Miss Belle Kearney, the writer of this book, belongs to an old, conservative, Southern family. She was born on a plantation near Vernon, Mississippi, and was educated in her native state. A few years were spent in the gay society of the times, but the changed social and economic conditions that followed the civil war led her to a nobler, more useful life. When quite young she became a teacher and for six years was ranked among the successful educators. In 1889 she was called to enter the lecture field and has since risen to be one of the most logical, brilliant and popular speakers upon the American platform. Her public life has made her an extensive traveler; carrying her into Canada, Europe, and throughout the United States from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico. In the years of varied experiences that have come to Miss Kearney, she has made a deep study of humanity and the problems of life; this has caused her to be looked upon as one of the leaders of thought in the nation.