# Woman of the Century/Euphenia Vale Blake

​BLAKE, Mrs. Euphenia Vale, author and critic, born in Hastings, England, 7th May, 1825. Her father, Gilbert Vale, removed with his family to New York when the daughter was about seven years of age. Mr. Vale was well known as an author, publisher, inventor, public lecturer and a professor of astronomy and other branches of mathematics, making a specialty of navigation. He died in Brooklyn in 1866. In 1842 Mrs. Blake went to Massachusetts to reside, her husband, Dr. D. S. Blake, being a native of that State. Almost immediately Mrs. Blake began to write for the leading local paper, in Essex county, Mass., the Newburyport Herald," taking the editorial duties whenever the chief was absent. She also edited a weekly literary paper the "Saturday Evening Union," and supplied: leading articles for the "Watch Tower." In 1854 she wrote and published the history of the town "of Newburyport, and a scientific work on the use of ether and chloroform applied to practical dentistry. At that time she was also writing for the "North American Review" and " Christian Examiner," all the editorials for the " Bay State," a weekly published in Lynn, with occasional articles in the Boston daily journals, the "Transcript," "Traveller," " Atlas " and others, it was in the "Atlas" one of her articles in 1853 started the movement for revising the laws of Massachusetts and causing the adoption of that law which now prevails, limiting the franchise to those capable of reading the Constitution of the United States. In 1857 Mrs- Blake returned to Brooklyn, N Y., where she has ever since resided. She furnished a series of "Letters from New York" to the Boston "Traveller " and wrote essays for the "Religious Magazine." Then for the "New York Quarterly" she did much book reviewing. She also wrote for the "Constellation," edited by Park Benjamin. In 1859 to 1861 she regularly supplied the "Crayon," an art magazine published in New York, with elaborate articles on literature and art. To settle a wager between two friends, one of whom bet that no one "could impose on the New York Herald," and the other thinking it might be possible, Mrs. Blake wrote a "Great Manifesto! Declaration of Independence by the States of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. Copy of the Instructions sent to France! etc. This the then edltor-in-chief.the astute Hudson, accepted as genuine. It was printed 14th November, 1860, and paid for, and it was a nine-day wonder why the other papers never had it. In 1871 Mrs. Blake furnished historical articles to the "Catholic World "on the "Milesian Race." Next followed articles for the EUPHENIA VALE BLAKE. "Christian Union," and, at the request of Mr. Beecher, a few short stories. A little later she contributed essays to the " Popular Science Monthly." One of her productions was printed in the Brooklyn "Eagle of 23rd November, 1871, discussing the riparian rights of Brooklyn to her own shore line. It was a historical resuml of all the legislation on the subject, from colonial times to the date of publication. The late Chief Justice Nielson, of the city court, remarked that "the argument was unanswerable." In 1874 she published "Arctic Experiences " (New York), to give a correct history of the Polaris Expedition and Captain Tyson's wonderful ice drift, and containing also a sketch of all the preceding expeditions, both American and foreign. In 1879, and subsequently, she wrote regularly for the "Oriental Church Magazine." Mrs. Blake wrote several lectures on historical and social topics for a literary bureau in New York, which have since been repeatedly delivered by a man who claimed them as his own. She has also written a book on marine zoology and a series of articles on "The Marys of History, Art and Song." She occasionally writes in verse.