The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, July 1912 - April, 1913 Page: 218

The Southwestern Historical Quarterly

derson was a personal friend of Scott's, and had great admiration
for his military qualities. The book is without an index, but this
is less serious than would be the case if the letters were of greater
historical importance. E. C. B.
The Story of My Life, or More Than Half a Century as I Have
Lived it and Seen it Lived. By G. C. Rankin, D. D. (Dallas:
1912. 12mo, Pp. 356, Vol. I.)
This volume covers the life of Dr. Rankin down to the time of
his election as editor of the Texas Christian Advocate, fourteen
years ago. Previous to that election he had spent four years at
Shearn Church, Houston, and two years at First Church, Dallas.
The volume, therefore, covers only a small portion of his activity
in Texas. The author promises another volume, the material for
which has already been accumulated but is too warm to hand out.
"In that second and final volume there will be something racy
and rare in the literature of the Lone Star State."
'The present volume "is not technically an autobiography, for
it deals with many persons and incidents outside of myself." "I
have grouped certain periods and certain incidents around myself
and told the simple story without much accuracy of chronology."
These sentences indicate somewhat the plan of the book. The first
half of the volume is superior to the second half both as regards
choice of subject matter and treatment. The story of his child-
hood, the courage with which the fatherless boy faced the world,
the privations he endured to obtain an education-the account of
his kind grandmother, of his own mother's fortitude, of the help-
fulness of friends-the pictures of life in his native community,
of the scenery of East Tennessee and of the character and orig-
inality of the leaders in that region-all these are well told and
will win the sympathy and admiration of his readers, young
and old.
The second half of the volume is different. The plan of the
book is not adapted to the subject matter treated; as a result, the
narrative is fragmentary; the style becomes repetitive, digressive,
and perfunctory. The author's statements in the Foreword, "I
owe nothing to fortune, to kindred or good luck" and "I have had
to become, from sheer necessity, the architect of my own position

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