The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-04-20
Modern Women
WRITER'S.
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

The first American woman to make
a livelihood, at least in part, by her
pen was Hannah Adams, who was
born in Medfield, Massachusetts in
1852. She died in Brookline, Mas
sachuetts in 1882, her entire life being
passed in the locality of these two viii
lagos. Her writings We're published
in both America and England. They
We're considered authoritative upon
their subjects which were all serious
in scope Her first work "A View
of Religious Opinions" was published
in 1884. Five years later she pub
lished a history of England which
was regarded as standard by the edu-
cational institutions of the period.
Miss Adams also was a teacher of
some prominence. During the revO-
%lutionary war and for some years fol-
lowing, she conducted a special school
for fitting young men for college.
Her Evidences of Christianity" was
followed by a complete history of the
Jews, and h also engaged in many
controversies in which her manner of
AZ VA llSl Z "oo GU CO.
pecially apt. Poor Miss Adams a
little chance for development as her
were small. Travelling was
out of her reach and even the books
at her command were limited. Her
writings were successful in winning
the first literary honors awarded
American women although financially
they We're not sufficient to place her
out of want for the necessities of life.
She was supported by private charity
for years before her death. In COM
parison with the earnings achieved
by Mrs. Burnett and several other
modern women writes, Miss Adams
scant returns seem pathetic.
During the past century, the num-
Der of women writers has increased
so as to nearly equal hat of men.
No positive enumeration of them can
be made because While thousands of
women are writing under their own
names, thousands of others are quietly
engaged in numerous forms of liter
airy work who are entirely unknown
to the public. Women are acting
as editors of almost every class of
publications. Women writer's include
novelists, poets, historians, essayists,
journalists, intervieWers, reporters and
special writer's upon every kind of
science. There is no way now of dis
tinguiShing between men and women
writer's. Some women writer's have
been in the habit of writing under a
masculine name in the belief that their
work would not receive unbiased criti-
cism if presented as that of a woman
Few hold to such an opinion now n
it is generally admitted that there is
no work which is apt to stand so fully
upon it's own merits, without regard
to sex distinction, as is that of the
writer. Most women now write boldly
under their w names, although a
few still seek to hide their identity
under a nom de plume. Thousands
of women do unsigned editorial work.
From the beginning of women's en-
trance into the literary field, their at
tention has been apt to urn toward
some needed reform. The beginning
Of the great mass of anti-slavery lit
erature which became so prolific a
generation later, has been sale to be
the appeal for that Glass of Ameri-
cans Called Africans, which was pub
lished in 1888 by Mrs. Lydia Frances
Child, who began her literary work in
1924 by the publication of "Hobomak,"
an Indian tale, which excited much
favorable comment in this daWning
period of American literature. David
Lee Child, the husband Of this early
woman writer, encouraged her to the
extent of engaging with her in the
publication of The American Anti
Slavery Standard" which Mrs. Child
edited for eight years. Her Letters
from New York." written during these
years. have been reprinted a number
of times and are regarded as accur-
ate and interesting description of the
social life of hat metropolis at that
period.
The first American utilization of the
novel as a means Of creating public