The Washington herald., 1907-11-18


who died in Paris Saturday. was born
March L. lSs2, in Stafford County, Va.
oi family that had long settled IN
that State His father was a magistrate
and a member Of the Virginia legislature
He went 20 school IN FREDERICKSBURG. and
was graduated from Dickinson College.
pennsylvania. in 1879. when he became
member Of the Methodist Church
Beginning the study OF law at Warren
! ton, Va, he frequently wrote for the
Richmond Examiner. OF which his cousin
John NJ Daniel, was editor. taking the
extreme Southern view Of political ques-
| tons. says the New York Evening POST.
| He soon. however. gave up the study OF
the law TO enter the Methodist ministry.
and was appointed in 1850 10 tie Rock
| vile circuit He early published a pam
! phlet, Free Schools in Virginia" in
which he urged the adoption Of the New
England common school system. some
I thing that has not yet come 10 pass In
( the South
/ Shortly thereafter. under the influence
| OF a settlement OF QUakers among whom
/ he lived, he left the Methodist ministry
I and entered the Divinity School al Cam
| bridge. Mass. where he was graduated
/ IN lSJ4. He then returned 70 the South.
I but with his views in regard 10 slavery
/ notably changed. not only by his North
/ ern schooling. but by happenings in Viz
/ ginia. especially by the mob murder OF
a free negro named GraysOn. at CuIpeper
/ courthouse. which Mr.. Conway stigma
/ tiZed in print as something that would
/ read better among the records Of the
I Spanish lnQuisition or the Feudal age Of
/ Britain than by the light OF the fun
/ moon OF the nineteenth century" The
/ Innocence OF GTaysOn was subsequently
! established.
Forced from Falmouth.
/ When he returned 10 Falmouth whore
his parents resided. he was obliged 10
leave almost at once, because he had be-
friended Anthony Burns. the fugitive
slave who was returned 10 slavery from
/ Boston by the aid of the United States
marines. The same year he became Dzs-
tor Of the Unitarian Church at Washing
ton. where he preached until he was dis
missed on account Of his radical anti
slavery Giscourses. especially one de-
I iIvered after the assault on Senator sum
ner- In 1856 he became pastor OF The
Unitarian Church in Cincinnati. He he
gan 70 lecture gratUitously throughout
Ohio. and was soon invited 20 Boston 10
speak publicly there on the same anti
slavery theme
Already his literary ability had brought
MIN the opportunity OF editorial work
and he conducted for some time the Gin
cinnau Dial and the Boston Comr,or-
wealth. In lS63 he Went 10 England 4,
]
Northern cause. and such was his afHn-
/ ity with the life there. that toward rb.
close OF 1853 he became the minister of
South Place Chapel. London. a post
which ne held until his return 20 Amer
lea IN ISL During his London residence
7 ne came into Intimate personal relations
/ win al the great literary and political
hsures OF the period. and these in1imacfrs
\ he later reproduced delightfully."- ir the
pages Of his memoirs He was al This
/ time contributor 10 the leading Eng
/ lish and American magazines. and vss
/ associated with the STATS of the Daily
News and the Pail Mall Gazette.
Aroused Southern Enmity.
( Mr. Conway's convictions on the prob
/ lens involved IN the civil war brourbr
him. as already indicated. into antar-
d
munities. which by reason Of traditional
and family ties should have been friendly
TO him His interest in the antislaverv
movement led him into a relationship
with President Lincoln of which he isfr
some entertaining "reminiscences. As ed
itor OF the Commonwealth. the Young
aOohuonist used 10 accompany those del
egates 70 the White House who were
I wont TO besiege Lincoln with plans for
the immediate fulflmeu1 OF the abolition
programme in its most radical forms
I ihere Is ample testimony as 10 the veNa-
( ton these good men-Special pIeaders I'm
an admirable cause-occasioned the Pres
ident- In the course Of one solemn con-
clave. Lincoln was reminded of one OF
ms little stories which he addressed
TO Mr. Conway.
II appeared that a sinful farmer down
IN Maine once asked druggist of that
Fronlpluon state 20 put some whisky I'M
ms soda water The druggist. looking
around. and. catching glimpse OF a
peering constable. said virtu0usIv. that
the law forbade him Upon this the
iarmer prone 10 drink whispered Cant
suthin' git in unbeknowust 10 ve@~ And
such fate said Lincoln. may happen
10 one Of ms pToclamations'
Religion AIienafed Father
Mr.. Conway's religious heresies. leading
! him first from MethOdism to Unitarianism
and later into the highways Of untr4r-
meled free thought were the source Of
much unhappineSs 20 him in his youth
| since they alienated him from his father,
to whom he was devotedIy attached.
Throughout his life Mr. Conway had a
special interest in religious phenomena.
and this induced him 10 study at first
hand the various religions of the East
His travels and experiences in India found
expression in the volume entitled My
! Pilgrimage TO the Wise Men i'm the East
"a delightful book OF travel. but which
as a critic Of the Christian religion is
marred somewhat by the constitutional
bias Of the writer's mind
Wrote Many Books.
In addition TO the ..Pngrimage 10 IN
dia. published in 1907, and already re-
fRrred 90, "a list of Mr. COnway-s books
includes the following titles: The Earth
ward Pilgrimage Idols and Ideals"
"DemonOlogy and Devil Lore The
Wandering Jew" ''The Sacred Anthol-
osy.' George Washington and Mount
Vernon Lives Of Edmund Randolph.
Thomas Paine TRANSLATED into Frencm.
Hawthorne. and Thomas Carlyle" Bar
ons OF the PotOmack and Rappahaunock. .
Emerson at Home and Abroad Pine
and Palm. Prisons of Air" Republican
Superstitions. Solomon and Solomonic
Literature. and his autobiography.
He was a member Of several learned
societies in London. Iectured occasionally
at the Royal Institute. and in New York