Knox : Banking in the I'nitcd States 377 The deepest merit of Mr. Farnham's book, then, is one which only those who knew and cared for Parkman can fully understand. Without violation of that fine reticence which was so deeply inbred in Parkman, Mr. Farnham has given us an unfaltering study of his personality. As you read it, you feel a growing sense that you are once more in the pres- ence of the man, in his habit, as he lived. The hours which you pass with this book are like renewed ones with the friend whose memory it will help to preserve. You lay it down with a feeling of grave, tender con- tent. The future, if it will, may know more than Parkrnan's work ; it may know Parkman, too. K.VRRKTT WeNDKI.I.. A History of Banking in tlie United States. By the late John Jay Knox, assisted by a corps of financial writers in the various States. The entire work carefully revised and brought up to date by Bradford Rhodes, editor of the Bankers' Magazine, and Elmer H. Youngman, associate editor. (New York : Brad- ford Rhodes and Co. 1900. Pp. xxii, 880.) The academic world of patient investigation and reflective analysis as well as the more active world of political administration and finance has been greatly indebted in the past to Mr. Knox for his contributions to the history of government monetary issues and banking institutions, — contributions characterized by careful inquiry, candid spirit and lucid statement. Mr. Knox was Deputy Comptroller and Comptroller of the Currency from 1867 to 1884, during which period the national bank- ing system was fiercely assailed. Thus he enjoyed abundant opportuni- ties for acquiring information not only through the archives of the office, but also through a large and intimate acquaintance with bankers through- out the country. During this long period of service, he set a praise- worthy example as a government official, in incorporating into his annual reports the results of historical research. He thus made his documents of permanent value to the student. The reports of 1875 and 1876 are notable illustrations. The researches of Mr. Knox led him in two direc- tions, — one into the history of government treasury notes, and the other into that of the origin and development of banking institutions in the United States. The results of the first of these studies were published in 1884 in the volume entitled United States Notes. That book met with general approval, and has since passed through several editions. Although compact in its compass, it contains the essential facts, and presents them in a style appropriate to the scheme adopted by the author. The second task Mr. Knox did not live to complete. It was far more difficult to accomplish than the former, for it demanded a separate banking study for each of the states ; and as there has been a great variety of systems with no uniform development, and as in many cases there are few public documents which can be relied upon for information, the gath- ering of the material was naturally slow and perplexing. Mr. Knox left
