Garfield said, "No page of human history is so instructive and
significant as the record of those early influences which develop the
character and direct the lives of eminent men."
These sketches show how young men have overcome difficulties, sometimes
poverty, sometimes illness; how they have made failures before finding
their true vocation. They show the results of energy, perseverance, and
untiring devotion; how a cheerful face and a hopeful spirit like
Agassiz's, or a gentle and kindly nature like Darwin's, can win its way
against opposition.
A sketch of Benjamin Franklin, which otherwise would have a place in
this volume, will be found in "Famous American Statesmen"; also one of
Michael Faraday, in "Poor Boys Who Became Famous."