The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-12

attended cuttings, log-rollings, SPELL
Ing matches and other country enter
tainments. Impressions Of all such ex-
periences he embodied in his best
known book.
When the family moved into the
town Of Vevay, after living a few
years in the country near by Eggles-
ton entered heartily into the life Of the
place. And in this next period Of his
'"The Hoosier Schoolboy." The things
around him probably seemed very
commonplace to others-just as the
plain life Of a rural community always
seems commonplace to those within
it-but Eggleston was, consciously or
unconsciously storing up the richest
literary material.
Edward Eggleston went to Virginia
to school in 1854, and it was about
this time that his health began to
fail. But in 1856, actuated by youth
ful love of adventure, he set out for a
200-mile tramp across the country,
west. Before he got back he had
walked 365 miles and was considerably
improved in health.
Despairing Of college education,
Eggleston decided to enter the min
istry, and at nineteen he became a
Methodist circuit rider. He preached
try of southern Indiana, and lived al
most entirely among the people, car
rying his wardrobe in a saddlebag.
Of course, this period Of his life
found expression in his book second in
popularity to the .'Hoosier Schoolmas-
ter" ''The Circuit Rider"
From early boyhood Edward Eggles-
ton had loved to write. While min
lister he set aside his literary ambi-
tons lest they might interfere with
his complete conservation to the min
istry While travelling around he did
a great deal of reading on horseback,
and was always interested in literary
things. His health gave way again,
and he sought to regain it in Upper
Minnesota, where he continued his cir
cult riding.
He made his first contribution to
periodical literature in 1866. A publ
cation known as "lThe Little Corporal"
printed some of his earliest work. In
that same year he was forced to give
UP his ministerial work, and he be-
came associate editor of the Little Cor
poral. In May, 1870, he was offered the
editorship of the Independent, and he
moved to Brooklyn to live. This
ended his life in the West.
EggleSton did not remain long with
the Independent, because of differ
ence of opinion with the proprietor as
to the way in which it should be con-
Quoted. He resigned his place to be
Immediately offered the chief editor
ship of Hearth and Home, a very NOR
ibund publication at that period. But
Eggleston soon began to write chap
tiers of 'The Hoosier Schoolmaster,"
and the paper began to be popular.
When the chapters were concluded, the
story was published in book form.
A pirated edition was issued in Eng
land, and in both countries the work
was exceedingly popular. The book
was translated into French, German
and Danish.
This achievement made Edward Egg
gleston q novelist. He gave up his
editorial work and devoted himself to
writing. A few years later he again
took up some ministerial work in
Brooklyn, but only to relinquish it
shortly afterward because Of his poor
health. In 1880 he conceived the idea
of writing a series of studies in Amer
lean history. He made the most care
full researches, carrying his investiga-
tons to the British museum, the Brit
ish public record Office, the French
National library and many private Ii
braries in both this country and Eng
land. "The Beginners of a Nation
was the result of these efforts.