Excerpt from The Present and Future Prospects of Chicago: An Address Delivered Before the Chicago Lyceum, January 20, 1846 Gentlemen OF the lyceum: In entering upon the duties assigned me, as President of this Lyceum, I shall at, present do little more than thank you for the honor con ferred upon me by the appointment, and assure you in the simplicity of my heart, as every militia officer does in New England, from the General of Brigade, down to the Fourth Corporal, on his elevation to rank and fame, that I will endeavor to serve you according to the best Of my abili ties. In order, however, that I may do so, it is necessary that I speak to you with freedom. This I shall do at all events, both now and hereafter, whether you hear or whether you' forbear. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.