No race nor people rise as a whole. Spiritual growth, intellectual enlightenment and physical development are all individual matters. Hence biographies of the individuals of a race constitute a record of prime importance both for the present and for future generations. They also furnish the historian with much valuable data. Emerson says: "There is no history, only biography." Our Editorial Department has not sought to exploit the views or opinions of any party or of any section. The effort has been made simply to present facts— facts about the representative men and women of the race in the State. Both races must be helped by a proper presentation of the facts about the best element of the Negro race. Too long policies have been inaugurated and actions based on a knowledge of the vicious element only. The gathering of the information for these biographies has made it necessary for our representatives to visit every county and every important town in the State. We believe the first-hand information thus gained by hundreds of personal interviews will give the work peculiar value. The biographies have been written frankly from an appreciative point of view, but the effort has been made by the Editorial Department to avoid anything like fulsome laudation. In every nook and corner of the State we have had the most hearty and cordial co-operation for which we are grateful. We believe the South Carolina Volume of this work tells the story of the men and women, who in the main, should be known. to the world as the real exponents of Negro life in America. THE PUBLISHERS.