This volume agrees precisely with the previous one in
purpose and arrangement. It has, however, been neces-
sary, on account of the ever-increasing diffuseness of the
material upon which we have had to draw, to resort more
frequently to condensation. Parliamentary speeches, state
papers, pamphlets, books of travel, magazine articles, and
treatises on important phases of our modern life rarely
yield their best in the succinct form essential, consider-
ing the space at our disposal. Moreover, with the class
of readers we have in view it seemed wise to avoid all
digressions and obscure allusions which could hardly
fail to increase the difficulties in the student's path. We
have, however, always plainly indicated in the margin
those cases in which a speech, treaty, constitution, or
extract from a book or article is "condensed" or "much
condensed." While we have struck out sentences and
paragraphs where there was not space for them, and
they could be spared, we have only in the rarest instances
ventured to change a word, excepting always in the case
of translations, which commonly solicit amelioration
either from the standpoint of sense or taste. The crit-
ical student who suspects that he is missing something
can always, by means of our Table of Contents and
List of Citations, readily turn to the text upon which
we have relied.