New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-09
CRITICISM
AND BOOK NEWS
A Feminist's Autobiography Canada and the
Canadians More Mob Psychology
\ Great American Librarian.


.or-of- fact. but lenvened hy sense OF
humor. u is delightful reading. ln
tho retrospect The author sees the hu-
morous and The sunny aspects Of her
. struggles; she has tho knack Of telling
On anccdotc well or her Scotch an
cestrv She gives MS only enough 90
make us see where she got her per
severance and her sense o. right
though. She admits. IN the wild media
val days those ancestors OF hers saw
thoir own rights much more clearly
thar their ne. ghbors' Her father she
admits. should never have been "a hus-
band. much less q father. Tie was
dreamer OF vast scheme. wherefore
he never could sec his immediate
duties and responsibilities. lie emi
grated from England 70 this country
when his daughter was four years old.
his family following him q twelve
month later lie had bought tract
Of wood In the wilderness OF Michigan
0this was in l351). dreaming Of
landed estate IN the English sense. 20
be handed down 20 his sons from gen
Grafton 20 generation But he planted
hts family I'm a log cabin IN q little
clearing. and left them 20 shift for
themselves for many months When he
Joined them IL was only 20 continue his
dreams and 20 spend his time in read
in- instead OF fsrminr
His daughter shared all the hard
ships Of life on the frontier. She edu-
Gated herself, and earned her first
money by teaching school Her salary
b~l
been collected She spent the money
Immediately upon her first party dress,
and this brought her her first proposal
% marriage She was then sixteen.
Her sutton told her that his father had
just given him a cabin, yoke OF
steers, some cows and hen, and
added: "Will ye have me?" Upon re-
ceiying his refusal. he remarked That's
darned disappointing 70 a fellow" and
left the house r-ver.
A. the beginning Of the Civil War
ell the men Of the family enlisted
leaving its women 20 shift for them
selves-a period Of almost hopeless
struggle with poverty. j. was not
until their return that Miss Shaw could
think again Of her career. When a
child she had preached to the trees.
She held the ideal of woman
mon IN o church was delivered when
she was twenty-three years old. II
brought her her first "press notice:
"A young girl named Anna Shaw
preached 1T Ashton yesterday. Her
real friends deprecate the course she
is pursuing" Her own family depre-
Gated IL most of all But she was now
embarked on the first phase Of her
work. and began 20 attract attention .
as "a temperance lecturer as well. one .
~ the best stories in the book Is that .
OF the church on Cape Cod which was
divided against itself when she took
charge. The members Of the opposing
factions had the pleasant habit Of de-
nOuncing each other bitterly under the
guise OF prayer az the weekly prayer
meetings. The reverend doctor put a
stop 70 this at once, and when re-
tired sea captain declared truculently
that he would pray as he liked, when
he liked and where he liked and that 1
he had prayed in this heavenly way
for fftv wears before that gal was
born" the gal" squelched him with an .
argument that seemed unanswerable to .
his nautical mind:
"You are a sea captain. What
would you DO 70 me II ! came on +
board your ship and started mu-
tiny IN your crew, or tried 10 give
YOU orders ~
Captain Sears did not reply. He
stood still. his legs far apart and
braoed, but his eyes shifted little.
answered my own question.
you would put me ashore or in
irons" reminded him. "Now, Cap
tain Sears, intend 20 put you
ashore. ! am the master OF this
ship. have set my course, and /
mean 20 follow -. II you mutiny,
either you will get out or ! will.
But until the board asks for my
resignation I am in command"
Dr. Shaw confesses to a feminine
weakness for auction sales. II led her,
she tells us, to the building Of her
first home. on Cape Cod. She had
picked up at one Of these sales set
of bogwood bedroom furniture Of such
weight and proportions that II was
white elephant on her hands. In
despair she asked a friend wha she
should do with Il. Build house for
g." answered this veritable Lady from
Philadelphia.
Throughout there are afectionate
"reminiscences Of the authors eo-work-
ers-of Mary A. Livermore, who was
the first prominent woman to encour-
age her IN her difficult beginnings; Of
Anna Dickinson, Frances. Z. Willard
and Susan b. Anthony -"ALnt Susan"
TO whose memory two entire chapters
are devoted The closing pages deal
with feminism- "the Cause in more
recent days down 70 the present hour.
The book is most interesting, espe-
cially in its early chapters, with their
pictures Of the pioneer life Of the mid
die of the last century. At the same
time. Or. Shaws energetic personality
is clearly brought ont. And for this,
no doubt. we are indebted to her collab-
orator, Miss Jordan.
CANADA