Frances B. Willard. By Florence Witts. "Splendid Lives Series." (S.S.U.)—This
little sketch of a devoted woman's life is cast in a style of rather over-blown enthusiasm more in keeping with the name of the series to which it belongs than with the tone of the lives the series celebrates. Miss Willard, who died in February of this year, was most widely known as a zealous leader of the American crusade against drink. But before she took up this cause she had done good work in the education of girls. After proving her ability as a teacher, and her power of gaining a strong and good influence over girls in the position of head-mistress of more than one important school, she was appointed President of the Women's College at the American University of Evanston ; and her success in this post seems to have been so great as to win for her the high praise of comparison with Dr. Arnold. The same gift of influence which helped her with girls stood Miss Willard in good stead in her work as a social reformer, and won her thousands, if not millions, of ardent disciples and warmly attached friends. Her biographer gives some pretty and touching details of her home life, especially of her affection for a younger sister who died early, and the story of whose life and character she told in her book, "Nineteen Beautiful Years."
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