The National tribune., 1910-10-27

kbefoTe she went abroad. The very first
people whom she mentions meeting are
the historian, Grote, and his wife. and
in the same breath speaks of Sidney
Smith, and records many a sprightly
talk with him; also Mrs. Smith, Thomas
Carlyle, Horace Mann, the great phil
anthropist and his wife, Lord Hougnton
and his sister, Lady Galloway: Charles
| Dickens, Lord Lansdowne and most of
the lords and ladies of the day She
says that when questioned as to what
had most impressed her on her first
visit to London, she replied: THE clev-
er people over there" She tells such a
funny thing about an incident in con-
nection with Charles Dickens. DIR.
Howe and herself Mr.. and Mrs. Dick
ems, the painter, MacLise, and many
others were taking dinner with John
the typography of Dickens" in the
Inns Court. While they were taking
| coffee in the sitting room, Mrs. Howe
relates, Il had occasion to speak to my
husband. and addressed him as Oar
ling" Thereupon Mr.. Dickens slid
back, held up one of his small feet,
quivering with pretended emotion, Did
she call him darling" he cried.
There never was anything with hu-
man interest in 1t that was not of in
tense interest to Julia Ward Howe. She
reared a family of children, yet always
found time for study, for the widest of
social life which was not in any sense
of the word akin to society life travelled
widely, wrote and thought deeply on
every subject of interest in the most
progressive of all centuries Her books
were not so numerous, but her news
paper work was very extensive.
Mrs. Howe's books are: Passion
Flowers" Words for the Hour" "a
Trip to Cuba" The Worlds own"
From the Oak to the olive Later
Lyrics" Sex and Education" Memoir
of Samuel Gridley Howe" Life of
Margaret Fuller" Modern Society,""
rs Modern Society Polite?" From sun
set Ridge" "Reminiscences" Sketches
of Representative New England Wo-
men,"
For period of so years Mrs. Howe
was a part of the worlds work She
figures in every intellectual circle, was
always a leader in the advanced cause
of women, was ever an ardent suffrag-
ist, in which she and Susan b. Anthony
walked close together for nearly so
years. She was one of the founders of
the New England Women's Club, and
was one of the strong eXpounders of
the Unitarian Church. She was always
deeply religious, made a thoro study of
the Bible. bat never approached the
Puritan orthodoxy OF New England,
ilo"C VIII DS remembered DY
not only the century in which she lived, \
but In all the centuries to come in this
country by her inspired Doem THE
Battle Hymn of the Republic" Mrs
Howe's story of how this came to be
written is almost as wonderful as the
poem itself. She was in Washington,
and had called upon President Lincoln
She says she can remember so well the
sad expression of Mr.. Lincoln's deep
blue eyes. the one feature of his face
which she said could be called other
than plain, and she rememb bered the
evil report of him that was banded
about, and how really ugly everybody
was to him just at that time, and she
adds: None of us knew then-how
could we have known?-how deeply
Gods wisdom had touched and inspired |
that devout and patient soul" She
had visited the hospitals, and had seen
the coming and going of the Union |
troops and the return CT the wounded |
and the dead in that early year of the |
war. and it weighed heavily upon her
soul. In company with many others |
she had attended a review of the troops |
at some distance from Washington, end |
the return to the city was slowly made |
because of the troops which filed the |
road. To beguile the rather tedious
drive back to the city she relates that |
the party in the carriage sang from |
time to time snatches of the army songs |
so popular, and concluded with the
singing Of
John Browns body lies a-mouldering
in the grave,
His soul is marching on"
She relates that the troops liked to
hear this, and called back to them as
the carriage passed. Good for you"
and took up the refrain. Rev. James
Freeman Clark. who accompanied her.
Sa i'd: Mrs. Howe. WHY do Won non
write some good words for that stirring
tune?" Mrs Howe replied to DR.. Clark
that she had often wished to do this,
but had not as yet found the inspira-
ton. Mrs. Howe relates that she went
10 bed as usual and slept very soundly,