding only seniority in service often placed incompetent men in very important positions. Our country’s present efficient army is the result of his care in investigation, his removal of limitations, and his foresight and broadmindedness in devising measures for making the army an effective machine. ”

“ He continued to hold this position under President Cleveland until May, 1895, when he resigned it to accept the position of police commissioner of New York city. In accepting his resignation President Cleveland thus wrote him: "You are certainly to be congratulated upon the extent and permanency of civil service reform methods which you have so substantially aided in bringing about. The struggle for its firm establishment and recognition is past. Its faithful application and reasonable expansion remain subjects of deep interest to all who really desire the best attainable public service." ”