News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1893-05-11
A NEW ENGLAND STORY.
BY A NEW ENGLAND WOMAN.


Mrs. Helen NJ. Winslow is already
well known in literary Boston as a
successful and able journalist. She
was one of the six women who helped
form the New England Woman's
Press Club, and has been its treaSur-
er from the start. A series of sketch
es OF well known women of Boston,
among them Mrs Arthur Nikisch,
Mrs Maud Howe Elliot, Sarah Orne
Jewett and Agnes Repplier, now run
ming in the Boston Journal, is from
her pen, although unsigned, and has
attracted much favorable notice.
Born in northern Vermont, of the
best New England stock, Miss Wins
low is descended from the family of
Governors Edward and Josiah Wins
low of Plymouth Colony and through
Il great grandmother from the ia
nous Adams family. She began writ
ing for the press about ten years ago
and since then has done a great deal
of work for the Boston Transcript,
Journal and Herald and has been on
editorial staff of the Beacon, besides
writing for many magazines, Frank
Leslie's, the Arena, the Atlantic
Monthly, etc. Her speciality is short
stories and poems of New England
life. In their quaint humor these
rank with Whitcomb Riley's analo-
gous works for therural west, and the
reading public to whom they are IA
miliar will watch with interest for the
appearance of her first novel, which
the Arena Publishing Co. have now
in press.
"Salome Shepard, Reformer," is a
brave and successful attempt on the
part of the author to deal with the
question of the rights, duties and
privileges of the thousands of opera
tives employed in the great manu-
featuring establishments of the coun-
try. The plan of the story was sug-
gested some years ago by a study of
the factory system of New England
for which Miss WinslOw was detailed
by her editor. She became interested
in the condition of the working peO
pie and thus in the relations of capt.
tai and labor and subsequently made
a thorough study of the various
authorities on these subjects.
The scheme of the story is cleverly
constructed topresent economic ques-
tions in a manner to seize and hold
the attention of the reader. SalOme
Shepard, a wealthy and beautiful
girl, left heiress to the great Shaw
sheen mills and IL fortune beside,
typifies at first the careless ignorance
and Indifference of the wealthy class
es toward the industrial problems Of
the day; and later, as the misery re-
sulting to the laboring class from
these conditions is forced upon her
notice, she becomes in practice the
performer whom in theory she has
often ridiculed. While it is probable
that some will disagree with the
authors theories, and question the
possibility of such solution of the la
Dor problem as she has indicated, yet
the practical reforms which Salome
Shepard carries out-the building Of
new tenement houses, the establish
ment of sort of "Toynbee Hall"
and a school for operatives, etc, are
in line with the best thought of the
day. The story is originally treated
and discusses live issues in a crisp
and pertinent manner.
A charming double love story runs
through it all like twisted thread of
gold The style is graphic, concise
and lucid, and the opening descrip-
ton OF the strike, by virtue of these
qualities, makes an instantaneous i'm
pressions upon the reader. Several
known literary lights of Boston, who
read the advance sheets OF the book,
have become so much interested in it
that it is probable an enthusiastic
symposium review of g Salome Shep-
ard, Reformer," will shortly appear
signed by names which in themselves
will give it a passport to popular
favor. But the book is strong
enough to stand alone and will win
it's own way.-WeekIy Journalist.