Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-23

Copyright. 1912. by Willis J. Abbot,

| three prizes for three essays Intended 10
| convert Catholics. Jews and Mohaf1-
| medans. Harriet tried for and won al
| three prizesa total of forty-fve guineAA
| labout S225p. How many of the faithleSe
We're converted is not recorded. but sue.
| cess put new heart into the Authore1o,
| who redoubdled her efforts. 4.
| 1t WAS a day of economic and political
| storm and stress in England. The All.
tation of the reform bill was on ana the
| repeal OF the corn laws was looming On
the horizon. Miss Martineau diverted her
| talents from theology to political economy.
| Her project was to teach the truths or
| property, taxes, wealth. finance, and AL
| that pertains 10 good government undSf
cover of entertaining tales She planned
The Rollo Books Of political economy.
| With two stories completed she west
| to London to seek a publisher. With o0o
accord all bowed her out. In the end she
found young and unknown bookseller
ready to undertake the enterprise II she
would supply the manuscript and save
him from all danger of loss-not an ui1r
! usual method among publishers of en-
couraging budding genius. The hook be.
came instantaneously successful. Her
! first letter from her publisher began COOL
ly. postscript, however. gave the glad
tdinS that an edition of 1000 copies
would be needed; a second postscript rais-
ed this to 1000 and third to 5000. The
penalties of fame came to her. Members
of parliament so bombarded her with blue
books md SUGGESTIONS for other stories
would not ocliver her mail any longer. for
1t could not lra carried without a bar
row."
Shortly thereafter a society instituted
for the publication OF what We would
| now call progressive literature contracted
with her for number of boo.s5 Ct from
100 to $50 pages each. to be furnished
once month. Some of the subjects Of
these books seem enough to battle any
novelist. One wove fiction around bills
of exchange with the scene laid in Hol.
land. Another. called Guide to Service,
impressed its readers with the conviction
that Miss Martineau had indeed been .
London 'slavey' One dealt with over
population. and might be reprinted now
as an antidote to Col. Roosevelts al
lacks on race suicide. But her triumphs
were not without reverses Her three
volumes Of Forest and Game Laws did
not sell we'll, for the British public. being
chiefly interested In first preserving and
then killing animals, did not relish her
sharp criticism Of the laws that sent q
BOY into penal servitude for sharing q
hare. Some Of her most ardent friends
became her bitter enemies. The car Or
dered copies of her books for all the RUS
sian schools, but had them gathered uD
!! and burned when in THE Charmed Sea-
she wrote OF Polish exfles In Siberia He
ordered that she be never permitted to
set foot on Russian territory. In whide
he was initiated by Austria Three ne
tons having assassinated tho Polish me-
ton, were a trifle sensitive on the subjeo4
In 1854 she visited the United 6tate4
Few foreign visitors have ever looke6
manned here two years, meeting the mose
distinguished men Of the age and writing
books which were pronounced the best Of
the time. except de TocqueviIes. Het
view of American manners did not coins
eide with that expressed later by Mrs
Trollope. THE manners Of the Ameris
cans" she wrote. ARE the best ever
saw. =" They have been called the most
II Il .1A L. - -. -
think they must be So" This kindly
judgment was probably formulated before
she saw that famous mob Of gentlemen"
drag William Lloyd Garrison through the
streets of Boston with halter about HE
neck. That spectacle. however. had much
to do with her hatred Of slavery. against
which she delivered effective blows.
Miss Martineau was true crusader, q
valiant fighter for freedom Of trade, for
freedom of the slave, for the freedom OF
women. Some of her writings on the last
subject would well repay study In the
present earnest discussion OF the right OF
women to share In the government ft
seemed that no revolt against prejudice
escape her notice. From London she
looked over at Oberlin College, trying 20
break down race and sex privilege. ana
wrote OF 1t in an English review.
war her pen was with us. and her work
In the London Daily News almost Offset
the malignant hostility of the Times.
Born Unitarian. her philosophy Of life
and death was purely material. not to say
dismal. II see everything In the uni.
verse go out and disappear" she wrote
less than a month before her death ID
1876, land / see no reason for supposfng
that 1t is not an actual and entire death.
and for my part I have no objection 70
such an extinction. I well remember tho
passion with which w. 2. Forster said
to me: had rather be damned than an.
initiated If he once felt f1ve minutes OF
damnation he would be thankful for exa
tinction In preference"